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Roman

Prayers to Mars

15 prayers

Two Marses, and the corpus keeps both. One is the war god of the vows made before a campaign and the temple promised on the field. The other is older and stranger: the Mars of Cato's lustration of the fields, asked to keep sickness, barrenness and bad weather from the farm — a god of the boundary rather than of battle.

What is asked
Fontes · Sources
  • Ovid · Fasti4
  • Cato · De Agricultura2
  • Silius Italicus · Punica2
  • Aulus Gellius · Noctes Atticae1
  • Claudian · In Rufinum1
  • Fratres Arvales · Carmen Arvalium (CIL VI 2104)1
  • Horace · Carmina1
  • Livy · Ab Urbe Condita1
  • Martial · Epigrammata1
  • Virgil · Aeneid1
Orationes · The texts
  1. 001

    Carmen Arvale

    Fratres Arvales · Carmen Arvalium (CIL VI 2104)

    Lasas assist us, Lasas delight us, Lasas come to our aid! Neither plague nor ruin, Marmor, allow to be visited on us. But if however we are invaded, like Mars we shall leap across our borders to sate you with the blood of our enemies and stay the barbarians. Marmor assist us, Marmor defend us, Marmor come to our aid. Triumph, triumph, triumph, triumph, triumph!

    RomanPetitionProtection
  2. 002

    The devotio of Decius Mus

    Livy · Ab Urbe Condita · 8.9.6-8

    Janus, Jupiter, Father Mars, Quirinus, Bellona, Lares, You divine Novensiles and You divine Indigetes, deities whose power extends over us and over our foes, and to You, too, Divine Manes, I pray, I do You reverence, I crave Your grace and favour will bless the Roman People, the Quirites, with power and victory, and will visit fear, dread and death on the enemies of the Roman People, the Quirites. In like manner as I have uttered this prayer so do I now on behalf of the commonwealth of the Quirites, on behalf of the army, the legions, the auxiliaries of the Roman People, the Quirites, devote the legions and auxiliaries of the enemy, together with myself to Tellus and the Divine Manes.

    RomanDedicationOath
  3. 003

    Prayer to Mars

    Ovid · Fasti · 3.73-76

    Arbiter of arms, from whose blood I am believed to have been born, and many the proofs I will give that are accepted, after You we will begin the Roman year, from Your name, Father, we will name the first month of the year.

    RomanDedication
  4. 004

    Prayer to Jupiter

    Ovid · Fasti · 4.827-832

    As I found this city, be present, Jupiter, Father Mars, and Mother Vesta, and all gods who it is pious to summon, join together to attend. Grant that my work may rise with Your auspices. Grant that it may for many years hold dominion on earth, and assert its power over the east and west.

    RomanPetitionInvocation
  5. 005

    Prayer to Mars

    Ovid · Fasti · 5.573-577

    If, Father, my war is authorized by Vesta's priestess, and whenever I prepare to take divine vengeance, Mars, be by my side and satiate cold steel with guilt's blood, and lend Your favour to the better side. If I am victorious for You I'll build a shrine and call You Ultor, Mars the Avenger.

    RomanPetitionOath
  6. 006

    The oath of Aeneas and Latinus

    Virgil · Aeneid · 12.176-82; 197-211

    May the Sun now bear witness, and so too the Earth, I pray, for whom I have been able to endure these many labors, and you, Almighty Father, and you his consort (Juno), daughter of Saturnus, at one time more beneficial, at another kinder, be so now as I pray to you, O Goddess, and to you, too, Father Mavors, who wields all warfare under your powers, and on all the springs and rivers of this land I invoke as witnesses, and all the powers of the high heavens and those of the deep blue seas on whom it is proper to call. By these same deities I, Aeneas, swear, by the Earth and the Sea, by the stars and Latona's twin children, and dual-faced Janus, and the powers of the gods below, and the harsh shrines of Father Dis. May the Great Father hear my vow, he that sanctions alliances with his thunderbolt. I touch the altars, and by the fires and by the divine powers who I have called to witness, I so swear, that never shall I breach this alliance or the peace of Italy, no matter what or how things happen, nothing shall divert my will, not even if waves would cover the earth, plunging all into deluge, and the Heavens fell into deepest Tartarus.

    RomanOathInvocation
  7. 007

    Prayer to Mars

    Cato · De Agricultura · 141

    Father Mars, I pray and beseech thee that thou be gracious and merciful to me, my house, and my household; to which intent I have bidden this suovetaurilia to be led around my land, my ground, my farm; that thou keep away, ward off, and remove sickness, seen and unseen, barrenness and destruction, ruin and unseasonable influence; and that thou permit my harvests, my grain, my vineyards, and my plantations to flourish and to come to good issue, preserve in health my shepherds and my flocks, and give good health and strength to me, my house, and my household. To this intent, to the intent of purifying my farm, my land, my ground, and of making an expiation, as I have said, deign to accept the offering of these suckling victims; Father Mars, to the same intent deign to accept the offering of these suckling victims.

    RomanPetitionProtectionDedication
  8. 008

    Prayer to Mars

    Claudian · In Rufinum · 1.334-348

    Mars, whether you rush down from the cloud-capped Mount Haemus, whether on the frosty white mountains of Thrace, whether stirring on Monte Santo in Macedonia with the black boots of soldiers stationed on all the lands they hold, to make ready with me, and defend your Thrace, if it is made happy, the campaign coming into glory, the sacred oak will be dressed with an offering of spolia.

    RomanPetitionDedication
  9. 009

    Prayer to Neria and Mars

    Aulus Gellius · Noctes Atticae · 13.23.13

    Neria, wife of Mars, I appeal to you, give peace. May you use your own favored position with your husband; counsel Him to partake in this plan. In the same way as we reconcile ourselves to those who carried off our daughters, may you now join with Him for all times in favoring His.

    RomanPetition
  10. 010

    Prayer to Mars

    Horace · Carmina · 1.2.35-40

    Father Mars, too long have You neglected to look upon Your nation and upon Your grandchildren. Alas, for too long have You been absent in the game of war. Recall Your delight in the clash of battle; come, Mars, take pride once more in the sight of polished Roman helmets gleaming, and how the battle hardened legions meet the grimacing Maurians in battle. Come now, we pray.

    RomanPetitionInvocation
  11. 011

    Prayer to Vulcan

    Martial · Epigrammata · 5.7.5-8

    Soon, I pray, Vulcan, memories of whispered rumors of disgrace and loud quarrels of complaint You will no longer hold against the children of Mars; we are also the children of Your sweet wife Venus, spare us, Father.

    RomanPetition
  12. 012

    Prayer to Mars

    Ovid · Fasti · 3.1-2

    Bellicose Mars, lay aside for awhile Your round bronze shield and spear. Mars, be present and let loose from its helmet Your sleek, shining hair.

    RomanInvocation
  13. 013

    Prayer to Mars

    Silius Italicus · Punica · 3.126-127

    But You, O Mars, Father of Warfare, have pity on us, turn evil aside from us and preserve my husband's life as inviolable to all Trojan assaults.

    RomanPetitionProtection
  14. 014

    Prayer to Mars

    Silius Italicus · Punica · 10.553-554

    Father Mars, You who were not at all deaf to my vows, these men, survivors of the battle, dedicate to You the choicest armour of our victory trophies.

    RomanGratitudeDedication
  15. 015

    Prayer to Mars

    Cato · De Agricultura · 141

    Father Mars, if aught hath not pleased thee in the offering of those sucklings, I make atonement with this pig.

    RomanPetitionDedication
Invoked alongside
Jupiter3Earth2Janus2the Lares2the Manes2Apollo1Bellona1Diana1Dis Pater1Juno1Neria1Quirinus1Sol1the Di Indigetes1the Di Novensiles1Venus1Vesta1Vulcan1
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