The founding of Rome and the story of Romulus and Remus
Before I get back into the creation myth series I want to sidetrack just a little and tell the story of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.
It's a cool story with a lot going on including but not limited to fratricide. So strap in, hold tight cause here we go.A little backstory first. Legend has it that Ascanio (son of the Trojan hero Aeneid (or Aeneas) (whom I covered in the Roman origin story) founded the city of Alba Longa on the right bank of the river Tiber. Many of the ascendants of Aeneid reigned there peacefully until Nimitor became king. When Nimitor was king his brother Amulius seized the power and dethroned Nimitor (nothing like some brotherly rivalry, right?), killing his male heirs and forcing his daughter, Rhea Silvia, to become a Vestal Virgin so that she would not provide a male heir to the throne. (Vestal Virgins were charged with keeping a sacred fire that was never to be extinguished and were sworn to chastity.) Nevertheless she gave birth to twins, Romulus and Remus, whose father was thought to be the God of War Mars himself or, in other tellings of the story, the hero Herakles (Hercules). Amulius imprisoned his own daughter and condemned her babies to death by drowning in the river Tiber. However the servant in charge of this task took pity on the young twins and instead placed them in a basket and pushed them down the river Tiber. (we find this also in a similar way in the story of Moses. Not sure if there is connection but it sprang to mind) After being swept away by the river they are found by a she wolf named Lupa who suckled and nurses them, and they are being fed by a woodpecker at her layer in Palatine Hill until they were found by a shepherd and his wife. The shepherd and his wife took the boys in and raised them as their own and as shepherds themselves. As adults the two were natural leaders and in a fight killed the usurper Amulius and reinstated Nimitor as the rightful king of the Alba Longa. Seeking a good place to establish their city they wandered around the seven hills, those hills being: - Aventine, - Celio, - Capitol, - Esquiline, - Palatine, - Quirinal, - Viminal Romulus wanted to establish their city of Palatine Hill (understandably) while Remus preferred Aventine Hill. In order to decide which brother was right and which hill should be chosen they agreed to consult augury, where birds are examined to see what the gods favoured. Remus claimed to have seen six birds, whereas Romulus claimed to have seen twelve. Even though Romulus had seen more birds Remus argued he had seen them first and therefore the city should be build on Aventine Hill. (I have two siblings myself and recognize this behavior right away. "I saw more birds!". "Oh yeah? Well I saw them first!". It's how siblings fight) Meanwhile Romulus had begon building a wall on his chosen Palatine Hill which Remus decided to jump over. Angered by his brothers actions Romulus killed Remus. (which is quite harsh for what he did if you ask me...) Romulus subsequently founded Rome lending the city his name. He led Rome in a number of military victories overseeing the city's expansion. As Rome swelled with numbers of male disaffected refugees Romulus started a war against the Sabine people (a topic for a different time) which was won and by doing so absorbed the Sabine people into Rome. Under his leadership Rome became the dominant force in the region, but as Romulus grew older his rule became more autocratic, and he eventually disappeared in mysterious circumstances. In later versions of the myth the ending was altered, telling us that Romulus ascended to heaven, and is associated with the divine incarnation of the Roman people. That's it. This is the story of the twins Romulus and Remus and the founding of the city of Rome. I'm thinking of doing a series of stories like this once I am finished with my creation series. A series about the heroes of our past and the villains, gods and monsters they encountered and tribulations they had to overcome. But for now this is it! Next story will be another creation myth although I haven't decided what direction I want to go in yet. But when I do you will know soon enough! Please share this with anyone who might be interested in this. It would help us out tremendously and we would greatly appreciate it!
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