Roman Gods, Heroes, and Mythology

Roman Gods, Heroes, and Mythology — page 3 — Romulus and Remus Amulius had ordered a servant to drown the newborn infants in the river The servant however could not bring himself to murder two helpless babies So he put them in a basket woven from reeds and sent them down the river After traveling for several hours the basket washed up on the shore near the Palatine Hill As the twin infants lay crying a female wolf padded up to the basket and sniffed them She licked them Then she did something extraordinary She picked the infants up in her jaws one by one and carried them back to her den There she nursed them along with her own wolf cubs The boys grew strong on the wolf’s milk One day a shepherd found them and took them back to his house He and his wife raised them as their own sons Romulus and Remus became shepherds like their adoptive father One day they were grazing their flocks on a hillside Several shepherds who worked for King Amulius 6

Roman Gods, Heroes, and Mythology — page 4 — The shepherd who found and cared for Romulus and Remus was named Faustulus ordered them away telling them that the hill belonged to the king Romulus and Remus refused to leave A fight broke out The king’s shepherds captured Remus and brought him back to the city Romulus gathered a band of friends They went to rescue his brother They freed Remus and killed King Amulius Numitor returned from exile and became King of Alba Longa once more 7

Roman Gods, Heroes, and Mythology — page 5 — WOLF CHILDREN Many cultures have stories about children raised by wolves Like humans wolves live together in close family groups and care for their young Perhaps that’s why some people believe they might adopt human babies who are very small and helpless like wolf pups Children raised by wolves have been the subject of several books These children are sometimes called feral which means wild or untamed Romulus Remus and their friends set off to start their own city The twins argued over where the city should be located Finally they decided to have a contest They each stood on a hill The hill with the most birds would be the new city’s location Birds were believed to be good omens or signs from the gods Romulus went to Palatine Hill and Remus to Aventine Hill Romulus saw twice as many birds He won Romulus began to build a wall around Palatine Hill to protect his new city Remus became jealous He made fun of his brother leaping over the wall to show 8

Roman Gods, Heroes, and Mythology — page 6 — how small and weak it was The brothers fought and Romulus killed Remus Afterward he felt sorry He honored Remus with a great funeral He went on to build his city which he called Roma or Rome THE ROMAN EMPIRE The story of Romulus and Remus is a foundation myth The tale explains how Rome came to be founded who founded it and why The ancient Romans had many such stories to explain their history and their culture These tales were a way of passing down cultural values from one generation to the next Myths shaped their identity reminding them what it meant to be Roman Myths are stories that involve supernatural beings and events For the Romans the supernatural was not distant and mysterious It was part of everyday life They felt close to their gods and goddesses They believed gods took part in human affairs Before taking any important action Romans would seek the favor of their gods through prayers and offerings The offerings 9

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