Roman mythology was heavily influenced by Greek culture, with the Romans incorporating Greek gods into their own religion. The founding of Rome is a central myth, featuring the twin brothers Romulus and Remus, born from the union between Rhea Silvia and the god Mars. Romulus killed Remus and founded Rome with refugees and criminals, later stealing wives from the Sabines. The women intervened to make peace, and Romulus and the Sabine king ruled together.
Much of Roman mythology was borrowed from Greek culture and assimilated into its own. Ancient Rome was greatly influenced by Greek philosophy, religion and society. The Romans incorporated the Greek gods into Roman mythology and religion, attributing to them the same creation myths and powers, but giving them Latin names. For example, the Greek god Zeus, the ruling god on Mount Olympus, abode of the gods, was called Jupiter by the Romans. A Roman myth created by the Romans and central to their culture was that of the founding of Rome.
In ancient Greco-Roman culture, myth was not considered fiction. It featured traditional stories passed down from generation to generation explaining the temperaments of various deities and their powers. These stories were treated as truth, and the deeds of the gods were always seen to be at play in people’s lives. Respect for the gods was incorporated into religious practices as a way of receiving their protection and preventing their disfavour. The gods had favored people and animals and sometimes interacted with humans in animal or human form, including sexual relationships.
The Roman mythology of the foundation of Rome begins in Virgil’s Aeneid, the story of the Trojan War fought over the abduction of Helen, wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, by Paris, son of Priam, king of Troy. Aeneas, son of a Trojan prince and the goddess Venus and cousin of King Priam, led refugees from Troy into Italy after the country fell to Greek armies. He carried his father on his shoulders to the new country, armed with the Trojan Sword.
In Roman mythology, the descendants of Aeneas settled in the ancient Italian city of Numitor. The twin brothers Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome, were born from the union between the daughter of the king of Numitor, Rhea Silvia, and the god Mars. The king’s brother, fearing that one day his sons would ascend the throne, threw them into a trough in the Tiber River. The brothers were saved by a she-wolf, an animal sacred to Mars, who fed them with her milk, brought them food and watched over them.
When the brothers became adults, Romulus chose the place where the city was to be built. After Remus mocked him for the small size of the city walls, Romulus killed his brother. When the city was finished, the first inhabitants of Rome were refugees and criminals. Not having enough women, the Romans stole their wives from the Italian tribe of Sabines. The Sabines and Romans eventually went to war over the kidnappings, but the women, growing attached to their new Roman husbands, intervened and peace was made. Romulus and the king of the Sabines ruled together for a time.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
