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
- enos Lases iuvate
- enos Lases iuvate
- neve lue rue Marmar sins incurrere in pleoris
- neve lue rue Marmar sins incurrere in pleoris
- neve lue rue Marmar sins incurrere in pleoris
- satur fu, fere Mars, limen sali, sta berber
- satur fu, fere Mars, limen sali, sta berber
- satur fu, fere Mars, limen sali, sta berber
- semunis alterni advocapit conctos
- semunis alterni advocapit conctos
- semunis alterni advocapit conctos
- enos Marmor iuvato
- enos Marmor iuvato
- 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.
