Vulcan

The Roman smith god, identified with the Greek god Hephaestus. He was traditionally introduced to Rome by either Romulus or Titus Tatius. There were no specific legends concerning Vulcan but he played an important part in the success of various heroes by providing invincible armour for them.

In Virgil's Aeneid, Vulcan made a superb suit of armour for Aeneas at Venus' request. He made a shield (called the Aegis) and thunderbolts for Jupiter and in return received Venus as his wife. This makes for a surprising couple, given Venus' famed beauty and the fact that Vulcan was born lame: his mother, Juno, was so ashamed of him that she threw him out of heaven.

At the Vulcanalia, or Festival of Vulcan, little fish and other small animals were thrown into fires. These offerings represented human lives and were made in order to spare humans from death.