Arval Brethren

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Arval Brethren (latin: Fratres Arvales) were a body of priests in ancient Rome who offered annual sacrifices to lares and gods to guarantee good harvests. The modern world knows them mainly for their stone-carved records of their oaths, rituals and sacrifices.

Roman legend held that the priestly college was originated by Romulus, who took the place of a dead son of his nurse Acca Laurentia, and formed the priesthood with the remaining eleven sons. They were also connected originally with the Sabine priesthood of Sodales Titii and were probably originally their counterpart among the Sabines.

The brethren dated back to the time of Numa Pompilius, second king of Rome, that still persisted to the imperial period. Their task was the worship of Dea Dia, an old fertility goddess and probably an aspect of Ceres. On the three days of her May festival, the Ambarvalia, they offered sacrifices and led a procession chanting the Carmen Arvale, the exact meaning of which was not longer understood in later times. Numerous attempts to translate it into modern languages in recent times are to be regarded as more or less likely approximations. The master of the college selected the exact three days with an unknown method. The celebration begun in Rome in the first day, was transferred to a sacred grove outside the city wall on the second day and ended back in the city in the third day.

Arval Brethren formed a college of 12 priests, although the archeologists have found only up to 9 names in the inscriptions at the same time. They were appointed for life and did not lose the status even in exile. Their sign was a white band with the chaplet of ears of corn.

The Brethren assembled in the Regia.

Their other duties included ritual thanksgivings and ambarvalia, the sacrifices done at the borders of Rome. Before the sacrifice, the sacrificial victim was lead three times around a cornfield when a chorus of farmers and farm-servants danced and sung praises for Ceres and offered her libations of milk, honey and wine.

Importance of Arval Brethren apparently dwindled during the Roman Republic, but emperor Augustus revived their practices to enforce his own authority. Afterwards the emperors and senators frequented the festivities and at least emperors Marcus Aurelius and Elagabalus were formally accepted as a member of the Brethren. First full descriptions of their rituals also originate from his time.

The last inscriptions about the Arval Brethren date about 325 AD. Most probably they were abolished alongside other pre-Christian priesthoods at 400 AD.