Ancient Roman, however, like the ancient Greek Olympic gods, depicted in the human body, have always been distinguished by their exceptional beauty. Their face and hair shone, and the shapes with perfect proportions literally captivated. However, among them there was one special god, not like everyone else, although he also had great power and immortality. He enjoyed great respect, in honor of him were the temples. It was a god named Vulcan, who was revered by the ancient Romans, but in Greek mythology he was called Hephaestus.
How mythology was born
As you know, most of the gods of the Roman pantheon correspond to similar Greek ones. Historians say that in this case there was a simple borrowing. The fact is that Greek mythology is much older than Roman. Evidence in favor of this statement may be the fact that the Greeks created their colonies on the territory of modern Italy long before Rome became great. Therefore, people living on these lands began to gradually adopt the culture and beliefs of Ancient Greece, but interpret them in their own way, taking into account local conditions and at the same time creating new traditions.
Systematization
It is believed that the so-called Council of the Gods was the most revered and significant in ancient Rome. The poet Quintus Annius, who lived in 239-169 BC, was the first to systematize all deities. It was from his submission that six women and the same number of men were introduced to the council. In addition, it was Quintus Annius who determined the Greek equivalents for them. Subsequently, this list was confirmed by the Roman historian Titus Livius, who lived in 59-17 BC. This list of celestials also included the god Vulcan (photo), to which Hephaestus corresponded in Greek mythology. Almost all the legends concerning both one and the other were in many respects similar.
Cult
The volcano was the god of fire, the patron saint of jewelers and artisans, and he was also known as the most skilled blacksmith. Therefore, it is not surprising that the son of Jupiter and Juno were often portrayed with a blacksmith hammer in their hands. He was given the nickname Mulziber, which meant "Smelter." Without exception, all the temples of this deity, directly connected with fire, and hence with fires, were erected outside the city walls. However, in Rome, under the Capitol, at a certain elevation at the end of the Forum, the Vulcanal was made - a sacred platform-altar, where the Senate met.
Festivities were held annually on August 23 in honor of the god Vulcan. As a rule, they were accompanied by noisy games and sacrifices. The introduction of the cult of this deity is attributed to Titus Tacius. It is known that initially Vulcan made human sacrifices. Subsequently, they were replaced by live fish, which symbolized the element hostile to fire. In addition, in honor of this deity, after every victorious battle, all the weapons of the enemy were burned.
Representation of the romans
Unlike other gods, the lord of fire and volcanoes had ugly features, a long and thick beard, and also very dark skin. The volcano, constantly busy with work in his workshop, was small, fat, with shaggy chest and long huge arms. In addition, he was very limp, as one leg was shorter than the other. However, despite this, he always inspired great respect for himself.
Usually the Roman god Vulcan, as well as the Greek Hephaestus, was depicted as a bearded and muscular man. Most often, there was no clothing on it, except for a tunic or a light apron, as well as a cap - a headdress worn by ancient craftsmen. In most of the drawings that have survived to this day, the Vulcan is busy with work, standing near the anvil surrounded by his apprentices. His crooked leg recalls the sad events that happened to him in childhood. Unlike the Roman deity, Hephaestus on some ancient Greek coins does not have a beard. Very often, a scene was depicted on ancient vases, where a volcano with blacksmith mites and a hammer sits on a donkey, which is led under the bridle by Bacchus with a bunch of grapes in his hand.
Ancient beliefs and legends
The Romans were sure that the forge of the god Vulcan was underground and even knew the exact location of it: one of the small islands located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of Italy. It has a mountain on top of which there is a deep failure. When the deity begins to work, smoke flames from it. Therefore, the island and the mountain itself were called the same - Vulcano. An interesting fact is that sulfur fumes really continuously break out of the crater.
There is a small mud lake on the island of Vulcano. According to legend, it was dug by the ancient Roman god Vulcan. As you know, he was ugly and in addition lame, but managed to marry the beautiful Venus. God daily plunged into this mud lake to rejuvenate. There is another legend that says that Vulcan made a device with which he could make thin and long strings from dough, which are considered a prototype of spaghetti.
Surviving rarities
Not far from the arch of Septimius Severus, at the Forum, one can still find the remains of Vulcanal. However, from the temple itself, erected in honor of the god Vulcan, which was once located on the Field of Mars, there was not a trace left. But a large number of images of this celestial were well preserved both on amphorae and in the form of figures made of metal. Big antique statues to Vulcan were most often erected by those who were lucky enough to be saved from lightning, but such sculptures, unfortunately, very few remain.
Subsequently, many European artists more than once returned to the image of the god Vulcan. Perhaps the most significant canvases dedicated to this celestial are paintings that are stored in the National Gallery in Prague. Artist Van Hemskerk wrote The Volcano Workshop in about 1536, and Daumier completed his work The Volcano by 1835. In addition, a sculpture of Brown, made by him in 1715, is also exhibited in the Prague Gallery.
Such a famous Dutch painter as Van Dyck addressed the theme of Roman mythology. His painting “Venus at the Forge of the Volcano” was painted in 1630-1632. It is believed that the reason for writing it was one of the chapters of the Aeneid Virgil, where Venus asks Vulcan to make military equipment for the son of Aeneas. At the moment, this picture is stored in the Paris Museum of the Louvre.