Editing Laran (section)

{{Short description|Etruscan god of war}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Etruscan
| name = Laran
| image = Bronzetti etrusco-romani, laran (ares-marte) 05.JPG
| caption = A statuette of the god Laran, depicted with traditional armour and a helmet.
| symbol = Cuirass, shield, sword, and lance 
| god_of = Underworld God of War
| consort = [[Turan (mythology)|Turan]]
| Greek_equivalent = [[Ares]]
| Roman_equivalent = [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]]
}}

In [[Etruscan mythology|Etruscan mythology and religion]], '''Laran''' (or '''Larun''') is the god of [[war]]. In art, he was portrayed as a [[nudity|naked]] youth wearing a [[helmet]], a [[cuirass]] and carrying a [[spear]], [[shield]], or [[lance]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=The Etruscan World|publisher=Routledge|year=2013|isbn=978-0-415-67308-2}}</ref> Laran also appears to be an underworld god.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|author1=Konstantinos I. Soueref |author2= Ariadni Gartziou-Tatti|title=Gods of Peace and War in the Myths of the Mediterranean People|publisher=Ephorate of Antiquities of Ioannina - University of Ioannina|year=2019|isbn=978-960-233-247-4|location=Ioannina, Greece}}</ref> Among his attributes is his responsibility to maintain peace. According to some scholars, he also seems to have been the guardian of boundaries as shown by the boundary cippi found in [[Bettona]] with the inscriptions ''tular Larna'' and ''tular larns.''<ref name=":0" /> Along with eight other Etruscan gods, he can wield lightning.<ref name=":1" /> Due to the ''[[Tabula Capuana]]'' we know that the Laran festival was celebrated on the Ides of May.<ref name=":0" /> Laran is the [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]] equivalent of the Greek [[Ares]] and the Roman [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]].<ref name="EtruscanReligion">{{cite book |last1=Simon|first1=Erika|last2=Thomson de Grummond|first2=Nancy|title=The Religion of the Etruscans|year=2006|publisher=University of Texas Press|page=58|isbn=0292782330}}</ref> Like many other [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]] gods, his name is gender neutral.

Previous scholarship thought that [[Maris (mythology)|Marís]], a mysterious figure(s) was the [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]] god of war due to the similarity of the name to the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] war god [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]].<ref name=":2">Simon, Erika; Thomson de Grummond, Nancy (2006). The Religion of the Etruscans. University of Texas Press. {{ISBN|0292782330}}.</ref> However, that has been disproven and Laran has been identified as the Etruscan god of war.<ref name=":2" />

Laran was also shown in the company of another Etruscan god, [[Lur (deity)|Lurs]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> The two names were associated with each other since the archaic period.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" />