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Who Were the Blacksmiths of the Gods in Roman Mythology?

In the pantheon of Roman gods there was only one blacksmith, Vulcan. He was also the god of fire, volcanoes and the underworld. The Roman dieties were initially just godlike figures without human flaws. When the Romans came into contact with the Greeks and Etruscans they adopted several of the backstories and myths from those cultures into their own. Vulcan was thus infused with the Greek stories of Hephaestus.

Origin of Vulcan
- Vulcan (also known as Mulciber) was initially the god of fire to the Romans. He was also god of volcanoes and figured prominently in rituals of appeasement to keep the volcanoes from erupting. Because of this potent erupting capacity, he was also a central figure in masculine sexuality. It wasn't until after Roman culture came into contact with the Greeks that he assumed the responsibilities of blacksmith to the gods. The similarities that the fire god had with both Prometheus and Hephaestus prompted Romans to blend the two together and create a conglomerate.
Festivals
- Vulcan figured in several festivals pertaining to planting, midsummer rain and the harvest, but the major festival in his honor was the festival of Vulcan or the Vulcanalia. It was celebrated on August 23 when the summer heat made it the most dangerous time for fires in fields and granaries. The festival consisted of bonfires which acted as altars for the sacrificing of live fish and small animals. These were almost always black or a dark hue of blue as these were the sacrificial colors for gods of the underworld (in contrast, white birds and animals were used for gods who lived in the sky).
Blacksmithing
- Vulcan was considered the manufacturer of art, arms, iron, jewellery and armor for various gods and heroes. Some of his most famous creations were Jupiter's thunderbolts and his shield Aegis. He also made Helios's chariot which he used to pull the sun across the sky. He made the invincible armor of Achilles as well as all of Athena's armor and arrows. In a combination of the Prometheus and Hephaestus stories, Vulcan fashions the first woman, Pandora, out of clay.
Mythology
- The standard mythology behind his conception is that he was born to Jupiter and Juno but was lame and ugly. He was then cast down from the heavens (in one version by his mother for his lameness and in another by Jupiter for conspiring with Juno). When his smithing abilities were discovered, he was asked to create thrones for both Jupiter and Juno. He did as requested but equipped Juno's with invisible chains which trapped her as soon as she sat down. Venus offered to marry whoever freed Juno from her bonds (believing it would be Ares) but it was Vulcan who released her and married Venus. This marriage allowed him to reclaim his place among the gods. After being betrayed by his wife, he chose, however, to stay on the island of Sicily in his smithy beneath Mt. Etna.

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