Why Are Volcanoes Called Volcanoes?

Long ago people believe in a god called Vulcan and he was the god of anger so they named the volcano after him because volcanoes are sort of angry and fierce. The word volcano comes from the island of Vulcano in the Mediterranean Sea. Centuries ago, the people living in this area believed that Vulcano was the chimney of the forge of Vulcan--the blacksmith of the Roman gods. They thought that the hot lava fragments and clouds of dust erupting from Vulcano came from Vulcan's forge as he beat out thunderbolts for Jupiter, king of the gods, and weapons for Mars, the god of war. In Polynesia the people attributed eruptive activity to the beautiful but wrathful Pele, Goddess of Volcanoes, whenever she was angry or spiteful.
Volcanoe

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