Deity Reseach Project: Luperca
I was originally going to do this project on my primary patron Oinari-sama, but the requirements were a god and a goddess and Inari is rather fluid in this department and is often depicted as ether gender or androgynous. A recent Japanese comedy anime entitled 'Wagaya no Oinari-sama' makes reference to this by having the the main character Kūgen, a Tenko (celestial-fox, a type of 'spirit'-fox), who changes gender depending on hir mood and remarks that he/she doesn't remember what hir original gender was nor does it matter.
So in order to keep to the spirit of this exercise of examining a god & a goddess and to avoid trying to put Inari down to one form, I've decided to feature for the first part of this project another one of my patrons who is a good bit more obscure than Inari (who is one of the most popular kami and has somehow managed to attract a decent amount of interest and followers outside of Japan after all): Luperca.
Luperca - The Wolf-Mother Goddess
Also known as: Lupa; The She-Wolf;
Culture: Roman
Iconography: Luperca is usually depicted as a she wolf and often with obvious breasts. Often twins are near by or being suckled by her.
Some Favored People: Children & others in distress, strong independent women, prostitutes & sex workers, shepherds and farmers, canine related people.
Sacred Dates: February 15: Lupercalia; Feburary 21: Feralia.
Sacred Site: The Lupercal Cave at the foot of Palatine Hill in Rome, Italy.
Author's Personal Background:
Luperca is a rather obscure goddess - most know little of her or are all together unaware of her, so I hope this project does a little to rectify that issue.
My first exposure to her was a reproduction statue of the Capitoline wolf in Eden Park of Cincinnati, Ohio. The statue was a gift from the city of Rome since Cincinnati was named after the Roman hero Cincinnatus in part due to the similarity of the climate and geography to Rome with a river and seven hills.
I took Latin class in High School where we celebrated various important Roman holidays with little games and food. For some reason Lupercalia left an impression on me and I found a way to celebrate it in some fashion each year. When I formally became a Pagan I began giving honors every year to the she-wolf. In the past couple of years she showed up in a few journeys and seems to have taken on a motherly role towards me. When I was at one of my lowest points and in some personal danger last year I had a vivid reassuring dream. For this I owe her greatly.
The Capitoline Statue:
The Capitoline Wolf is statue of Luperca with twins underneath and has become a symbol of both the city of Rome and her ancient empire. Her distended teats and gnarling expression show her as a mother ready to defend her young. The famous statue itself is currently under debate since recent tests seem to indicate that it only dates to the 1200s CE and it seems to possibly be a replacement for the lost or destroyed original statue which is referenced prior to this date (at least the 10th century) as being on display at the Pope's Lateran Palace where trials were held 'at the wolf' ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitoline_Wolf ). The statue remained there until it was transferred over to the Palazzo dei Conservatori Museum on Capitoline Hill by Pope Sixtus IV in 1471. The twins under her were probably added at this point. In 1586 she was then mounted on a pedestal and moved to her current location at the Stanza Della Lupa.
Origins:
This is a highly debated topic and there are various origins debated for Luperca from Etruscan, Latin, Greek and other cultures. One hypothesis current among the Romans holds that she and the Lupercalia may have come from Greek settlers from around Mt. Lykaion who held a version of the Lykaia and Luperca was derived from the wolf deities / wolf-forms of several different deities (such as Pan, Zeus, and Apollo).
Mythology:
"Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another... if I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice! Ha ha ha!"
-The Joker, The Killing Joke
On the banks of the flowing Tiber two twins are nursed by a she-wolf under a sacred fig tree near her cave home. This is the image that is most connected to Luperca - however the exact details of this scene such as the identity of the twins and parentage of the twins varies from tale to tale.
In what seems to be the oldest mythology featuring Luperca the set of twins underneath her were not Romulus and Remus - that particular myth seems to have come later and acquired elements from an earlier myth. The She-wolf's first adopted children seem to be the offspring of Mercury and a Nymph variously called Larunda, Lara, Lala, Tacita, or the Silent Goddess (she was also considered to be the same as Etruscan goddess of death: Mania).
Lara was the daughter of the river god Almo, and was very talkative, this attribute got her into trouble when she reported on Jupiter's desire for and attempted seduction of her sister Juturna to Juno. In a rage, Jupiter tore out her tongue so she could no longer talk and sent her away to become a nymph of infernal marshes. Mercury took her to the underworld and on the way in a sacred grove (probably of ether Hecate or Bona Dea (Wiseman 2004, 80)) she was raped by Mercury (although some variants of the myths say it was consensual). She gave birth to twins who became the first two twin Lares (guardians of the crossroads, fields, household spirits, and often considered to be ancestral spirits), specifically the Lares Praestites (guardians of the state).
Lara could not take care of the twins herself in the world of the living as she was confined to the underworld and so she sent them to the world above where they were cared for by a she-wolf, Luperca. This seems to be in part commemorated by the Feralia on February 21st which honors the dead as it was believe that they could visit the world of the living on that date.
Over time the foster-mothership of the she-wolf was added to the story of the founding of rome and the twins overtime received more royal and less scandalous parentage. T.P. Wiseman opines that happened due to a desire for national symbols with a more dignified and relevant origin (Wiseman 2004, 117). The twins became the founders of Rome symbolizing the cooperation of the Plebeian and Patrician classes and their names related to the virtues of the classes: Remus (from remorari) - to hold back and be cautious & Romulus (from rhome) - forcefulness and strength.
In a version told by Plutarch, a phallus arose from a hearth in the home of King Tarchetios of Alba Longa and remained there for many days. A prophecy was given that if a virgin had intercourse with it she would then conceive a hero of great fame and strength. Tarchetios sent one of his daughters to do the deed, but she thought it was beneath her and so had a slave girl use the magic phallus instead. Tarchetios was furious and tried to have the twins who were born of the slave girl killed through exposure by casting them adrift in a box on the Tiber river. They washed ashore near Luperca's cave and Luperca adopted and raised the twins.
A more familiar story that was popular in the second century BCE had a vestal virgin that was named Ilia who was raped by Mars and then sentenced to death by drowning by King Amulius of Alba Longa as a disgraced Vestal Virgin. Ilia then became the wife of the river god Anio or the Tiber depending on the variant. The twins were set adrift on the Tiber and washed ashore at a fig tree (the Ficus Ruminalis) near the Lupercal cave where they were found by Luperca and they were raised in the Lupercal cave. Later they were adopted and raised by Faustulus and his wife Acca Larenta.
The more familiar story that is cited most often today is that of Mars and Rhea Silvia. The story goes that there were two princes of Alba Longa: Numitor and Amulius. Numitor was the elder but he was cheated out of the throne by his younger brother Amulius who became king. Amulius had Numitor's son killed and his daughter Rhea Silvia made into a Vestal Virgin. She had twins fathered by Mars who were raised by at first Luperca and then Faustulus and his wife Acca Larenta. When they grew up they killed Amulius and gave the throne to Numitor before heading off to found Rome around the area of the Lupercal cave. Later on a story developed where Remus was killed by Celer, a guard whose name meant fast, (or in other versions by a guard named Fabius) after he rashly jumped over a wall (or a ditch) instead of heading through the gate (in some versions Celer flees to Etruria after the murder). Other versions say that Remus was killed in a clash between supporters of the two twins. Others stories say that Remus outlived Romulus. Later on after 15 years of bloody civil war a version emerged where Remus' was killed by Romulus himself and this is the most common version of the myth we see today - in part due to the influence of writers like St. Augustine and other Christian writers who used the the story of fratricide (and other more negative variants of the myths) to argue that Rome, the city of man, was “inaugurated in envy and bloodshed” (Wiseman 1995, 15).
Luperca has often been identified with Acca Larenta, who has many different accounts about herself, from being an earth goddess, to a sacred prostitute, to a human shepherdess, to a wife of Hercules, to being the mother of the lares and a form of Larunda/Lara. This connection to Acca Larenta seems have happened as a site identified as Acca Larenta's 'grave' was near the Lupercal cave and when searching for a historical version of the myth it was thought that she may have been the 'real' Lupa and a historical personage (Wiseman 2004, 140).
In various attempts to historicize the myth numerous variations appeared. Luperca may have been a prostitute alleged some Roman historians noting that prostitutes are called Lupa - she-wolves. Other stories said that she was a kind girl named Lykaina (she-wolf). Some unsourced and possibly historically dubious accounts on the Internet allege that she may have been a priestess of a fox goddess which were called 'lupa' - some accounts identify Luperca as being a fox goddess as well (Ex: http://www.la-lupa-3.co.uk/legend.html & http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Italy-Rome-wolf-suckles-Romulus-Remus-Bronze-MEDAL_W0QQitemZ260537924834QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Coins_Medals_RL?hash=item3ca9453ce2 & http://fletcherwiest.blogspot.com/2009/11/lupine-adventures-in-etymology.html )
Luperca has also been occasionally identified with deities such as Diana, Hecate, Juno, Bona Dea, and Artemis.
During the reign of Augustus she was given a consort Lupercus - the wolf god. He was variously identified with Pan, Silvanus, Inuus, and Faunus.
Lupercalia:
Lupercalia is the festival that is most heavily connected with Luperca. The Romans themselves debated the meaning of the rites and who they really honored. The rites were about purification and fertility of the city, the fields, and the people - females seem to have begun to be especially targeted for purification and fertility following an epidemic of human and animal miscarriages in 276 BCE, but anyone and anything were still whipped for purification purposes. (Wiseman 1995, 84)
The rites went like this: Within the dark Lupercal cave two nobleman's sons stand silently as two goats and a dog are sacrificed. Their faces were smeared with blood and then the blood was wiped away with a wool rag soaked in milk. They then laughed. Later on they were dressed in garments made from the sacrificed goats and were armed with whips, which were also made from the skins of the sacrificed goats. They then ran around whipping anyone and anything they met bringing them purification and fertility.
While there are many interpretations of these rites both ancient and modern it seems to me that it may be a death and rebirth ritual. The two noble men may represent the two Lares Praestites. They are born from a goddess of death which is why they stand silently, they have just been brought from the underworld, and so are 'dead'. The blood of new life and a mother's milk from Luperca animates them so they are brought to life and laugh. Now the Lares Praestites perform their functions driving away evil spirits with their whips to bring purification and fertility to the people and the land.
The so called 'Lupercalia lottery' where eligible bachelors and bachelorettes were paired up through random drawing is not attested in any ancient source and seems to have only appeared relatively recently - as are any other connections with love. It is a festival of purification and it was replaced by a festival of the 'Purification of the Virgin Mary' on February 15th by Pope Gelasius I in 494 CE. It is often connected with St. Valentine's day but historically or replacement wise there is little or no connection - St. Valentines Day itself, for that matter, does not seem to develop its connection to Romantic Love until the late middle ages.
Lupercalia was also only celebrated in ancient times within the city of Rome itself as it was a civic festival and particular to the city of Rome itself.
All that said I, personally, have no problems with neo-traditions that somewhat fit (although I do have problems with the misinformation) beliefs, holidays, and rites have always changed over time and have adapted to changes in culture - true, some traditions have been preserved much more conservatively than others but traditions that don't adapt tend to be abandoned. 'Romantic Love' is an important part of modern western culture and the end of winter/beginning of spring is an appropriate seasonal time to celebrate it. Just because the love aspect isn't truly tradition to the original Lupercalia or St. Valentine's Day doesn't make the new 'traditions' any less important.
Reflections on Luperca:
Luperca's nature seems multi-fold she is first and foremost a protective mother who furiously defends her children against all obstacles. She is connected with the fields and fertility of crops and animals making her an earth mother as well. This is shown by perhaps the sacred fig tree (the Ficus Ruminalis - perhaps derived from Ruma the word for teat) and that she is credited with bringing prosperity and fertility to the fields and animals. With the lares she is the foster mother of the spirits of the land. The ritual of Lupercalia may also be connected to the 'rebirth' of the fields after they were laying 'dead' in winter.
Through connections with the lares and Lara, Luperca is also connected to death, the ancestors, and it seems rebirth. Luperca, it seems, holds the power of life and death in her paws and can function as a liminal figure between the worlds (such as between life and death and human/civilization and animal/nature). She is also formidable and furious in defense and can bring death to her enemies or protection to those she cares about.
She is also an expression of the strong and independent 'wild woman' archetype. She is independent through her own means, is powerful and forceful of her own will - uncontrolled by any males, and is sexually liberated. She has connections to Bona Dea whose rites were celebrated exclusively by women (and even mentions or pictures of men were forbidden in the rites). To the Etruscans and Pre-Roman Latins the she-wolf was a symbol of defiance. (Wiseman 1995, 76)
It is perhaps do to this that Lupercus appears during the age of Augustus. Augustus enacted a number of moral reforms (many reforms targeted the powers and actions of upper-class women) and he was concerned with the moral dangers of the Lupercalia among his changes were the dress of the runners which changed from thongs to substantial aprons. (Wiseman 1995, 82-83)
Such a symbol of independent feminine power as Luperca being symbol of the state was probably fairly inamicable to Augustus' moral reforms. Lupercus begins to appear during the reign of Augustus (Adkins & Adkins 1996, 136) as a 'husband' for Luperca, it seems that this was an attempt to domesticate the wild she-wolf and bring her symbolically under the control of a dominate male thus doing symbolically what Augustus was doing legally. If the sanctuary found in 2007 proves to be the Lupercal cave then Augustus built his personal residence directly above her sanctuary as well.
Luperca is a goddess heavily associated with canidae of all types - Her primary form is of a wolf after all - In Ancient Rome she was connected with wolves and dogs and modern sources add foxes as well. Perhaps Roman culture found its virtue of hierarchy reflected in wolves (or were inspired by the wolves) and so this helped to first bring a wolf to become a symbol of the state.
Luperca also has strong connections to sexuality (and to somewhat to love). Prostitutes were called 'Lupae', she-wolves, and brothels were called Lupanaria or wolf dens. Luperca herself was often seen as amorous in her own mythology.
Luperca also represents compassion as she took pity on strange children that were not her own and adopted them - feeding them with milk produced from her own body. It was only through her act of kindness that the twins survived.
Pop Culture Tidbits:
Luperca and the twins have become the symbol of the modern city of Rome and were used as the symbol/mascot of the 1960 summer Olympics in Rome.
Roman Metal group Ex Deo's 'Romulus' (from the album of the same name) is a recounting of the story of Romulus and Remus in metal form. Luperca is referenced in the song and featured prominently in the music video.
Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira's 'She-wolf' expresses many themes and symbols related to Luperca and according to Shakira:
"'She Wolf' came to me very mysteriously," she says. "I was in the studio in a bad mood that day, then I got inspired and went to a corner and I wrote the lyrics and the melody in 10 minutes. The image of the she wolf just came to my head, and when I least expected it I was howling and panting." ( http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/07/15/behind-shakiras-hot-electro-groove-the-making-of-she-wolf/ )
Lupercalia has been growing in popularity as a pagan alternative to St. Valentine's Day.
Bibliography:
Adkins, Lesley and Roy A. Adkins. Dictionary of Roman Religion. New York: Facts on File, Inc. 1996.
Adkins, Lesley and Roy A. Adkins. Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome. New York: Oxford University Press. 1994.
BBC News. Famed Roman statue 'not ancient'. BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7499469.stm (accessed February 14, 2010).
BBC News. 'Mythical Roman cave' unearthed. BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7104330.stm (accessed February 14, 2010).
Fletcher, Carrie. Lupine Adventures in Etymology. Life at 9 Park Lane. http://fletcherwiest.blogspot.com/2009/11/lupine-adventures-in-etymology.html (accessed February 14, 2010).
Gill, N. S. The Lupercalia From Plutarch's Life of Romulus. About.com. http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/socialcustomsdailylife/qt/010908PlutLuper.htm (accessed February 14, 2010).
Herne, Robin. Lupercalia - Adapting an Ancient Roman Festival for Modern Times. Association of Polytheist Traditions. http://www.manygods.org.uk/articles/festivals/lupercalia.shtml (accessed February 14, 2010).
La Lupa 3. La Lupa - the legend of Romulus and Remus. La Lupa 3. http://www.la-lupa-3.co.uk/legend.html (accessed February 14, 2010).
Myth Index. Luperca. Roman Myth Index http://www.mythindex.com/roman-mythology/L/Luperca.html (accessed February 14, 2010).
Myth Index. Lupercus. Roman Myth Index http://www.mythindex.com/roman-mythology/L/Lupercus.html (accessed February 14, 2010).
Ovid. Fasti. Trans. A. S. Kline. Poetry In Translation. http://tkline.pgcc.net/PITBR/Latin/Fastihome.htm (accessed February 14, 2010).
Ovid. Fasti. Trans. James George Frazer. The Theoi Project. http://www.theoi.com/Text/OvidFasti1.html (accessed February 14, 2010).
Rolling Stone. Behind Shakira’s Hot Electro Groove: The Making of “She Wolf”. Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/07/15/behind-shakiras-hot-electro-groove-the-making-of-she-wolf/ (accessed February 14, 2010).
Rüpke, Jörg. Religion of the Romans Trans. Richard Gordon. Malden, MA: Polity. 2007.
theantiquetrade. Italy Rome wolf suckles Romulus Remus Bronze MEDAL. eBay. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Italy-Rome-wolf-suckles-Romulus-Remus-Bronze-MEDAL_W0QQitemZ260537924834QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Coins_Medals_RL?hash=item3ca9453ce2 (accessed February 14, 2010).
Saller, Richard. Family Values in Ancient Rome. Fathom Archive. http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777121908/ (accessed February 14, 2010).
Thompson, James C. The Augustan Reformation. Women in the Ancient World. http://www.womenintheancientworld.com/augustan%20reformation.htm (accessed February 14, 2010).
Turcan, Robert. The Gods of Ancient Rome. Trans. Antonia Nevill. New York: Routledge. 1998.
Turner, Patricia and Charles Russell Coulter. Dictionary of Ancient Deities. New York: Oxford University Press. 2000.
Wikipedia. Acca Larentia. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acca_Larentia (accessed February 14, 2010).
Wikipedia. Bona Dea. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bona_Dea (accessed February 14, 2010).
Wikipedia. Capitoline Wolf. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitoline_Wolf. (accessed February 14, 2010).
Wikipedia. Founding of Rome. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_of_Rome (accessed February 14, 2010).
Wikipedia. Lupercal. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupercal (accessed February 14, 2010).
Wikipedia. Lupercalia. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupercalia (accessed February 14, 2010).
Wikipedia. Lykaia. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lykaia (accessed February 14, 2010).
Wikipedia. Romulus and Remus. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_and_Remus (accessed February 14, 2010)
Wiseman T.P. The Myths of Rome. Exeter, Devon UK: University of Exeter Press. 2004.
Wiseman T.P. Remus: a Roman Myth. New York: Cambridge University Press. 1995.
So in order to keep to the spirit of this exercise of examining a god & a goddess and to avoid trying to put Inari down to one form, I've decided to feature for the first part of this project another one of my patrons who is a good bit more obscure than Inari (who is one of the most popular kami and has somehow managed to attract a decent amount of interest and followers outside of Japan after all): Luperca.
Luperca - The Wolf-Mother Goddess
Also known as: Lupa; The She-Wolf;
Culture: Roman
Iconography: Luperca is usually depicted as a she wolf and often with obvious breasts. Often twins are near by or being suckled by her.
Some Favored People: Children & others in distress, strong independent women, prostitutes & sex workers, shepherds and farmers, canine related people.
Sacred Dates: February 15: Lupercalia; Feburary 21: Feralia.
Sacred Site: The Lupercal Cave at the foot of Palatine Hill in Rome, Italy.
Author's Personal Background:
Luperca is a rather obscure goddess - most know little of her or are all together unaware of her, so I hope this project does a little to rectify that issue.
My first exposure to her was a reproduction statue of the Capitoline wolf in Eden Park of Cincinnati, Ohio. The statue was a gift from the city of Rome since Cincinnati was named after the Roman hero Cincinnatus in part due to the similarity of the climate and geography to Rome with a river and seven hills.
I took Latin class in High School where we celebrated various important Roman holidays with little games and food. For some reason Lupercalia left an impression on me and I found a way to celebrate it in some fashion each year. When I formally became a Pagan I began giving honors every year to the she-wolf. In the past couple of years she showed up in a few journeys and seems to have taken on a motherly role towards me. When I was at one of my lowest points and in some personal danger last year I had a vivid reassuring dream. For this I owe her greatly.
The Capitoline Statue:
The Capitoline Wolf is statue of Luperca with twins underneath and has become a symbol of both the city of Rome and her ancient empire. Her distended teats and gnarling expression show her as a mother ready to defend her young. The famous statue itself is currently under debate since recent tests seem to indicate that it only dates to the 1200s CE and it seems to possibly be a replacement for the lost or destroyed original statue which is referenced prior to this date (at least the 10th century) as being on display at the Pope's Lateran Palace where trials were held 'at the wolf' ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitoline_Wolf ). The statue remained there until it was transferred over to the Palazzo dei Conservatori Museum on Capitoline Hill by Pope Sixtus IV in 1471. The twins under her were probably added at this point. In 1586 she was then mounted on a pedestal and moved to her current location at the Stanza Della Lupa.
Origins:
This is a highly debated topic and there are various origins debated for Luperca from Etruscan, Latin, Greek and other cultures. One hypothesis current among the Romans holds that she and the Lupercalia may have come from Greek settlers from around Mt. Lykaion who held a version of the Lykaia and Luperca was derived from the wolf deities / wolf-forms of several different deities (such as Pan, Zeus, and Apollo).
Mythology:
"Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another... if I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice! Ha ha ha!"
-The Joker, The Killing Joke
On the banks of the flowing Tiber two twins are nursed by a she-wolf under a sacred fig tree near her cave home. This is the image that is most connected to Luperca - however the exact details of this scene such as the identity of the twins and parentage of the twins varies from tale to tale.
In what seems to be the oldest mythology featuring Luperca the set of twins underneath her were not Romulus and Remus - that particular myth seems to have come later and acquired elements from an earlier myth. The She-wolf's first adopted children seem to be the offspring of Mercury and a Nymph variously called Larunda, Lara, Lala, Tacita, or the Silent Goddess (she was also considered to be the same as Etruscan goddess of death: Mania).
Lara was the daughter of the river god Almo, and was very talkative, this attribute got her into trouble when she reported on Jupiter's desire for and attempted seduction of her sister Juturna to Juno. In a rage, Jupiter tore out her tongue so she could no longer talk and sent her away to become a nymph of infernal marshes. Mercury took her to the underworld and on the way in a sacred grove (probably of ether Hecate or Bona Dea (Wiseman 2004, 80)) she was raped by Mercury (although some variants of the myths say it was consensual). She gave birth to twins who became the first two twin Lares (guardians of the crossroads, fields, household spirits, and often considered to be ancestral spirits), specifically the Lares Praestites (guardians of the state).
Lara could not take care of the twins herself in the world of the living as she was confined to the underworld and so she sent them to the world above where they were cared for by a she-wolf, Luperca. This seems to be in part commemorated by the Feralia on February 21st which honors the dead as it was believe that they could visit the world of the living on that date.
Over time the foster-mothership of the she-wolf was added to the story of the founding of rome and the twins overtime received more royal and less scandalous parentage. T.P. Wiseman opines that happened due to a desire for national symbols with a more dignified and relevant origin (Wiseman 2004, 117). The twins became the founders of Rome symbolizing the cooperation of the Plebeian and Patrician classes and their names related to the virtues of the classes: Remus (from remorari) - to hold back and be cautious & Romulus (from rhome) - forcefulness and strength.
In a version told by Plutarch, a phallus arose from a hearth in the home of King Tarchetios of Alba Longa and remained there for many days. A prophecy was given that if a virgin had intercourse with it she would then conceive a hero of great fame and strength. Tarchetios sent one of his daughters to do the deed, but she thought it was beneath her and so had a slave girl use the magic phallus instead. Tarchetios was furious and tried to have the twins who were born of the slave girl killed through exposure by casting them adrift in a box on the Tiber river. They washed ashore near Luperca's cave and Luperca adopted and raised the twins.
A more familiar story that was popular in the second century BCE had a vestal virgin that was named Ilia who was raped by Mars and then sentenced to death by drowning by King Amulius of Alba Longa as a disgraced Vestal Virgin. Ilia then became the wife of the river god Anio or the Tiber depending on the variant. The twins were set adrift on the Tiber and washed ashore at a fig tree (the Ficus Ruminalis) near the Lupercal cave where they were found by Luperca and they were raised in the Lupercal cave. Later they were adopted and raised by Faustulus and his wife Acca Larenta.
The more familiar story that is cited most often today is that of Mars and Rhea Silvia. The story goes that there were two princes of Alba Longa: Numitor and Amulius. Numitor was the elder but he was cheated out of the throne by his younger brother Amulius who became king. Amulius had Numitor's son killed and his daughter Rhea Silvia made into a Vestal Virgin. She had twins fathered by Mars who were raised by at first Luperca and then Faustulus and his wife Acca Larenta. When they grew up they killed Amulius and gave the throne to Numitor before heading off to found Rome around the area of the Lupercal cave. Later on a story developed where Remus was killed by Celer, a guard whose name meant fast, (or in other versions by a guard named Fabius) after he rashly jumped over a wall (or a ditch) instead of heading through the gate (in some versions Celer flees to Etruria after the murder). Other versions say that Remus was killed in a clash between supporters of the two twins. Others stories say that Remus outlived Romulus. Later on after 15 years of bloody civil war a version emerged where Remus' was killed by Romulus himself and this is the most common version of the myth we see today - in part due to the influence of writers like St. Augustine and other Christian writers who used the the story of fratricide (and other more negative variants of the myths) to argue that Rome, the city of man, was “inaugurated in envy and bloodshed” (Wiseman 1995, 15).
Luperca has often been identified with Acca Larenta, who has many different accounts about herself, from being an earth goddess, to a sacred prostitute, to a human shepherdess, to a wife of Hercules, to being the mother of the lares and a form of Larunda/Lara. This connection to Acca Larenta seems have happened as a site identified as Acca Larenta's 'grave' was near the Lupercal cave and when searching for a historical version of the myth it was thought that she may have been the 'real' Lupa and a historical personage (Wiseman 2004, 140).
In various attempts to historicize the myth numerous variations appeared. Luperca may have been a prostitute alleged some Roman historians noting that prostitutes are called Lupa - she-wolves. Other stories said that she was a kind girl named Lykaina (she-wolf). Some unsourced and possibly historically dubious accounts on the Internet allege that she may have been a priestess of a fox goddess which were called 'lupa' - some accounts identify Luperca as being a fox goddess as well (Ex: http://www.la-lupa-3.co.uk/legend.html & http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Italy-Rome-wolf-suckles-Romulus-Remus-Bronze-MEDAL_W0QQitemZ260537924834QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Coins_Medals_RL?hash=item3ca9453ce2 & http://fletcherwiest.blogspot.com/2009/11/lupine-adventures-in-etymology.html )
Luperca has also been occasionally identified with deities such as Diana, Hecate, Juno, Bona Dea, and Artemis.
During the reign of Augustus she was given a consort Lupercus - the wolf god. He was variously identified with Pan, Silvanus, Inuus, and Faunus.
Lupercalia:
Lupercalia is the festival that is most heavily connected with Luperca. The Romans themselves debated the meaning of the rites and who they really honored. The rites were about purification and fertility of the city, the fields, and the people - females seem to have begun to be especially targeted for purification and fertility following an epidemic of human and animal miscarriages in 276 BCE, but anyone and anything were still whipped for purification purposes. (Wiseman 1995, 84)
The rites went like this: Within the dark Lupercal cave two nobleman's sons stand silently as two goats and a dog are sacrificed. Their faces were smeared with blood and then the blood was wiped away with a wool rag soaked in milk. They then laughed. Later on they were dressed in garments made from the sacrificed goats and were armed with whips, which were also made from the skins of the sacrificed goats. They then ran around whipping anyone and anything they met bringing them purification and fertility.
While there are many interpretations of these rites both ancient and modern it seems to me that it may be a death and rebirth ritual. The two noble men may represent the two Lares Praestites. They are born from a goddess of death which is why they stand silently, they have just been brought from the underworld, and so are 'dead'. The blood of new life and a mother's milk from Luperca animates them so they are brought to life and laugh. Now the Lares Praestites perform their functions driving away evil spirits with their whips to bring purification and fertility to the people and the land.
The so called 'Lupercalia lottery' where eligible bachelors and bachelorettes were paired up through random drawing is not attested in any ancient source and seems to have only appeared relatively recently - as are any other connections with love. It is a festival of purification and it was replaced by a festival of the 'Purification of the Virgin Mary' on February 15th by Pope Gelasius I in 494 CE. It is often connected with St. Valentine's day but historically or replacement wise there is little or no connection - St. Valentines Day itself, for that matter, does not seem to develop its connection to Romantic Love until the late middle ages.
Lupercalia was also only celebrated in ancient times within the city of Rome itself as it was a civic festival and particular to the city of Rome itself.
All that said I, personally, have no problems with neo-traditions that somewhat fit (although I do have problems with the misinformation) beliefs, holidays, and rites have always changed over time and have adapted to changes in culture - true, some traditions have been preserved much more conservatively than others but traditions that don't adapt tend to be abandoned. 'Romantic Love' is an important part of modern western culture and the end of winter/beginning of spring is an appropriate seasonal time to celebrate it. Just because the love aspect isn't truly tradition to the original Lupercalia or St. Valentine's Day doesn't make the new 'traditions' any less important.
Reflections on Luperca:
Luperca's nature seems multi-fold she is first and foremost a protective mother who furiously defends her children against all obstacles. She is connected with the fields and fertility of crops and animals making her an earth mother as well. This is shown by perhaps the sacred fig tree (the Ficus Ruminalis - perhaps derived from Ruma the word for teat) and that she is credited with bringing prosperity and fertility to the fields and animals. With the lares she is the foster mother of the spirits of the land. The ritual of Lupercalia may also be connected to the 'rebirth' of the fields after they were laying 'dead' in winter.
Through connections with the lares and Lara, Luperca is also connected to death, the ancestors, and it seems rebirth. Luperca, it seems, holds the power of life and death in her paws and can function as a liminal figure between the worlds (such as between life and death and human/civilization and animal/nature). She is also formidable and furious in defense and can bring death to her enemies or protection to those she cares about.
She is also an expression of the strong and independent 'wild woman' archetype. She is independent through her own means, is powerful and forceful of her own will - uncontrolled by any males, and is sexually liberated. She has connections to Bona Dea whose rites were celebrated exclusively by women (and even mentions or pictures of men were forbidden in the rites). To the Etruscans and Pre-Roman Latins the she-wolf was a symbol of defiance. (Wiseman 1995, 76)
It is perhaps do to this that Lupercus appears during the age of Augustus. Augustus enacted a number of moral reforms (many reforms targeted the powers and actions of upper-class women) and he was concerned with the moral dangers of the Lupercalia among his changes were the dress of the runners which changed from thongs to substantial aprons. (Wiseman 1995, 82-83)
Such a symbol of independent feminine power as Luperca being symbol of the state was probably fairly inamicable to Augustus' moral reforms. Lupercus begins to appear during the reign of Augustus (Adkins & Adkins 1996, 136) as a 'husband' for Luperca, it seems that this was an attempt to domesticate the wild she-wolf and bring her symbolically under the control of a dominate male thus doing symbolically what Augustus was doing legally. If the sanctuary found in 2007 proves to be the Lupercal cave then Augustus built his personal residence directly above her sanctuary as well.
Luperca is a goddess heavily associated with canidae of all types - Her primary form is of a wolf after all - In Ancient Rome she was connected with wolves and dogs and modern sources add foxes as well. Perhaps Roman culture found its virtue of hierarchy reflected in wolves (or were inspired by the wolves) and so this helped to first bring a wolf to become a symbol of the state.
Luperca also has strong connections to sexuality (and to somewhat to love). Prostitutes were called 'Lupae', she-wolves, and brothels were called Lupanaria or wolf dens. Luperca herself was often seen as amorous in her own mythology.
Luperca also represents compassion as she took pity on strange children that were not her own and adopted them - feeding them with milk produced from her own body. It was only through her act of kindness that the twins survived.
Pop Culture Tidbits:
Luperca and the twins have become the symbol of the modern city of Rome and were used as the symbol/mascot of the 1960 summer Olympics in Rome.
Roman Metal group Ex Deo's 'Romulus' (from the album of the same name) is a recounting of the story of Romulus and Remus in metal form. Luperca is referenced in the song and featured prominently in the music video.
Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira's 'She-wolf' expresses many themes and symbols related to Luperca and according to Shakira:
"'She Wolf' came to me very mysteriously," she says. "I was in the studio in a bad mood that day, then I got inspired and went to a corner and I wrote the lyrics and the melody in 10 minutes. The image of the she wolf just came to my head, and when I least expected it I was howling and panting." ( http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/07/15/behind-shakiras-hot-electro-groove-the-making-of-she-wolf/ )
Lupercalia has been growing in popularity as a pagan alternative to St. Valentine's Day.
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