Hubbry Logo
CacusCacusMain
Open search
Cacus
Community hub
Cacus
logo
8 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Cacus
Cacus
Cacus
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia
Hercules killing the fire-breathing Cacus, engraving by Sebald Beham (1545)

In Greek and Roman mythology, Cacus (Ancient Greek: Κάκος,[1] derived from κακός, meaning bad) was a fire-breathing giant and the son of Vulcan (Plutarch called him son of Hephaestus).[2] He was killed by Hercules after terrorizing the Aventine Hill before the founding of Rome.[3]

Mythology

[edit]

Cacus lived in a cave in Italy on the future site of Rome. To the horror of nearby inhabitants, Cacus lived on human flesh and would nail the heads of victims to the doors of his cave. He was eventually overcome by Hercules.

According to Solinus, Cacus lived in a place called Salinae, which later became the location of the Porta Trigemina.[4]

According to Evander, Hercules stopped to pasture the cattle he had stolen from Geryon near Cacus' lair. As Hercules slept, the monster took a liking to the cattle and slyly stole eight of them – four bulls and four cows – by dragging them by their tails, so as to leave a trail in the wrong direction. When Hercules awoke and made to leave, the remaining herd made plaintive noises towards the cave, and a single cow lowed in reply.

Angered, Hercules stormed towards the cave. A terrified Cacus blocked the entrance with a vast, immoveable boulder (though some incarnations have Hercules himself block the entrance) forcing Hercules to tear at the top of the mountain to reach his adversary. Cacus attacked Hercules by spewing fire and smoke while Hercules responded with tree branches and rocks the size of millstones. Eventually losing patience, Hercules leapt into the cave, aiming for the area where the smoke was heaviest. Hercules grabbed Cacus and strangled the monster, and was praised throughout the land for his act. According to Virgil in Book VIII of the Aeneid, Hercules grasped Cacus so tightly that Cacus' eyes popped out and there was no blood left in his throat: et angit inhaerens elisos oculos et siccum sanguine guttur.

Hercules and Cacus by Baccio Bandinelli (1525–34); (Palazzo Vecchio, Florence)

Another version of the myth states that Cacus made the cattle walk backwards so they left a false trail. Hercules drove his remaining cattle past a cave, where Cacus was hiding the stolen ones, and they began calling out to each other. Alternatively, Caca, Cacus' sister, told Hercules where he was.

According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, when the Aborigines and the Arcadians who lived at Pallantium learned of the death of Cacus and saw Hercules, they thought themselves very fortunate in being rid of the former, they were plucking branches of laurel, crowned both him and themselves with it and their kings invite Hercules to be their guest.[5]

In the Roman tradition, Hercules founded an altar after he killed Cacus. Eusebius writes that Heracles erected an altar in the Forum Boarium, to commemorate his killing of Cacus.[6] This was the Ara Maxima,[7] where later the Forum Boarium, the cattle market of Rome, was held. In the Aeneid, the Arcadian King Evander recounts this story to Aeneas to explain the rites the people perform yearly to Hercules. Hercules had temples in the area, including the still extant Temple of Hercules Victor.

In later literature

[edit]
  • In the Inferno of the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, Cacus is depicted as a centaur with a fire-breathing dragon on his shoulders and snakes covering his equine back. He guards over the thieves in the Thieves section of Hell's Circle of Fraud.[8]
  • In the second book of Gargantua and Pantagruel, Cacus is said to be begotten by Polyphemus the Cyclops. He is also said to be the giant who fathered Etion.
  • Miguel de Cervantes in his 1605 novel Don Quixote describes the inn keeper in the second chapter of part one "The First Sally from his Native Heath" as "No less a thief than Cacus himself, and as full of tricks as a student or a page boy."[9] Cervantes also mentions Cacus as a prototypical thief in a comparison in the sixth chapter of Don Quixote part one, "The Scrutiny of the Curate and the Barber" when the Curate says "Here we have Sir Rindaldo of Montalbán with his friends and companions, bigger thieves than Cacus, all of them ..." The comparison is a slight on Rinaldo, as he had written a book The Mirror of Chivalry which the Curate and the Barber agree caused, in part, Don Quixote's descent into madness.[10]
  • In A Letter to a Friend Sir Thomas Browne compares the reluctance with which old people go to the grave with the backwards movements of Cacus' oxen.[11]
  • Cacus is described as a deformed outcast from an Italian village, able only to say "Cacus", in Steven Saylor's novel Roma, playing a direct role in the events of the main character of the era.
  • Lavinia, in Ursula K. Le Guin's 2008 novel Lavinia, describes Cacus as a "fire lord, the chief man of a tribal settlement, who kept Vesta alight for the people of the neighborhood, with the help of his daughters." Lavinia comments that the Greeks' story of the beast-man "was more exciting than mine."
  • Cacus appears as the main antagonist in Rick Riordan's short story in The Demigod Diaries titled "The Staff of Hermes". There were references to Cacus' fight with Hercules in that story. In the story, Cacus had stolen Hermes' Caduceus. He later attacked Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase. Annabeth hit Cacus with her metal claw and Percy killed Cacus with Hermes' Caduceus.

In modern languages

[edit]

In the Spanish language, the derived form caco[12] is a colloquial word for "thief" and a disused word for a very cowardly man.

Notes

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Cacus

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
In , Cacus was a monstrous, fire-breathing giant and the son of the god Vulcan, who dwelt in a cave on the in and terrorized the local inhabitants by devouring human flesh until he was slain by the hero . According to Virgil's (Book 8, lines 190–267), Cacus, described as a semi-human brute with vast stature and a that spewed flames, stole four bulls and four heifers from ' herd of Geryon's cattle by dragging them tail-first into his cavern to conceal his tracks, prompting to topple the cave's entrance rock, battle through smoke and fire, and strangle the giant in his lair before dragging out his corpse for public display. Ovid's (Book 1, lines 543–584) similarly portrays Cacus as Vulcan's fierce offspring who pilfered two bulls from the unguarded Erythean herd during ' rest near the future site of , hiding them backward in his den; , hearing their lowing, pursued and avenged the theft by slaying the monster. In Livy's (Book 1, chapter 7), the episode is rationalized as a historical-mythical event where Cacus, a violent inhabiting the , robbed of his oxen while the hero paused by the after slaying ; recovered the animals by force, killing Cacus in the ensuing confrontation, after which the Arcadian king honored him with sacrifices at the Ara Maxima altar, establishing a rite later observed by the Potitii and Pinarii families. These accounts, varying in emphasis between divine monstrosity and brigandage, underscore Cacus's role as a symbol of primal chaos subdued by heroic order, linking the to 's foundational and the worship of . The figure of Cacus also appears in Propertius's Elegies (4.9), reinforcing the cattle-theft motif and ' triumph, while later interpretations connected him to volcanic or infernal themes due to his fiery attributes and parentage.

Etymology

Linguistic Origins

The name Cacus is widely interpreted as deriving from the Greek adjective kakós (κακός), meaning "bad" or "evil," a connection that underscores the figure's association with moral depravity and villainy in ancient narratives. This etymology appears in scholarly analyses of Roman mythology, where the term aligns with Cacus's role as a thieving, monstrous antagonist. Alternative proposals suggest Etruscan or broader Italic roots for the name, potentially originating from an Etruscan seer figure known as Cacu, as explored in studies of pre-Roman legends. Phonetic similarities have been noted to Italic words related to , such as those linked to coquō ("to cook" or "to boil," evoking heat), which may reflect the character's fiery nature and cavernous habitat. The earliest surviving literary reference to Cacus occurs in Virgil's (Book 8, lines 184–305), composed between 29 and 19 BCE, though the is embedded within a narrative set during the 8th century BCE founding era of . This attestation marks the name's integration into canonical Roman , preserving earlier oral or local traditions.

Scholarly Interpretations

Scholars have interpreted the name "Cacus" as symbolically linked to concepts of chaos and primordial evil within broader Indo-European linguistic frameworks, where the figure represents disorder overcome by heroic order. Roger A. Hornsby, in his of Virgil's epic similes, posits Cacus as an embodiment of chaotic forces that defeats to establish , drawing on Indo-European motifs of cosmic struggle against primordial disruption. Debates persist regarding whether "Cacus" originates from pre-Roman Italic folklore or constitutes a Roman adaptation of Greek mythological elements. Some researchers argue for roots in local Italic traditions, potentially incorporating Etruscan influences, as suggested by Viktória Jármi, who links the name to Etruscan seer figures and indigenous fire lore predating Hellenistic integrations. Others view it as a Roman reconfiguration of Greek "kakos" (bad), briefly referencing the root for evil, to fit narratives of cultural assimilation. In 19th- and 20th-century scholarship, connections to fire deities and underworld figures gained prominence. Georg Wissowa speculated that Cacus represented an ancient Italic fire god from the , later demonized and obscured in the state cult, as noted in analyses of early Roman religion. This view aligns with Günther Radke's examination of old Italic gods, reinforcing Cacus's ties to chthonic and volcanic elements through his association with Vulcan. Michiel de Vaan's further explores these layers, questioning direct derivations while emphasizing the name's role in evoking infernal chaos.

Mythology

Physical Description and Habitat

In , Cacus is depicted as a monstrous figure, often characterized as a fire-breathing giant or half-human creature with immense strength and a savage disposition. Primary accounts portray him as vomiting and from his mouth, emphasizing his association with infernal flames inherited from his divine parentage. His physical form is described as brutish and formidable, with a shaggy, bristling chest and hideous eyes, underscoring his role as a terrifying in pre-Roman lore. Cacus is consistently identified as the son of Vulcan, the god of fire and forge, which aligns with his pyrokinetic traits and demi-divine status; some Greek-influenced traditions equate Vulcan with , reinforcing this fiery lineage. Alternative portrayals, such as in historical narratives, present him more as a powerful shepherd or barbarous chieftain relying on brute strength rather than overt monstrosity, highlighting variations in his conceptualization across sources. Cacus inhabited a deep, sunless cave on the in , a site later integral to Rome's foundation, where the ground remained perpetually stained with fresh blood from his victims. This cavernous dwelling, described as vast and shadowy, served as a lair from which he terrorized local inhabitants through robberies and , nailing the heads of slaughtered humans to its entrance as grisly trophies. In some accounts, his habitat extended to fortified fastnesses near early settlements like Pallantium, amplifying his reputation as a regional scourge before the arrival of heroic figures.

The Myth of Hercules and Cacus

In the course of his tenth labor, drove a herd of cattle stolen from the three-bodied giant in distant across the toward the River. Exhausted from the journey, he paused to rest on the slopes of the , allowing the cattle to graze freely in the lush pastures nearby. This moment of respite, however, attracted the attention of Cacus, a monstrous giant who dwelt in a cavern on the hill. Seizing the opportunity, Cacus stealthily drove off some of the herd—in Virgil's account, four bulls and four heifers, though describes two bulls, and and leave the number unspecified—into his lair, dragging the animals backward by their tails to obscure their tracks and mislead any pursuer. Upon awakening, Hercules soon noticed the missing cattle and began searching the area, perplexed by the absence of telltale footprints leading away from the grazing spot. His confusion ended when the lowing of the imprisoned animals echoed from Cacus's cave, betraying the thief's location. Enraged, stormed toward the cavern, which Cacus had barricaded with a massive . Undeterred, the hero heaved the rock aside and confronted the giant, who mounted a fierce defense by hurling stones and logs, and in some accounts, belching forth thick and flames from his mouth to blind and disorient his attacker. Despite these tactics, overpowered Cacus, either clubbing him repeatedly with his knotted club or grappling him in close combat to strangle the life from his body, thus slaying the monster and liberating the stolen herd. In the aftermath of the victory, the local inhabitants, led by the Arcadian king , hailed as a divine protector and participated in a sacrificial feast to honor him. To commemorate the triumph, instituted the Ara Maxima, or Greatest Altar, in the —the cattle market district of early —dedicating it as a sacred site for his and establishing rites that symbolized the restoration of order over chaotic brigandage. This altar became a enduring focal point for Roman veneration of the hero, underscoring the myth's role in linking 's exploits to the foundational landscape of the city.

Literary Depictions

In Classical Authors

The most elaborate classical depiction of Cacus appears in Virgil's Aeneid (Book 8, lines 185–279), where the monster is introduced through the narration of Evander to Aeneas as part of Rome's foundational mythology. Cacus is described as a fearsome, semi-human giant and son of Vulcan, inhabiting a cavern on the Aventine Hill, from which he terrorizes the region by dragging victims into his lair and vomiting flames. He steals half of Hercules' cattle herd while the hero rests nearby, dragging them tail-first into his cave to conceal the theft, but the lowing of the animals betrays him, leading to a brutal confrontation. Hercules tears off a massive boulder blocking the cave entrance and throttles Cacus in a violent struggle, draining his blood until the monster expires. This episode serves an etiological function, explaining the establishment of the Ara Maxima altar in the Forum Boarium as a site for Hercules' cult, while morally framing the victory as a triumph of order over chaotic savagery, with Cacus symbolizing primordial disorder in the landscape of future Rome. In contrast, Livy's (Book 1, chapter 7) presents a more restrained, historical-inflected version, portraying Cacus as a formidable rather than a monster, emphasizing his role in early Italic . As a powerful insolent in his strength, Cacus seizes and hides ' cattle in a by dragging them backwards, but the hero discovers the ruse through the animals' cries and slays him with a club after forcing entry. This account ties directly to Roman foundation myths by linking the event to the dedication of the Ara Maxima and the origins of oaths sworn by ("mehercule"), underscoring themes of justice and the civilizing influence of Greek heroes on indigenous . Propertius, in his Elegies (Book 4, poem 9), adapts the within an framework, blending it with ' romantic conquest of a to highlight themes of desire and conquest. Cacus emerges as a volcanic giant slain by , who drains his throat of blood in a graphic , but the narrative serves to etiological explain the hero's while morally contrasting brute force with amorous triumph, portraying the slaying as a prelude to civilizing Rome's wild spaces. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, writing in Greek for a Hellenistic audience in his Roman Antiquities (Book 1, chapter 44), frames as an exceedingly barbarous chieftain ruling a savage people on the Aventine, who opposes during his Italian campaign. The giant attempts to steal the but is killed in the ensuing battle, with the account emphasizing the integration of Greek heroic exploits into Roman to legitimize the city's origins as a fusion of cultures, including an etiological nod to the sacrificial altar. Ovid offers a concise variation in his Fasti (Book 1, lines 543–586), briefly recounting the cattle theft and slaying to explain the Ara Maxima's rituals, where Cacus is a fire-breathing robber overcome by ' club, with a moral undertone of against thievery. Plutarch, in his Moralia ("Erotikos" or "On Love"), provides a Greek-oriented framing by identifying Cacus as the son of , integrating the Roman monster into a Hellenic mythological schema to explore themes of divine parentage and heroic violence in comparative cultural narratives.

In Post-Classical Literature

In , Cacus appears prominently in Dante Alighieri's Inferno (c. 1320), where he is reimagined as a centaur-like figure in the seventh bolgia of the eighth circle, reserved for and fraudulent individuals. Unlike his classical depiction as a fire-breathing giant, Dante places Cacus among the damned , his body entwined with serpents and bearing a fire-breathing dragon on his shoulders, emphasizing themes of deceit and infernal retribution tied to his cattle-stealing myth. This underscores Cacus's evolution from a monstrous to a symbol of divine against theft and betrayal, reflecting medieval Christian moral . During the , Cacus recurs as a symbol of tyranny and thievery in Italian and broader European works, often invoked to evoke classical villainy in chivalric and courtly contexts. In Baldassare Castiglione's (1528), Cacus is listed alongside figures like and as an exemplum of cruel and impious tyrants opposed by heroic figures, highlighting moral contrasts in discussions of virtue and governance. Similarly, Ludovico Ariosto's (1516) alludes to Cacus in comparing medieval knights to "greater thieves than Cacus," drawing on the cattle-theft motif to satirize epic heroism and moral failings in a fantastical . Miguel de Cervantes's (1605) further popularizes this association, using "Cacus" in the author's preface as a shorthand for robbers and a ready exemplum for , integrating the figure into picaresque commentary on and adventure. These references mark a shift toward Cacus as a literary trope for cunning villainy in allegorical and satirical poetry. References to Cacus in 18th- and 19th-century literature remain sparse, primarily serving as metaphorical nods to criminality in moral or historical narratives. In Alexander Leighton's The Court of Cacus; Or, The Story of Burke and Hare (1861), the title invokes Cacus's cave as an allegory for the shadowy underworld of 19th-century Edinburgh's body-snatching trade, portraying the murderers as modern thieves in a den of deceit. Such uses reinforce Cacus's enduring symbolic role as an archetype of hidden predation, though less central than in earlier periods.

Iconography and Cultural Legacy

Artistic Representations

One of the earliest surviving visual depictions of Cacus appears in Roman funerary art, such as the wall painting in the of the Via Dino Compagni in , dated to circa 350–375 CE, where is shown standing triumphantly over a dying figure identified as Cacus, club raised in his right hand, lion-skin draped across his body, and a bow and quiver nearby. This scene, rendered in a catacomb setting, underscores themes of heroic and victory over chaos. Influenced by earlier precedents, it draws from Antonine medallions and third-century sarcophagi that adapted the myth's , often portraying with a club and quiver against a rocky backdrop symbolizing Cacus's cave. Numismatic representations further illustrate the myth's prominence in Roman culture. Bronze medallions issued under (140–143 CE) depict standing over the slain Cacus, his club lowered, as local figures express gratitude for the hero's protection of the . Similar motifs appear on of (circa 147 CE), showing with club and golden apples near a rocky outcrop, and those of (165 CE), featuring the hero crowning himself beside the Ara Maxima altar. These images, circulated widely, reinforced 's role as a civic protector tied to the Cacus narrative. The Ara Maxima in Rome's , the oldest cult site dedicated to , provides key archaeological evidence linking the physical landscape to the myth of his battle with Cacus. Excavations reveal a large rectangular enclosure containing the altar, constructed of , situated beneath the church of ; tradition holds that the altar commemorates the spot where slew the monster after the cattle theft. While no direct reliefs or inscriptions depicting Cacus survive from the site, its enduring presence as a center perpetuated the myth's visual and cultural resonance into . During the Renaissance, renewed interest in classical mythology led to dramatic reinterpretations of the Hercules-Cacus encounter in sculpture and printmaking. Baccio Bandinelli's monumental marble statue Hercules and Cacus (1525–1534), installed in Florence's Piazza della Signoria opposite Michelangelo's David, captures the hero in the act of strangling the fire-breathing giant, their intertwined muscular forms emphasizing raw power and the confined intensity of the cave-side struggle. Commissioned by the Medici and measuring over 5 meters in height, the work symbolizes political authority through its exaggerated anatomy and dynamic torsion. A contemporaneous engraving by , Hercules Killing Cacus (1545), from his series , offers a detailed rendition of the combat. In this small-scale work (approximately 5 x 7 cm), wields his club to strike the defending Cacus, who spews flames and shields himself, while a stolen cow watches from the side, underscoring the monster's thievery and fiery nature as described in ancient sources. Produced in , the print's intricate lines and classical references appealed to collectors, blending mythic narrative with emblematic symbolism.

Linguistic and Symbolic Influence

In the , "caco" serves as a colloquial term for a thief, directly derived from the Roman mythological figure Cacus and his notorious act of stealing ' cattle. This etymological link traces back to the Latin name Cacus, evoking the giant's villainous role in ancient narratives. Symbolically, Cacus embodies the primordial subdued by heroic intervention in Roman foundation myths, representing the wild, pre-civilized forces tamed to establish order in early . His defeat by not only clears the for settlement but also functions as an etiological myth, explaining the origins of sacred sites like the and reinforcing themes of cosmic balance in Rome's foundational lore. This motif of conquering chaos influenced broader Roman etiological traditions, portraying civilization's triumph over barbarism. In modern , Cacus endures as a symbol of fiery antagonism, revived in Rick Riordan's The Demigod Diaries (2012), where he appears as a fire-breathing giant who steals Hermes' , only to be defeated by and Annabeth Chase, echoing the classical theme of order prevailing over theft and disruption.

References

  1. https://www.theoi.com/Gigante/GiganteKakos.html
  2. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0054%3Abook%3D8
  3. https://topostext.org/work/143
  4. https://topostext.org/work/142
  5. https://classics-at.chs.harvard.edu/humbaba-polyphemus-cacus-and-grendel-as-a-monster-type/
  6. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691642277/cacus-and-marsyas-in-etrusco-roman-legend-pmaa-44-volume-44
  7. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0055%3Abook%3D8%3Acard%3D184
  8. https://www.academia.edu/39175712/A_horrendum_monstrum_An_interpretation_of_the_Figure_of_Cacus
  9. https://www.romeandart.eu/en/art-hercules-cacus-myth.html
  10. https://www.jstor.org/stable/282818
  11. https://brill.com/display/title/10702
  12. https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/VirgilAeneidVIII.php
  13. https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.perseus-eng3:1.7/
  14. https://topostext.org/work/139
  15. https://www.theoi.com/Text/OvidFasti1.html
  16. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0151%3Abook%3D1%3Achapter%3D7
  17. https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/PropertiusBkFour.php
  18. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3s05x142
  19. https://honors.libraries.psu.edu/files/final_submissions/2363
  20. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004411449_019
  21. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2007.01.0002%3Abook%3D4%3Apoem%3D9
  22. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/classical-quarterly/article/greek-origins-of-the-cacus-myth/D96FEF4A6E4618FE246BF8FB9985632A
  23. https://topostext.org/work/298
  24. https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/inferno/inferno-25/
  25. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/inferno/canto-25
  26. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/67799/67799-h/67799-h.htm
  27. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/996/996-0.txt
  28. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41642
  29. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/greece-and-rome/article/hercules-slaying-cacus-in-the-hypogeum-of-the-via-dino-compagni-rome/2BBBB05DAB8E096A4E06F53DA286CFC7
  30. https://www.digitalaugustanrome.org/records/hercules-ara-maxima/
  31. https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/PLATOP*/Ara_Maxima_Herculis.html
  32. https://ogcma.byu.edu/HeraclesCacus1.0007_BandinelliBush.pdf
  33. https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1923.120.9
  34. http://collections.artsmia.org/art/124315/hercules-killing-cacus-sebald-beham
  35. https://dle.rae.es/caco
  36. https://iedra.es/palabras/caco
  37. https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=classics
  38. https://rickriordan.com/book/the-demigod-diaries/
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.