She-wolf (Roman mythology)

In the Roman foundation myth, the She-Wolf (lupa in Latin) was an Italian wolf who cared for the twins Romulus and Remus after they were left alone in the wild. This happened because King Amulius of Alba Longa had ordered them to be abandoned. The She-Wolf found the twins and took them to her home, a cave called the Lupercal, where she nursed them until a shepherd named Faustulus found them.

Romulus later grew up to become the first king of Rome, and together with his brother Remus, he is remembered as the founder of the city we know today as Rome. The picture of the She-Wolf feeding the twins has been an important symbol of Rome since ancient times and is one of the most well-known images from ancient stories.

Origins

Some people think the story of the She-Wolf comes from old traditions of the Etruscans and Italians, just like the stories from Ancient Greece. They believe this because wolves were a big danger in the northern Mediterranean area, so people felt both fear and respect for them. The story of the She-Wolf might also have started because of trade between Etruscan cities like Tarquinii and Miletus.

One old tale says the Hirpini people were named after a wolf that led them to their first home. This comes from the Osco-Umbrian word for wolf, hirpus. The cave called the Lupercal, where the She-Wolf cared for the twins, is very important in this story. To the Roman god Mars, the wolf was a special and sacred animal. There is still discussion about whether this story connects to the ancient Roman festival called the Lupercalia.

In Greek mythology, it is said that Apollo's mother Leto gave birth to him in the form of a she-wolf to avoid Hera.

Literary sources

The three main stories about the She-Wolf come from writers named Livy, Plutarch, and Dionysius of Halicarnassus. They all used an older writer named Quintus Fabius Pictor as a source. He was one of Rome’s first historians, and he wrote about the She-Wolf and her care for the twins Romulus and Remus.

The twins were left alone by order of a king named Amulius. Some stories say they were to be left by the river, while others say they were to be put in the water. The person meant to do this either changed his mind or couldn’t get close because the water was too high. Instead, he left them in water at the foot of Palatine Hill. The twins were found either after their basket was left under a fig tree or after they floated there. In each story, the She-Wolf found them and took care of them near a cave called the Lupercal. Later, they were found by local shepherds.

Iconography

Earliest representation

The Etruscan "Bolsena Mirror" shows the She-Wolf and the twins with other human and animal figures. Its age is unclear, but it dates to around 330–340 BC. The famous Capitoline Wolf might be Etruscan or Old Latin, but tests suggest it may not be very old. An Etruscan stele from Bologna, from between 350 and 400 BC, shows an animal, perhaps a wolf, nursing one infant. By 269 BC, a silver didrachm showed the She-Wolf and the twins for the first time.

The image of the She-Wolf and the twins became very well-known and was used on many things like coins, swords, and statues from the 1st to the 3rd centuries AD.

Early middle ages

The Franks Casket, a decorated Anglo-Saxon chest from the 8th–9th century, shows the She-Wolf and the twins. The Byzantines also used this image, and it has been found on items in central Asia, including in modern Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Sports

Italian football clubs A.S. Roma and S.S. Robur Siena use the She-Wolf in their team logos.

Mussolini

The Fascist government of Benito Mussolini used the She-Wolf as a symbol.

Coats of arms and emblems

The She-Wolf and twins have appeared on many coats of arms and emblems over the years.

Siena She-Wolf

The people of Siena have a story that their city was founded by twins Senius and Aschius, who were also nursed by a she-wolf. This story dates from the Renaissance, but images of the she-wolf and twins are common in Siena.

Notes and coins

The She-Wolf and the twins were shown on some of the earliest silver coins made in Rome.

Lupercalia

The Lupercalia was a very old festival celebrated in ancient Rome. Historians were not sure where it started, but some thought it might be connected to the god Lupercus, who watched over shepherds and their animals. Others believed it was linked to the story of the She-Wolf and a place called the Lupercal.

Depictions in art

The story of the She-Wolf caring for Romulus and Remus has inspired many artists over the centuries. From mosaics in ancient times to paintings and sculptures in the Renaissance and later periods, the image of the She-Wolf has appeared in many works of art. These depictions show how important this story has been in shaping Roman history and culture.