carmen arvale

The Carmen Arvale is the preserved chant of the Arval priests or Fratres Arvales of ancient Rome. The Arval priests were devoted to the goddess Dea Dia, and offered sacrifices to her to ensure the fertility of ploughed fields (Latin arvum). There were twelve Arval priests, chosen from patrician families. During the Roman Empire the Emperor was always an Arval priest. They retained the office for life, even if disgraced or exiled. Their most important festival, the Ambarvalia, occurred during the month of May, in a grove dedicated to Dea Dia. Their records contain the text of their sacred hymn, the Carmen Arvale, which is an interesting bit of Old Latin. It goes:

enos Lases iuvate

neve lue rue Marmar sins incurrere in pleoris

satur fu, fere Mars, limen sali, sta berber

semunis alterni advocapit conctos

enos Marmor iuvato

triumpe triumpe triumpe triumpe triumpe

While passages of this text are obscure, it seems to seek the aid of Mars and the Lares (lases), beseeching Mars not to let ruts form in the fields, asking him to be satiated, and dance, and call forth sacred sowers. The Carmen Arvale was revived by Gerald Gardner as a Wiccan chant.

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