In Roman mythology, ulcan was the God of Fire, metalworking, and the forge. He was the son of Jupiter (Zeus in Greek mythology) and Juno (Hera in Greek mythology) and the husband of Venus (Aphrodite in Greek mythology), the Goddess of love, beauty, and fertility.
In one story, Venus was caught cheating on Vulcan with Mars, and Vulcan decided to take revenge by creating a trap. He fashioned a fine net that was invisible to the naked eye and placed it over his bed while Venus and Mars were together. When they tried to leave, they became entangled in the net and were caught in the act. The other gods were amused by Vulcan's clever trap, and Venus was humiliated by her exposure.
Despite the difficulties in their marriage, Vulcan and Venus remained together, and their relationship was often seen as symbolic of the union between fire and passion.1
The allegory here is that ulcan represents the power of reason and self-control. By trapping Venus and Mars in the net, Vulcan shows that he is able to control his passions and act with discipline and restraint. This is in contrast to Venus and Mars, who represent the forces of passion and desire.2
ulcan’s myth reveals the fiery anger, passion & desire alongside the power & self-control that contains them, represented by the net.
A net/mesh that opens and closes around a light source/naked flame, capturing the luminance, flames & sparks highlights a design translation of Vulcan’s story.
1.Woods, T. (2023). Vulcan & Venus Marriage. ChatGPT generated text. [Keywords: What is the story of the Roman God Vulcan and his wife Venus?]
2.Woods, T. (2023). Vulcan Allegories. ChatGPT generated text. [Keywords: Allegory of Roman God Vulcan]
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[wʊɫˈkaːnʊs] noun Fire Latin ULCANUS verb Capture Latin [ˈkäpioː] CAPIO V 1. SCENARIO Thomas Woods - 2023
Myth Allegory AllegoryDesign Idea
ulcan Portrayed
Venus
ulcan Reimagined
Mars and Venus are caught cheating by ulcan and trapped in his net for all the other God’s to see.3
1.Thorvaldsen , B. (1838). Vulcan [Statue] Thorvaldsens Museum, Copenhagen. https://kataloget.thorvaldsensmuseum.dk/en/A8
2.Ghisi, G. (mid-1550s-1550s). Venus and Vulcan at the Forge [Engraving print] The Met Museum, New York. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/367468
3.Guillemot, A.-C. (1827). Mars and Venus surprised by Vulcan [Oil on canvas] Indianapolis Museum of Art, Newfields, Indianapolis. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
4.Woods, T. (2023). Vulcan. Midjourney AI generated image. [Keywords: Roman God of Fire, fire base, crafting a metal net with blacksmith tools, sci-fi, octane render --s 500]
5.Woods, T. (2023). Venus. Midjourney AI generated image. [Keywords: Roman Goddess of Love, fire base, sitting on a smokey bed, holding a chalice, sci-fi, octane render --s 500]
6.Woods, T. (2023). Mars. Midjourney AI generated image. [Keywords: Roman God of War, loosely holding a sword, sci-fi, octane render --s 500]
7.Woods, T. (2023). Mercury. Midjourney AI generated image. [Keywords: Roman messenger God, with winged boots jumping through the air, carrying a scroll, sci-fi, octane render --s 500]
8.Woods, T. (2023). Juno. Midjourney AI generated image. [Keywords: Roman Goddess Queen, with a crown, sci-fi, octane render]
9.Woods, T. (2023). Jupiter. Midjourney AI generated image. [Keywords: Roman God King, smokey, white lightning, wearing a crown, holding a thunderbolt shaped staff, sci-fi, octane render]
goes to ulcan to request new arms and armour for her son, Aeneas.2
ulcan, Roman God of Fire and the forge.1
Venus - Goddess of Love & Sexual Desire.5
Mercury - Chief Messenger of the Gods.7
Juno - Queen of the Gods.8
Jupiter - King of the Gods.9
Mars - God of War.6
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ulcan - God of Fire.4
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2. RESEARCH
Thomas Woods - 2023
Vulcan is born. Upon witnessing his ugliness, Juno hurls him from the top of Mt Etna.
Nymphs take Vulcan into their care & raise him in a cave under the volcano.
Fuelled by the rejection of his mother, Vulcan hones his craft as a master blacksmith & becomes the most sought after by all the Gods.
Vulcan seeks his revenge. Using his master craftsman skills, he entraps Juno & demands Venus’ hand in marriage. Jupiter compels Venus to agree so as to free Juno.
Due to the inception of their union, Vulcan & Venus share an unhappy & loveless marriage.
Venus seeks love & companionship outside of the marriage, most notable with Vulcan’s brother, Mars.
Witnessing the infidelity of Venus & Mars, Mercury rushes to inform Vulcan. Enraged by the news, Vulcan stirs his forge into such a frenzy as to spark the volcanic Mt Etna.
Tempering his anger, Vulcan crafts a metal net & captures Venus & Mars in the act, when next they bed.
Vulcan calls the other Gods to bear witness to Venus & Mars’ infidelity. While satisfying his urge for revenge, Vulcan also displays his restraint & self control, in contrast to the fire & passion of Venus & Mars.
HALF BROTHERS
HUSBAND / WIFE FATHER / SON
BROTHERS
Goddess of Love & Sexual Desire Venus God of War Mars Chief Messenger of the Gods Mercury Goddess of Love & Marriage Queen of the Gods Juno God of Sky & Thunder King of the Gods Jupiter God of Fire & the Forge Vulcan 3. STORY DIAGRAM Thomas Woods - 2023
System Box
System Parts
148mm 200mm 200mm 146mm 76mm 70mm Top winch washer Box top Winch shaft Fishing line guide/hang line holes Box corner joints Box RHS Box shelf Box front Top winch wheel Box back Net membrane Box LHS Top winch handle Bottom winch handle Bottom winch wheel Bottom winch washer Cut lineborder 200 GSM paper laser cut & etch/
&
hand
clear
Cut linerelief Cut linenet pattern Fold linepeak Fold linevv Net Membrane
print
cut by
3mm
acrylic box laser cut & epoxy glued together
V
ulcan’s Net The System
1.Starting position of the closed net (paper skin membrane).
2. Net begins to unfurl as the pulley wheel turns (fishing line muscle winch).
3. Net is starting to pull down over the flame (following the guide holes).
4. EXPERIMENTATION Thomas Woods - 2023
4. Net is at it’s bottom position over the flame.
