Roman mythology is packed with interesting stories that help explain the Romans’ many beliefs and how they thought their city was born and their civilization developed.
Rome myths also help us shed light on the many changes in the Roman religion, from the time when Romans followed the main beliefs of the Etruscan religion to the time when they were more substantially influenced by the Greek gods.
Romans believed in the supernatural, which repeatedly appears in the most famous Roman myths and legends. They also needed heroes who regularly appeared in many stories.
I recommend learning about the most famous ancient Rome myths before traveling to Italy because they can shed some light on how the culture, traditions, and beliefs have evolved into what they are today. This allows you to appreciate the country in a different light.
This post summarizes the best known Rome myths and legends.
15 Most Famous Rome Myths And Legends
Romulus and Remus
Of all the ancient Rome legends, this is probably the best known. Romulus and Remus are the famous twin brothers who make up a very important story in Roman mythology. In fact, their story eventually led to the founding of Rome and the Roman Kingdom.
Their story has been depicted in numerous ways over the ages, but the basics are always the same.
The brothers are said to have been born in Alba Longa, an ancient Latin City (southeast of where Rome would eventually be founded) and head of the old Latin League.
Their mother was the daughter of the Numitor, the former king of Alba Longa who was deposed by his brother, Amulius. King Amulius saw the twin boys Romulus and Remus as a threat to his rule and decided that they should be killed.
Romulus and Remus were left abandoned on the bank of the Tiber River. King Amulius believed that they would die there.
But the boys did not die. In fact, they were rescued by the god of the river himself, Tiberinus. Most famously, they were cared for by a she-wolf who fed the twins her milk in her cave home, the Lupercal. This cave was located at the foot of Rome’s Palatine Hill.
Romulus and Remus were then taken in by a shepherd called Faustulus. They grew up tending to flocks of sheep, unaware of their royal birthright.
During adult life, they argued between opposing sides of Numitor and Amulius. This resulted in Remus being taken prisoner, and his uncle and grandfather (Numitor) began to suspect his true identity.
Romulus decided to break Remus out of prison. The two joined up with Numitor and helped reinstate him as the king of Alba.
If that wasn’t enough, the twins set up their own city. Unfortunately, they disagreed over which one of Rome’s seven hills to start building on, so naturally, they asked the gods for help. Even after divine intervention, they couldn’t agree on where the city should be.
The disagreement ultimately led to Remus’s death (whether by Romulus or one of his supporters; no one knows). Romulus, as a result, became the first king of Rome, and that’s why the city is called that and not “Reme”!
The founding date of Rome, April 21, 753 BC, became the year zero for the future Romans. 1 AD, for example, was 754 AUC in the Roman calendar—Ab Urbe Condita, or “from the founding of the city.”
Aeneas
Aeneas is at the heart of the Aeneid, a huge epic poem by Roman poet Virgil. Like the Odyssey, this ancient work deals with the iconic Trojan Wars.
Aeneas himself was a Trojan, the son of Anchises, a prince of Troy, and the goddess Aphrodite. He was one of the few Trojans who was not enslaved or killed during the Greek invasion and who actually, according to Virgil and others, escaped.
On his flight from the city, Aeneas formed his own band of companions, the Aeneids. They eventually made their way to the Italian peninsula, where they became the ancestors of the Romans.
But that’s not all. The Aeneids travelled for a long time (six years, to be exact), and carried with them various treasures of Troy. They stopped off in many places, including Sicily—where his father, Anchises, died—and Carthage, in modern-day Tunisia. Here, he had an affair with the Carthaginian queen Dido.
Dido offered up her realm as a settlement for the wandering Trojans. But after the messenger god Mercury told Aeneas not to accept, the Aeneids left secretly. This understandably angered Dido, who killed herself—but not before cursing the Trojans’ future homeland, Rome. This led to the Punic wars between Carthage and Rome, starting in 246 BC.
After a brief stop in Sicily, they traveled up the western coast of Italy. Here, Aeneas went to the Underworld, where he met Dido and Anchises, who showed him his future—as the ancestor of Rome itself. The mother of Romulus and Remus, Rhea Silvia, is said to have been a descendant of Aeneas.
The Rape of the Sabine Women
This is one of the most famous Rome myths. In fact, it’s one of the ancient Rome legends typically taught in schools in Italy!
After Romulus had founded Rome (allegedly sometime around the 8th century BC), there was a bit of an issue. The population of the new city was pretty much all male, apparently made up mostly of bandits from various tribes in the region.
With a small female population, Romulus was concerned that Rome’s population was not sustainable and that the city wouldn’t last more than one generation. The senate suggested that the city appeal to nearby settlements for women who might become wives of the Roman population.
None were interested, not least the Sabines, who lived in the neighboring areas of Rome. They feared the upstart city and actually forbade Sabine women from marrying Roman men.
Romulus then hatched a plan—put on a festival of games dedicated to the god Neptune. This attracted many people from the surrounding area, including the Sabines. At Romulus’ signal, Roman men suddenly began abducting Sabine women from the crowd while fighting off Sabine men.
In total, 30 women were taken—Romulus asked them all to marry Roman men. Families of those who were abducted eventually moved to Rome as well. However, while the city’s population problem seemed to have been solved, it resulted in wars between Rome and other cities in the region.
Numa Pompilius
After Romulus came Numa Pompilius, the second (legendary) king of Rome. He is said to have reigned from 715 to 673 BC. Interestingly enough, he comes from Sabine, which shows that by this point, Rome had considerable influence over the region.
He was particularly important because he is thought to have been behind many of Rome’s early advancements. These include the Roman calendar, the system of the Vestal Virgins, the cult of Romulus, Jupiter, and Mars, and the new job position of Pontifex Maximus, which became the most important role in Roman religion.
Numa’s addition of January and February to the Roman calendar was particularly significant—previously, these 51 days had been unnamed “hollow months”. He also split the year into 355 days based on the moon’s phases.
According to Roman philosopher and historian Plutarch, Numa was born on the day Rome was founded and lived a life of strict rules without any luxuries.
Numa was the second of the seven kings of Rome before the kingdom became the more illustrious Roman Republic. He was offered the role of king but first refused—he believed Rome was a nation of war and didn’t need such a pious leader.
But Numa was persuaded to accept the role after consulting with the boss of the gods, Jupiter, and was enthusiastically received by the people of Rome. Jupiter’s endorsement significantly increased his reputation by the Roman people.
This religious link also gave him a more superstitious aura, leading to Romans honoring their deities more than they previously had. It was his “conversations” with Jupiter that led Numa to establish specific ways of honoring the gods, such as sacrifice and other methods of worship.
Plutarch states that one of Numa’s first acts as King of Rome was abolishing the 300 bodyguards assigned to protect Romulus at all times. This actually showed Numa to be a ruler dedicated to peace, contrary to what he’d previously said about Rome being a nation of war.
Following this, he secured peace with Rome’s neighbors and encouraged the nation to focus more on agriculture. He actually ordered the doors to the Temple of Janus to be shut, which were usually only closed in times of peace. Numa apparently died at the age of 80.
Scaevola
Scaevola is the better-known name of Gaius Mucius Scaevola, a youthful hero of Ancient Rome. But he’s more like an antihero, as he was actually an assassin. In 508 BC, he volunteered to assassinate the Etruscan king, Lars Porsena. Rome, at the time, was at war with the Etruscans.
With the approval of the Roman Senate, he went off to the Etruscan camp to carry out the assassination. Unfortunately, he got the wrong guy. Porsena’s scribe happened to be dressed in a similar garb to the king, and Scaevola mistook him and killed him instead.
When he was captured, he uttered the famous words:
“I am Gaius Mucius, a citizen of Rome. I came here as an enemy to kill my enemy, and I am as ready to die as I am to kill. We Romans act bravely, and when adversity strikes, we suffer bravely.”
Scaevola then declared that 300 other brave youths, like him, were willing to do the same job.
He then stuck his right hand into a brazier lit for a sacrifice but showed no indication of distress. Because of this, he got his name Scaevola, which means “left-handed.”
The king was wowed by his bravery and dismissed him to return freely to Rome, saying, “Go back since you do more harm to yourself than me.” Porsena followed this up by sending ambassadors to Rome to bargain for peace.
Coriolanus
Coriolanus (immortalized in William Shakespeare’s play of the same name) was a Roman general alleged to have lived during the 5th century BC. His full name was Gaius Marcius Coriolanus, and he was of a patrician (i.e., noble) birth.
He was named “Coriolanus” after showing bravery during a siege of Corioli in 493 BC during a continuing war against the Volscians. The Volscians were ancient Rome’s enemy number one before Carthage arrived.
Two years after the victory (491 BC), Rome suffered from a famine due to a grain shortage. The good news was that Rome received a grain shipment from Sicily. The bad news was that they couldn’t decide how to distribute it to the common people.
Wanting to reverse a reform that shifted power away from the patrician class, Coriolanus suggested that the common people should only receive grain once they agreed to reverse the reform. This was not a good move. The Senate was not keen, and neither were the people, and Coriolanus was put on trial and exiled.
During his exile, he joined up with Volscians, who were surprisingly happy to have him on board. With them, he led an army against various Roman towns and colonies, eventually arriving at Rome. He turned back after his mother and wife begged him not to lay siege to the city.
He’s generally considered to have actually existed—with a few disputes about accuracy, of course (these are Roman legends, after all).
Cybele
Also known as Magna Mater, or “Great Mother”, Rome adopted Cybele during the Second Punic War (218 – 201 BC) against the Carthaginians.
The Roman Republic had, by this time, undergone a series of events that seemed to forewarn Rome’s demise. These included a meteor shower, a failed harvest, and a famine. The Roman senate, on hearing these predictions, consulted with religious advisors.
The solution was to import a foreign god, the Magna Mater, to defeat the Carthaginians. Because she belonged to the kingdom of Pergamum (around where Troy was said to have been located, modern-day Turkey), the Romans sent a delegation to ask permission to “adopt” the goddess.
On the way, the ambassadors stopped by the Oracle at Delphi in Greece, who confirmed that, yes, the goddess should be brought to Rome. Eventually, she arrived in Rome as a black meteoric stone from Pessinus, the principal center of the Great Mother cult.
Firstly, she was taken to the Temple of Victoria before being enshrined in her own temple on Palatine Hill. The stone was then used, uncarved, as the face of the goddess statue. Following this, the famine ended, and Hannibal, the Carthaginian leader, was defeated. From then on, she was regarded as Rome’s protector.
The Roman Myth of Jupiter and the Bee
One of the most famous Rome myths which teaches you to be careful what you wish for!
According to the story, Jupiter was visited by the queen of the hive, who had enough of people stealing her honey. Once she reached Mount Olympus, she offered some fresh honey to Jupiter, who promised he’d fulfill just one of her wishes. She asked for a sting to kill any mortal who got near her honey.
Jupiter gave her the sting but also said that if she used it, she would die from its loss. This is said to be why most bee species die when they use their stingers.
Jupiter and Io
Another of the many Roman myths involving Jupiter. Io was a priestess and one of Jupiter’s lovers. To be closer to her and hide from his wife Juno, he turned himself into a black cloud.
However, Juno recognized the cloud, so Jupiter turned Io into a white cow for protection. But even this couldn’t conceal her from his wife. Juno put the cow, Jupiter’s lover, under the surveillance of Argus, who, with his 100 eyes, would keep watch on her.
Jupiter thus sent his son Mercury to tell stories to Argus so he’d fall asleep and he could free Io—and Mercury succeeded. But angered, Juno sent a gadfly to sting Io and get rid of her once and for all. Eventually, Jupiter promised not to chase after Io ever again, and Juno let her go. She fled to Egypt to become the first Egyptian goddess.
Apollo and Cassandra Myth
Apollo is present in both the Greek and Roman pantheon and mythology. In love with Cassandra, King Priam’s most beautiful daughter, Apollo promised her the power of prophecy as long as she complied with his wishes.
She agreed, but once she got her wish, she refused to unite with Apollo, who burst into flames out of anger. He thus cursed her so that nobody would believe her prophecies—she was considered a liar and a crazy person. Not even her father believed her and imprisoned her in a citadel.
Her most famous prophecy was the attack of the Greeks against Troy: nobody believed her, and the city was destroyed.
The Legend of Lucretia
One of the most famous heroines of Roman mythology—though historians argue the facts have actually occurred—Lucretia committed suicide after having been raped by the son of an Etruscan king.
Following the event, a rebellion against the Roman monarchy—at the time led by Lucius Tarquinius Superbus—occurred, and the most prominent families formed a republic. Lucretia’s husband was the first consul of the Roman Republic.
Cloelia
This is one of the earliest Roman myths. Cloelia was one of the Roman girls who was taken hostage by Lars Porsena, the Etruscan king, after the end of the war between Clusium and Rome in 508 BC. Cloelia managed to flee the hostage camp, leading a group of other Roman virgins across the River Tiber.
King Lars Porsena was so impressed by her courage that he granted her the wish to keep half the hostages. She thus picked the best Roman soldiers so that the war could continue.
You can admire a statue of Cloelia in Via Sacra, in the Roman Forum.
Janus
Many Roman legends are linked to the Roman gods, and this is one of them. Janus is the Roman god of beginnings, and to represent the fact that he can see the past and the future, he’s portrayed as having.
Janus was known for having saved the Sabine woman kidnapped by Romulus. To stop Romulus from reaching her, he flooded the way with a volcanic hot spring so that the kidnappers were buried under ashes and boiling water.
Pluto and the River Styx
Pluto was the Roman god of death. According to Roman mythology, anyone who dies has to travel to the Underworld, crossing the River of the Dead—aka River Styx. That’s why the dead would be buried with a coin in his mouth to pay Charon, the ferryman, to take his soul across the river.
Not even gods were immune from the river’s water—anyone who touched it would lose their voice for 9 years.
The Roman Myths of Hercules
Hercules was also present in Greek mythology, typically represented as half human and half god to symbolize his incredible power. Many ancient Rome myths are attached to Hercules, the most famous being the Twelve Labors.
Among them, it’s worth remembering the Hercules and Hydra myth, the Hercules and Cerberus myth, the Hercules and the Ceryneian Hind myth, the Hercules and the Cretan Bull myth, and the Hercules and the Mares of Diomedes myth.
General Guide To Rome Myths and Legends
How we know about all the Roman legends
As you may have gathered, many Roman myths and legends feel like fantasy. Some, like Jupiter and the Bee, simply can’t be true. However, some are much more realistic and said to be factual. The myths and legends date back thousands of years, so of course, it’s hard to determine what’s real and what’s not.
That said, there are actually some written sources for many of the Roman (and Greek) legends. The Aeneid by poet Virgil is an epic poem that tells the tales and adventures of Aeneas, who fled the fall of Troy and traveled to Italy.
Of course, there’s also Livy’s History of Rome. This is a series of 142 books that tell the entire history of Rome, as the name suggests. The books begin with the foundation of Rome and end with Augustus’ death. The first few books hold some of the most famous Roman legends and myths.
Another history book that covers some Roman myths is Roman Antiquities by Dionysius of Halicarnassus. This is another book in a series that tells the history of Rome.
Where to learn more about Rome myths in Italy
It should be no surprise that the best place to learn about Roman legends and myths in Italy is Rome itself. At its peak, the Roman Empire stretched from Britain to Egypt, but Rome was the founding city and the first capital of the Empire.
Today, there’s still a lot of life and evidence of some of the myths scattered around Roman monuments and ruins, making it the best place in Italy to learn more about these legends.
There are even some tours that specialize in Roman myths and legends. For example, this Roman Forum Myths and Legends Private Guided Tour is a unique way to visit the Roman Forum while hearing more stories and myths. This type of tour is really fun, and there are actually a lot of them in other Italian cities, not just Rome.
Further Readings
Make sure to read my other posts:
- The Birthday Of Rome
- The Roman Gods And Goddesses
- The Best Quotes About Rome
- The Best Rome Virtual Tour
- Where To See The Lovely Cats Of Rome
- The Best Areas Where To Stay In Rome
- The Best Tips For Visiting Rome
- The Most Famous Landmarks In Rome
- The Most Interesting Facts About Rome
- The Most Famous People From Rome
- The Best Games In Ancient Rome
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