Demons and Sh*t – Orcus

Name: Orcus
Type: Lord of the Underworld
Origin: Etruscan mythology

Also known as the Demon Lord of Undeath in the Forgotten Realms

Orcus is another of those obscure demons that was originally a god before the Christians decided to smear their nonsense all over the world at large. Like a lot of mythical characters, Orcus is a bit of a mishmash of a bunch of different myths. He is generally thought to originate in Etruscan mythology as a god of death and the underworld, specifically as one who punishes oath breakers. When the Romans came around, Orcus became associated with the Greek god Hades and the Roman gods Pluto and Dis Pater. More recently, Orcus is where we get the words ogre (blame the French for that one) and orc, and many Dungeons and Dragons players will probably recognize him as the Demon Lord of Undeath.

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