Belief System
The Etruscan system of belief was what is called an immanent polytheism; that is, all visible phenomena were considered to be a manifestation of divine power and that power was subdivided into deities that acted continually on the world of man and could be dissuaded or persuaded in favor of human affairs.
Greek gods were taken into the Etruscan system: Aritimi (Artemis), Menrva (Minerva), Pacha (Bacchus). The Greek heroes taken from Homer also appear extensively in art motifs. Major deities: Tin or Tinia, the sky, Uni his wife (Juno), and Cel, the earth goddess.
The Etruscan Religion was, like Christianity and Judaism, a revealed religion. An account of the revelation is given by Cicero (On Divination 2.50).
One day, says the legend, in a field near the river Marta in Etruria, a strange event occurred. A divine being rose up from the newly ploughed furrow, a being with the appearance of a child, but with the wisdom of an old man. The startled cry of the ploughman brought Lucomones, the priest kings of Etruria hurrying up to the spot. To them, the wise child chanted the sacred doctrine, which they reverently listened to and wrote down, so that this most precious possession could be passed on to their successors. Immediately after the revelation, the miraculous being fell dead and disappeared into the ploughed field. His name was Tages, and he was believed to be the son of Genius and grandson of the highest God, Tinia (or Jupiter as he became known to the Romans).
This sacred doctrine was known to the Romans as the "Disciplina Etrusca". The "disciplina etrusca" was a complex code of rituals which the Etruscans followed.
The Etruscans developed a highly specialized art of divination through animal sacrifices and other methods by which they were able to foretell the future or, at least, the will of the gods. Each god had his or her own place in the sky, and an understanding of the pleasure or displeasure of the gods could be gained from watching the flight of birds, flashes of lightning or any other unusual event. The augurs who were responsible for interpreting the signs, would then prescribe the correct rituals for their appeasement.
The remains of sanctuaries show that the Etruscans sought divine help for their daily needs. (Two thirds of the Olympian gods have an Etruscan equivalent).