Sethlans (mythology)
| Sethlans | |
|---|---|
God of Fire and Craftsmanship | |
| Other names | Veltha |
| Weapon | Hammer |
| Artifacts | Tongs, Tools |
| Symbol | Pileus |
| Ethnic group | Etruscan |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek | Hephaestus |
| Roman | Vulcan |
| Egyptian | Ptah |
| Hindu | Tvashtr |
| Norse | Völund |
In Etruscan mythology, Sethlans was the god of fire, the forge, metalworking, and by extension craftsmanship in general, the equivalent, though their names share no etymology, to Greek Hephaestus, Egyptian Ptah and the Roman Vulcan. Sethlans is one of the indigenous Etruscan gods. In Etruscan arts Sethlans may be identified by his tools, the hammer and tongs of the blacksmith, and by the pileus or conical cap he wears.
His association with order and technical skill made him essential to rituals involving material production, such as weapon or tool creation, reflecting the Etruscan reverence for divine precision and manual labor.
By what appears to be a curious omission, his name does not appear on the bronze liver of Piacenza.