roman god of underworld also called orcus and pluto.
roman god of underworld also called orcus and pluto?
pluto
the minor planet orcus was named after one of the roman gods of the underworld, orcus. while pluto was the ruler of the underworld, orcus was a punisher of the condemned. the approved naming citation was published by the minor planet center on 26 november 2004 (). under the guidelines of the international astronomical union's (iau) naming conventions, objects with a similar size and orbit to that of pluto are named after underworld deities. accordingly, the discoverers suggested naming the object after "orcus", the etruscan god of the underworld and punisher of broken oaths. he was portrayed in paintings in etruscan tombs as a hairy, bearded giant. the name was also a private reference to the homonymous orcas island, where brown's wife diane had lived as a child and that they visit frequently.
90482 orcus
the tomb of orcus ii (sometimes distinguished as "the" tomb of orcus) was constructed around 325 bc. its entrance is guarded by paintings of "charun" (charon), the keeper of the underworld, and a cyclops (possibly polyphemus or geryon). when the tomb was originally discovered, the cyclops was mistaken for the roman god of the underworld, orcus (hence the tomb's name).









































the back wall depicts a funeral procession overseen by "aita" (hades), the etruscan god of the underworld, and his wife "phersipnei" (persephone). the left wall is believed to depict agamemnon, tiresias, and ajax in the underworld.
tomb of orcus