The Name Vatican And Etruscan Goddess Vatika Of The Underworld – What Is The Connection?

Ellen Lloyd -  AncientPages.com - We are today so used to the name that we hardly think about how the Vatican got its name. The truth is that the name Vatican is neither Latin nor Greek and cannot be traced to the Bible. The Vatican is a symbol of Christianity.

Vatican City, St Peter's Square. Credit: Adobe Stock - Ronald

The word we associate with the Church is closely linked to the Etruscan goddess Vatika. As you are about to discover, the name "Vatican" predates Christianity and is shrouded in mystery.

Inside The Vatican City State

The Vatican City State was founded on February 11, 1929. The city has a population of around 840 and an area of approximately 108 acres (44 hectares).

The Vatican is a symbol of the Roman Catholic faith. Its power and influence on religious people cannot be denied, and the Holy See's authority extends over Catholics worldwide.

The Vatican is famous for its beautiful buildings, such as the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Square, and St. Peter's Basilica. The Vatican Palace, north of St. Peter's Basilica, is the Pope's residence within the city walls. The Vatican Museums are filled with masterpieces of painting, sculpture, and other works of art collected by the popes through the centuries. The Vatican Apostolic Library has its location inside the Vatican Palace.

The Vatican Library was founded in 1451 AD and held over 80,000 manuscripts, prints, drawings, plates, and incunabula (books printed before 1500 AD) written throughout history by people of different faiths from across the world.

Map of Vatican City, highlighting notable buildings and the Vatican gardens. Image credit: Wikipedia

To make ancient material available to the public, some years ago, the Vatican Apostolic Library started digitizing its valuable ancient religious manuscripts and putting them online via its website.

In 2014, the Vatican Library had 4,000 ancient manuscripts available for free.

The Vatican's secret archives are not as secret as many think. The libraries have 52 miles of shelves, and the librarians prohibit browsing.

Sistine Chapel. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

In 1881, Pope Leo XIII allowed scholars to visit the private archives for the first time, and in modern times it's possible to get access to the documents. Still, outsiders must know what they are looking for.

The Etruscan Goddess Vatika Of The Underworld

The name Vatican is a true mystery. It has nothing to do with the Bible, Greek, or Latin. Like many other Christian traditions and customs, the name we associate with the Church has a pagan origin.

More than twenty-eight centuries ago, and before the legendary founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus, there were people called the Etruscans.

About 3000 years ago, the Etruscans settled in a region of Central Italy known as Etruria and ruled the Mediterranean region before Rome's rise.

We are still trying to master the complex language of the Etruscans, but over the years, we have learned a lot about their beliefs and daily lives. Most of the knowledge we possess about Roman civilization comes from the Etruscans.

The Etruscans did not bury their dead inside the walls of their cities.  Instead, they built a large cemetery on a hillside slope outside of their ancient city in the area that later became the city of Rome.

Sadly, most of Etruscan literature and mythology have been lost, but we know that the guardian of this necropolis was the Etruscan goddess Vatika (sometimes spelled Vatica). She was the goddess of the Underworld, and it was her duty to watch those who had passed away.

The Etruscans believed in an afterlife, but our knowledge is derived mainly from images and artifacts discovered inside their tombs. It seems that the Etruscans' beliefs about the afterlife were similar to those of ancient Egyptians. Treatment of the deceased's remains was necessary for survival and a successful journey to the next life.

Vanth, an Etruscan death daemon and servant of Charun (Greek Cheiron), lord of the Underworld, was often depicted on urns that held the ashes of cremated bodies. Vanth was usually depicted with wings and had bearded snakes around her arms.

Bronze statuette of Vanth demon. Etruscan, 425-400 BC Found near Mount Vesuvius, Campania, Italy - Image credit - Hamiton Collection

According to Etruscan mythology, Vanth was present from the moment of death until entry into the Underworld.

Where Does The Name Vatican Come From?

Vatika had several other related meanings in ancient Etruscan.  The name was not only associated with the goddess of the Underworld.

Vatika was also a bitter, not well-tasting grape used by a peasant to produce cheap wine. The grape and a weed with the same name grew on the slope. When people ate it, they experienced hallucinations, and the word passed on into Latin as a synonym for "prophetic vision." The Latin word 'vaticinor' means "foretell, prophesy" from 'vatis' - "poet, teacher, oracle."

Biblical sources have various explanations for the origin of the name Vatican. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the origin of the name Vaticanus is uncertain; some claim that the name comes from a vanished Etruscan town called Vaticum.

However, according to a Vatican curator, the Vatican Hill takes its name from the Latin word Vaticanus, a vaticiniis ferendis, in allusion to the oracles, or Vaticinia, which were anciently delivered here.

So, we can conclude that the origin of the name Vatican is unclear, but most researchers think the name was borrowed from the Etruscan language.

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Updated on November 9, 2023

Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

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