In early Roman mythology there was a goddess who was named Caca. For the ancient Romans, evidently, the word did not have the same eschatological meaning that it has for us and was simply another deity. Since her name caught our attention, we found out who she was. Her story has to do with a betrayal between brothers. Come with us to meet the roman diosa called CACA. Discover its history!
A goddess called CACA
In Roman mythology, the existence of pairs of brothers with the same male and female name was common. Thus we find Liber and Libera, Fauno and Fauna and those that concern us today: Caco and Poop.
Caco and Caca were children of the god Vulcan, but they were very different from each other. Caca was in early Roman mythology the goddess of hearth and fire. As the daughter of Vulcan, god of the forge, she had power over this element. Her brother Cacus was a terrifying giant, half man and half satyr, who vomited fire and smoke from his mouth. He lived near Rome, on the Aventine Hill, and ate human flesh. Once his victims were devoured, Cacus hung the heads at the entrance to his cave.
The betrayal of the goddess called Caca It is not surprising considering what his brother was like. The myth says that Hercules returned with Geryon’s cattle after having defeated him in one of his famous feats, and left them to graze on the banks of the Tiber. He met the goddess called Caca and she was captivated by the hero’s sympathy. When Hercules returned to look for the cattle, 4 oxen and 4 cows were missing. Their trail was impossible to follow since Caco had made the cattle walk backwards, stretching them by the tail. The hero suspected that the author had been the giant, but he could not find him. He approached the goddess called Caca, to ask her about the abode of her brother. Caca, who felt great sympathy for Hercules, told him where her brother Cacus’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. Cacus spit flames and smoke at him until Hercules jumped on top of the place where the smoke was densest and, grabbing him by the neck, strangled him, making his eyes pop out of his sockets. The people who lived on the Aventine, who were terrified by Cacus, 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 from Hercules and was betrayed by his sister Caca.
Mythology scholars believe that the goddess Caca was a proto-Vesta, and that the goddess of the hearth and fire assumed all her 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 for thief had its origin in this mythological being?