Ancient Roman, however, like the ancient Greek Olympian gods depicted in the human body, have always been distinguished by their exceptional beauty. Their face and hair shone, and their perfectly proportioned forms literally enchanted. However, among them there was one special god, not like all the others, although he also had great strength and immortality. He was highly respected, temples were built in his honor. 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 mythology. Evidence in favor of this statement is the fact that the Greeks created their colonies on the territory of modern Italy long before Rome became great. Therefore, the people who lived on these lands began to gradually adopt the culture and beliefs of Ancient Greece, but to interpret them in a different way.own, taking into account local conditions and at the same time creating new traditions.
Organization
It is believed that the so-called Council of the Gods was the most revered and significant in ancient Rome. The poet Quintus Ennius, who lived from 239-169 BC, was the first to systematize all the deities. It was at his suggestion that six women and the same number of men were introduced to the council. In addition, it was Quintus Ennius who determined the corresponding 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 whom Hephaestus corresponded in Greek mythology. Almost all the legends concerning both one and the other were similar in many ways.
Cult
Vulcan was the god of fire, the patron of jewelers and artisans, and he himself was known as the most skilled blacksmith. Therefore, it is not surprising that the son of Jupiter and Juno was often depicted with a blacksmith's hammer in his hands. He was given the nickname Mulciber, which meant "Melter". Without exception, all the temples of this deity, directly associated with fire, and hence with fires, were erected outside the city walls. However, in Rome, under the Capitol, on a certain elevation at the end of the Forum, a Vulcanal was made - a sacred platform- altar where meetings of the Senate took place.
Every year on August 23, festivities were held in honor of the god Vulcan. As a rule, they were accompanied by noisy games and sacrifices. The introduction of the cultthis deity is attributed to Titus Tatius. It is known that initially human sacrifices were made to Vulcan. Subsequently, they were replaced with live fish, which symbolized the element hostile to fire. In addition, in honor of this deity, after each 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 very dark skin. Vulkan, constantly busy with work in his workshop, was small, fat, with a shaggy chest and long, huge arms. In addition, he limped badly, as one leg was shorter than the other. However, despite this, he always commanded great respect.
Usually, the Roman god Vulcan, like the Greek Hephaestus, was depicted as a bearded and muscular man. Most often, there was no clothes on him, except for a chiton or a light apron, as well as a cap - a headdress worn by ancient artisans. In most of the drawings that have survived to this day, Vulcan is at 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 does not have a beard on some ancient Greek coins. Very often, on ancient vases, a scene was depicted where Vulcan with blacksmith tongs and a hammer sits on a donkey, which is led by the bridle Bacchus with a bunch of grapes in his hand.
Ancient beliefs and legends
The Romans were sure thatthe forge of the god Vulcan is underground and they even knew its exact location: one of the small islands located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of Italy. There is a mountain on top of which there is a deep hole. When the deity begins to work, smoke bursts out of it with a flame. Therefore, the island and the mountain itself were named the same - Vulcano. An interesting fact is that sulfur vapors are indeed continuously escaping from 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 himself. As you know, he was ugly and lame in addition, but he managed to marry the beautiful Venus. God plunged daily into this mud lake to rejuvenate himself. There is another legend that says that Vulcan made a device with which he could make thin and long threads from dough, which are considered the prototype of spaghetti.
Preserved rarities
Not far from the arch of Septimius Severus, in the Forum, you can still find the remains of the Vulcanal. However, not a trace remains of the temple itself, erected in honor of the god Vulcan, once located on the Field of Mars. But a large number of images of this celestial have been well preserved both on amphorae and in the form of figurines made of metal. Large ancient statues of Vulcan were most often erected by those who were lucky enough to escape lightning, but, unfortunately, there are very few such sculptures left.
Subsequently, many European artists more than oncereturned to the image of the god Vulcan. Perhaps the most significant canvases dedicated to this celestial are the paintings that are stored in the National Gallery in Prague. The artist Van Heemskerk painted Vulcan's Workshop around 1536, and Daumier completed his Vulcan by 1835. In addition, Brown's sculpture, made by him in 1715, is exhibited in the Prague Gallery.
The topic of Roman mythology was also addressed by such a famous Dutch painter as Van Dyck. His painting "Venus in the forge of Vulcan" was painted in 1630-1632. It is believed that one of the chapters of Virgil's Aeneid, where Venus asks Vulcan to make military equipment for his son Aeneas, served as the reason for writing it. At the moment, this painting is kept in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
