In the Roman mythology initial there was a goddess who received the name of Caca. For the ancient Romans, evidently, the word did not have the same eschatological meaning that it has for us and it was simply another deity. As his name has caught our attention, we have found out who he was. Its history has to do with a betrayal between brothers. Join us to meet the roman d ious called CACA. Discover its history!
A goddess called CACA
In Roman mythology the existence of pairs of brothers with the same name in male and female was common. Thus we find Liber and Libera, Fauno and Fauna and those that occupy us today: Caco and Caca .
Caco and Caca were sons of the god Vulcano , but they were very different from each other. Caca was in early Roman mythology the goddess of home and fire. As the daughter of Vulcano, god of the forge, he had power over this element. His brother Caco was a terrifying giant, half man and half satyr, vomiting fire and smoke through his mouth. I lived near Rome , on Mount Aventino, and ate human flesh. Once his victims were devoured, Caco hung his head at the entrance to his cave.
The betrayal of the goddess called Caca No wonder considering how his brother was. The myth tells that Hercules He returned with Gerion's cattle after having defeated him in one of his famous feats, and left him grazing on the banks of the Tiber. He met the goddess named Caca and she was captivated by the hero's sympathy. When Hercules returned to look for the cattle, 4 oxen and 4 cows had disappeared. His trail was impossible to follow since Caco had made the cattle move backwards, stretching them by the tail. The hero suspected that the author had been the giant, but could not find him. He approached the goddess named Caca, to ask him about his brother's dwelling. Caca, who felt a warm sympathy for Hercules, showed him where his brother Caco's hiding place was, a cave blocked by enormous chains cast by Vulcan.
The hero managed to enter through an opening he made at the top of the mountain. Caco spit out flames and smoke until Hercules jumped on top of the place where the smoke was thickest and grabbing him by the neck strangled him by making his eyes jump from their sockets. The people who lived in the Aventino, who lived terrified by Caco, in gratitude built an altar to honor the hero.
More curiosities about Caco and Caca
In many Spanish-speaking countries, Caco is synonymous with thief and it comes from this Roman mythological figure who stole Hercules and was betrayed by his sister Caca.
Scholars of mythology believe that the goddess named Caca was a proto-Vesta , and that the goddess of home and fire assumed all its functions. Both goddesses, who merged into one, were served by the vestals .
Did you know the goddess called Caca ? Did you know that the word "caco" as a synonym of thief had its origin in this mythological being?