Prayers and rites to Sethlans (Vulcan)

 

Etruscan Rite to Sethlans, Master of the Forge

(Setting: Before a stone altar, possibly near a temple or workshop dedicated to Sethlans. Priests, garbed in ceremonial linen and perhaps bearing symbols of craft or fire, stand ready. Braziers burn with pitch-pine or fragrant resins. Select worshippers, having undergone purification rites, observe with reverence. The air is thick with anticipation and the scent of incense.)

Presiding Priest: Let silence hold this consecrated ground, as the auspicious hour summons forth our devotion. Let profane thoughts be banished, and hearts attuned to the numinous presence we seek to honour. We gather under the gaze of the High Ones, yet turn our specific entreaty this day towards the deep earth and the consuming flame, towards the very sinews of creation wrought by divine hands.

I. The Invocation (Vocatio)

O Sethlans, thou whose breath is the roar of the furnace, whose dwelling lies deep where the mountain groans and births forth molten rivers; attend, we pray thee! Hearken, Divine Artificer, Lord of the Bellows and the Anvil's ringing cry! Thou who art the master of transformation, who dost draw forth strength from the stubborn stone and shape the unyielding bronze to thy will; lend now thine ear. From thy subterranean chambers, where the sparks cascade like fiery stars and the heat doth warp the very air, turn thy potent gaze towards this, thy humble assembly. We call upon thee, Sethlans, by the might of thy hammer that shapes the world, by the grip of thy tongs that command the inferno's heart, by the cunning seated deep within thy brow! Be present amongst us!

II. The Enumeration of Powers (Laudes)

For thine is the power that subdues the intractable earth, coaxing forth the gleaming veins of copper, the obdurate iron, the silver pale as moonlight, and the gold which mirrors the sun's own majesty. Thou art the giver of tools, the sharp edge that fells the forest giant, the ploughshare that furrows the life-giving soil, the nail that binds the dwelling secure against the tempest's wrath. By thy skill were the celestial arms of Tinia forged, and the impenetrable aegis perhaps fashioned for Menrva's might. From thy forge emerge the delicate fibula that clasps the noble mantle, the intricate earring that adorns the favoured ear, yet also the grim helmet and the deadly spear-point that guard our methlum (city/state) walls. Thou art the latent fire within the flint, the sudden conflagration that consumes the sacrifice, the untamed volcano's dreadful majesty, and the gentle hearth-flame that fosters life. Without thee, O Sethlans, civilisation itself would falter, its arts frozen, its strength unmade.

III. The Presentation of Offerings (Oblatio)

Behold, O Mighty Sethlans, the tribute we lay upon thy altar, tokens of our reverence and our need for thy beneficence. We offer this unblemished iron ingot, heavy with potential, symbolising the raw strength thou dost command. We place beside it these tools, crafted with diligence – a hammer, tongs, and file – representing the skills we practice under thy divine inspiration. See how we pour forth this dark, strong wine, libation mirroring the liquid fire thou dost govern, may its essence rise pleasingly unto thee. Let the smoke of this rich incense, compounded with myrrh and resinous pitch, ascend as our prayers take flight, a fragrant messenger to thy fiery demesne. Accept these gifts, Master of Crafts, not for their intrinsic worth, but as earnest pledges of our devotion, symbols of the works we undertake in hope of thy favour.

(Priest gestures to an attendant who carefully places the items on the altar or into a consecrated fire pit. Another pours the libation onto the altar stone, where it might hiss or steam.)

IV. The Petition (Preces)

Grant now, O Sethlans, thy regard upon our city [Insert city name] and its people. Bestow thy skill upon the hands of our smiths, our sculptors, our builders, and all who shape the world with tool and fire. May their work be true, their materials sound, their inspiration keen. Protect our workshops from the uncontrolled blaze, shield our homes from the devouring flame that escapes its bonds. Grant strength to the warrior's blade, durability to the farmer's plough, and beauty to the objects that enrich our lives. Temper our metals, O Sethlans, as thou dost temper the earth with thy subterranean heat, making them strong yet pliant to purpose. Ward off the blight that consumes wood, the rust that corrodes iron. We beseech thee, look favourably upon the endeavours of thy people, that prosperity born of craft may flourish within our walls.

V. The Augury (Optional, performed briefly if signs are sought)

(The Priest might observe the way the offerings burn, the patterns of smoke, the crackling of the flames, or examine a specific consecrated object for divine signs, murmuring observations interpreted according to Etruscan discipline.) The flame consumes keenly... the smoke ascends straight... signs favourable appear...

VI. The Concluding Formula (Conclusio)

Thou hast heard our call, O Sethlans, Master of the Profound Fire. We have laid bare our hearts and our offerings before thee. Depart not from us in thy might, but let thy presence linger as a protective warmth, an enduring inspiration. May the clang of the hammer in our city echo thy divine rhythm, may the glow of our forges reflect thy sacred light. Go now, appeased and honoured, yet remain in thy favour amongst us. Let the pax deorum, the peace of the gods, rest upon this place and its people, secured through this rite duly performed. It is done.

(The Priests might make a final gesture of reverence. The worshippers slowly disperse, carrying the solemnity of the rite with them.)