Mania (deity)

In ancient Etruscan and Roman mythology, Mania (Etruscan: 𐌀𐌉𐌍𐌀𐌌), also spelled Manea, was a goddess of the dead, spirits and chaos: she was said to be the mother of ghosts, the undead, and other spirits of the night, as well as the Lares and the Manes. She, along with Mantus (Etruscan: 𐌈𐌍𐌀𐌌, romanizedManth), ruled the underworld.

Her counterpart in Greek mythology, also named Mania (or Maniae), was the goddess of insanity and madness.

Etymology

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Her name links her to the Manes, Mana Genita, and Manius.[1]

Both the Greek and Latin Mania derive from PIE (Proto-Indo-European) *men-, "to think." Cognates include Ancient Greek μένος, ménos, 'mind, thought', and Avestan 𐬎𐬫𐬥𐬌𐬀𐬨, mainyu, 'spirit'.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Roger D. Woodard, Indo-European Sacred Space: Vedic and Roman Cult (University of Illinois Press, 2006), pp. 116–117.