Part 3: The Roman Republic
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"The Salii consisted of two groups of young patricians who dressed...(in tunics and armor, carrying weapons and shields) like the Mycenaeans of the Bronze Age. They went in procession through the city (stopping) at certain places to perform an elaborate dance and sing their ancient hymn, which was so old that the words were mostly unintelligible even to the performers, in the period of the late Republic. (Afterwards) the Salii stayed in special lodgings and enjoyed magnificent banquets" (Lyttleton and Foreman 45-6).

Another festival included a horse race, at the end of which, one of the horses ( called the "October Horse") was decapitated and its head covered with cakes as a sacrifice to the Grain God (Grimal 179). This rite was similar to those of the Celtic Epona, the Horse Goddess, whose worship extended back to the bronze age, and who was later known as Demeter, the Mare-Headed One (Graves 384).

The Pontifex Maximus and the Vestal Virgins were essential to the worship of Vestia, the Goddess of the hearth. The Greek Hestia and the Roman Vestia had almost identical attributes; however, Vestia was vastly more important to the Romans than Hestia was to the Greeks. The sacred fire of Vestia came to be synonymous with the heart of Rome, much as the hearth fire of the Celts was the heart of the family and vital to the well being of the tribe. To allow the fire to die was to commit the gravest of crimes, for both the Celts and the Romans.

The sacred priestesses and attendants of Vestia were the Vestal Virgins, "virgin" meaning only that they were vowed not to marry, as they were the brides of the spirit of Rome. "Their marriage to the phallic deity of the Palladium was physically consummated in Vestia's temple, under conditions of great secrecy...(performed) by the Pontifex Maximus, 'great maker of the pons', which meant a bridge, a path, or a way..."(Dumezil 583). The bridge was the necessary role of the male, for the divinity of the Goddess inherent in all women was often considered to be the greatest mystery of all. This rite, symbolizing the marriage of the Great Mother and Her Son/Lover, was performed with little variation in virtually every ancient culture. Archeological evidence suggests that the rite was performed to ensure, first the fertility of the wild beasts and fruits which were hunted and gathered, and later the crops which were harvested. In the Great Marriage, the Priestess became the Avatar of the Goddess and the priest became the avatar of the God, thus the first union which brought forth all life was reenacted (Brandon 87). The role of the Pontifex was passed on, almost unchanged, as the Roman Catholic Pontiff, although the misogynistic Christians suppressed the more important Vestal Virgins (Walker 1046).

The Vestals had a large number of official functions to perform at the various ceremonies and rites offered to all of the God/esses throughout the year. Among the other daily duties, it was their task to prepare sacred foods, fetch water from sacred springs, and guard sacred objects. These duties were identical to those of the priestesses of Artemis, whose mysteries were extended only to women (Grimal 179). Important rituals for Vestia were celebrated during June. On June seventh, married women came barefoot to the temple, bringing offerings of food, and were allowed to worship in the inner shrine for eight days. The Festival of Vestia was celebrated on June ninth, and the Virgins prepared special grain and salt cakes, called mola salsa, as offerings to the Goddess. Ovid mentions that the asses that turned the mills were garlanded with flowers and leaves, and that the mill stones were strewn with clover. On June fifteenth, the Vestals cleaned out the shrine and carried the refuse to the river (Lyttleton and Foreman 48).

Vulcan, an ancient Cretan volcano God originally called Velchanos, was associated with Vestia in her aspect as Earth Mother (Walker 1053). Unlike the Vestal fires, Vulcan's fires were destructive, and His temples were located in areas where volcanic eruptions were feared or where grain was stored, "...notably at the port of Ostia..."(Grimal 180). He was named as the father of Servius Tullius, one of the kings of Rome, who was recorded to have proven his parentage by developing "the useful talent of calling down fire on his enemies..."(180).

The only known rite associated with Vulcan was the practice of throwing live fish on fires lit along the Tiber "...to persuade the God to spare more vulnerable objects..."(180). Vulcan was more feared than honored. His shrines were never located within city walls, and no great festivals were celebrated in His honor. Presumably, no one seriously wished to call him/herself to the God's attention.

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