Harnessing Fire: A Devotional Anthology in Honor of Hephaestus

Metalsmith. Fire-Tamer. Forge-Master. Bronzeworker. Weaponsmaster of the Gods. The Lame One. The Ugly God. Friend of Humanity. He is Hephaestus, the Divine Craftsman. Patient, stout-hearted, and clever, he is the Master of all Metals, the Holy Engineer. Celebrated for his wondrous creations, he is also pitied and teased for his lameness, his unsightly appearance, his estrangement from his family, and his marriage to lovely Aphrodite. But Hephaestus is not a God to be underestimated or ill-used -- a reality understood by his modern devotees. In the pages of this anthology you will find poems, prayers, essays, artwork, and rituals glorifying the Divine Mechanic. Some of his devotees see his hand in the engineering marvels of the Industrial Age and the hardware of the Information Age. Others see his handiwork in the heavens or hear his rumblings deep in the earth. Still others see lessons to be learned in his reconciliation with his mother, Hera, and his very nature as a "disabled" God. And so we sing: Hail Hephaestus Flame-Hearted Soot-Faced Ever-Resourceful God