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Cacus
EntityQ754686· pop 34· linked from 53 articles

thumb|upright=1.5|Hercules killing the fire-breathing Cacus, engraving by [[Sebald Beham (1545)]] In Roman mythology, Cacus (, derived from κακός, meaning bad) was a fire-breathing giant and the son of Vulcan (Plutarch called him son of Hephaestus). He was killed by Hercules after terrorizing the Aventine Hill before the founding of Rome.

Wikidata facts

Gender
male
Father
Vulcan
Sibling
Caca
Image
Blake Hell 25 Centaur Cacus.jpg
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from narrative universe
Greek mythology
Commons category
Cacus
described by source
The Nuttall Encyclopædia
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Encyclopedic overview

5 sections
Contents
  • Mythology
  • In later literature
  • In modern languages
  • Notes
  • Further reading

thumb|upright=1.5|Hercules killing the fire-breathing Cacus, engraving by [[Sebald Beham (1545)]] In Roman mythology, Cacus (, derived from κακός, meaning bad) was a fire-breathing giant and the son of Vulcan (Plutarch called him son of Hephaestus). He was killed by Hercules after terrorizing the Aventine Hill before the founding of Rome.

==Mythology== 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.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Cacus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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