Talk:Vulcan (mythology)
From Academic Kids
This article contained this bit:
- His name was originally spelt with an initial B, as appears from an ancient altar on which were inscribed the words BOLCANO SAC. ARA. This spelling indicates the true derivation of the name, which is simply a corruption of Tubalcain, who was "an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron"
(Gen. iv. 22).
This strikes me as profoundly implausible. Partridge's Origins, not the best source, connects Vulcan with Welkhanos, a Cretan god of destructive fire of whom I have never heard. The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible relates Tubalcain to the Tibarenoi, "workers of iron and steel" who are equally unfamiliar. The accentuation is wrong for the tu- element to simply disappear in a Latin word. Does anyone know of the source of this claim? --- Smerdis of Tlön 03:11, 23 Oct 2003 (UTC)
