What is "tuchulcha"

In Etruscan mythology, Tuchulcha was a chthonic daemon (not to be confused with the Christian term " demon") with pointed ears (perhaps those of a donkey), and hair made of snakes and a beak (perhaps that of a vulture). Tulchulcha lived in the underworld known as Aita.

Many scholars refer to this deity as male because of masculine features, such as animalistic facial hair that may resemble a beard. However, according to Nancy de Grummond, "This monster is often referred to as male but in fact is very likely female (or neither gender), for she wears a woman’s dress, has decidedly pale pinkish skin (compare the standard brick-red male flesh of These), and even appears to have breasts." She also identifies the diamond-marking of Tuchulcha's serpents as identifying the poisonous adder ( Vipera berus berus). Emeline Hill Richardson and Graeme Barker and Tom Rasmussen also state that Tuchulcha is female. However, Tuchulcha's garment is known to classical historians as a chiton and is worn by both men and women. As well, the same clothing is worn by another male deity, Charun.

The only known rendering of Tuchulcha is identified in a wall painting in the Tomb of Orcus II, in Tarquinia, Italy. There the deity appears in a depiction of the story of These ( Greek Theseus) visiting the underworld. These and his friend Peirithous (only his head visible in the surviving portion of the image) are playing a board game, attended by Tuchulcha.

In the film, The Dead Are Alive (1972, directed by Armando Crispino), a fresco depicting Tuchulcha is the inspiration for a serial killer's murders occurring somewhere between Spoleto and Cerveteri.