Hephaestus, (Roman: Vulcan) the god of fire, was born lame. He was cast from heaven by his mother Hera who could not deal with this abomination. He was however blessed with the beauty Aphrodite as his wife.
As god of fire, Hephaestus became the divine smith and patron of craftsmen. The fires and smoke emanating from volcanos and fissures in the earth were his workshops.
The cult of Hephaestus spread from Asia Minor and the island of Limnos, reaching Athens no later than 600BC and Campania soon after. The Temple of Hephaestus, or Theseum
is found in Athens. This monument was dedicated to Hephaestus and Athena as patrons of the arts. It is the best preserved ancient Greek temple in the world, built just before the Parthenon.
In Rome, Hephaestus was given his own priest or flamen. His chief festival, the Volcanalia, was held on August 23rd. At this time heads of Roman families threw small fish into the fire.
As he was the deity of destructive fire, his temples were located outside the city.
In ancient times, the sons of Hephaestus were primarily those who wielded fire to forge weapons and practice the arts of metallurgy. Out of metallurgy developed the theories and practices of the alchemists. The art of alchemy has in recent times been replaced by the formal science of chemistry. Unfortunately, in this, the age of information we have become overwhelmed by the sheer scale of humanity's intellectual splendour. There are those of us who have retained the desire to learn for ourselves the magic and beauty of the elements. We are the Sons of Hephaestus.
May we forever practise his art.
It is with the greatest honour that this site be dedicated to the memory of Hephaestus; Father of metallurgy, alchemy and our quest for knowledge.
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