In theRoman foundation myth, theShe-Wolf (lupa in Latin) was anItalian wolf who nursed and sheltered the twinsRomulus and Remus after they were abandoned in the wild by decree ofKing Amulius ofAlba Longa. She cared for the infants at her den, a cave known as theLupercal, until they were discovered by a shepherd,Faustulus.Romulus would later become the founder and first king of Rome and both twins became famous throughout history as the founders of the Rome we know today. The image of the She-Wolf suckling the twins has been a symbol ofRome since ancient times and is one of the most recognizable icons of ancient mythology.^[1]

There is evidence that the wolf held a special place in the world of the ancient peoples of Italy. One legend claims that theHirpini people were so-called because, when they set out to find their first colony, they were led to its location by a wolf (from theOsco-Umbrian word for wolf:hirpus).^[2] The tale of the Lupercal is central to that of the twins, and probably predates theirs. To the Roman godMars, the wolf is a sacred animal. There is an ongoing debate about a connection to the ancient Roman festival of theLupercalia.

InGreek mythology,Apollo's motherLeto is reported to have given birth to him as a she-wolf, to evadeHera.^[3]

The 3 "canonical" versions of the myth—those ofLivy,Plutarch andDionysius of Halicarnassus—all draw heavily onQuintus Fabius Pictor.^[4] He is considered one of Rome's earliest historians and his now lost work describes the She-Wolf and her episode with the twins. The twins were abandoned at the order of Amulius. Some tales claim that they were to be left along the riverbank, others that they were to be cast into the water. The servant charged with the task either thought better of it, or could not get close enough to do the deed because of the flooding. Instead, he left them in the standing water that had formed at the foot ofPalatine Hill. The twins were found either after their basket had been left at the foot of the fig tree, or came to rest there after floating in the water. In each case, the She-Wolf rescued them and gently cared for them in or near the Lupercal. Later, they were discovered by local shepherds.

Dionysius reports that the rains had raised the water so much so that Amulius' servant had to abandon the twins, before the intended spot (where the current was stronger). The basket, containing the twins, gently went with the receding water until it struck a stone, flipping the twins and the basket into the mud. The She-Wolf then arrived and lowered her teats to the crying babes, and licked them clean of the mud.

After a shepherd happened upon the scene in the course of tending his flock, he ran to tell his companions, and a group gathered to witness the remarkable sight. The twins were clinging to her as she was their true mother. The She-Wolf was nonplussed when the men began making a ruckus to scare her off. She withdrew into a cave that was sacred to theGreek colonists who had formerly lived in the area and held an altar to the nature godPan.^[5]

Livy claims that the servants of Amulius dropped the twins in the standing water out of simple laziness. The fig tree just happened to be the first spot they came to and they figured the twins would drown no matter what. The twins cried in their basket until the waters receded and left them back on land. The She-Wolf arrived from the hills looking for a drink of water when she heard their cries.^[6]

The servant was too afraid of the torrential waters to fully carry out the king's orders, according to Plutarch. After being left on the bank, the waters rose further and swept the twins away. It gently carried them along and then dropped them at the fig tree.^[7]

The three relay accounts wherein the term "lupa" refers not to a she-wolf, but is a slang word forprostitute. Plutarch tells two other stories not involving the She-Wolf or abandonment. In one, the twins are fathered byHercules after he wins a dice game. Their mother is the unwitting "prize". In another, the twins are switched at birth by their grandfather for a different pair of infants and secreted out of the city to be raised by shepherds and later, educated in nearbyGabii.^[8]

The Etruscan "Bolsena Mirror" features a depiction of the She-Wolf and the twins surrounded by human and animal figures. Differences in interpretation have precluded virtually any consensus regarding many of its features.^[9] This includes its age. However, it is consistent with other such mirrors, made as bridal gifts, in 4th century BC Euritria, perhaps circa 330–340. The famousCapitoline Wolf may be ofEtruscan orOld Latin origin.^[10] But, a discovery during its restoration in 2000 andradiocarbon dating has cast doubt on an ancient origin.^[11] An Etruscanstele fromBologna, dated to between 350 and 400 BC, depicts an animal, possibly a wolf, nursing a single infant. By 269 BC, the silverdidrachm is the earliest depiction of the complete icon, with the characteristic "turning of the She-Wolf's head" backward and downward at the twins.^[12]

The distinctive imagery of the She-Wolf and the twins made it more recognizable than other symbols of the city, such asRoma, the patron deity of the city, or theRoman eagle. That was useful as the Roman world expanded and symbols of Rome became more important in maintaining unity.^[12] By the 1st century AD, the She-Wolf was common in both Rome and the provinces. She and the twins were featured on the elaborateAra Pacis, built in honor ofAugustus and dedicated toPax, the goddess of peace.^[13]

Coins with their depiction were minted and widely circulated. They were also produced in Roman Colonies as a way to express their own "Roman-ness".^[14] They have been found on personal items such as swords, buckles, lamps and statuettes as well as monuments, mosaic floors and funerary stones that date from the 1st through the 3rd centuries AD.^[15]

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  The controversial Mirror of Bolsena.
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  Romulus and Remus. An early silver didrachm (6.44 g). c. 269–266 BC^[16]
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  Capitoline Wolf. Its ancient origin is now in doubt.

TheFranks Casket, an ornately carvedAnglo-Saxon chest from the 8th–9th century, probably crafted in Northumbria, features the She-Wolf and twins, along with aRunic account of the Romulus and Remus story.^[17] Other Anglo-Saxonartifacts and coins from the same period also feature them.^[18] TheByzantines continued to use the image, and coins attributed to them have been found in various locations incentral Asia at sites located in modernTajikistan andUzbekistan along with an 8th-centurySogdian painted mural with a she-wolf, head turned back and down, suckling two infants.^[19]

The Italianfootball clubsA.S. Roma^[20] andS.S. Robur Siena^[21] use the imagery in their respective team logos.

This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(March 2022)

TheFascist government ofBenito Mussolini used the She-Wolf as a symbol while in power.

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  The coat of arms of theBasque Family Ariño ofNavarre^[22]
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  The coat of arms of theBasque Family Artolaguirre ofDonostia^[22]
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  The coat of arms of the 9th Self-propelled Field Artillery Group ("Brennero") of theItalian Army
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  The coat of arms of theCommune ofCaudebec-lès-Elbeuf,Normandy, France^[23]
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  The coat of arms ofCluj County, Romania^[24]
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  The emblem ofsurgeon andobstetrician toNapoleon,BaronAntoine Dubois, (1756–1837)^{[citation needed]}
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  The coat of arms of theCommune ofEstillac,Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France^[25]
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  The coat of arms of the 80° Infantry Regiment of theItalian Army.
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  The coat of arms ofLa Louviere,Wallonia,Belgium
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  The coat of arms ofNăsăud County, Romania
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  The ancient coat of arms of the city ofPiacenza,Emilia-Romagna, Italy
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  The coat of arms of the 8° Engineer Regiment of theItalian Army
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  Emblem of the Capital Police of the Municipality of Rome^[26]
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  Reconstruction of the coat of arms of Rome underNapoleon
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  The coat of arms of the Combat Engineer School of theItalian Army.
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  The emblem of the Italian Army Signal School
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  The coat of arms of theCommune ofVilleloin-Coulangé,Centre-Val de Loire, France

TheSienese have a traditional tale that the city was founded bySenius and Aschius, another pair of twins who were also suckled by a she-wolf. They were the sons of Remus and fled Rome after his death at the hands of their uncle Romulus. The legend cannot be attested to prior to the Renaissance. However, depictions of a she-wolf and twins are common in the city and some can be dated earlier.

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  Ruota della Fortuna "The Wheel of Fortune" is the Centerpiece of the mosaic inlaid floor of theSiena Cathedral (c.1372)

The She-Wolf and twins appeared on what may have been the earliest silver coin ever minted in Rome.^[16]

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  Sextans from c.215 BC
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  The She-Wolf on a coin from c.77 BC With the head of Mars on the other side.
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  1Romanian leu banknote, 1915.

TheLupercalia was a very ancient festival even during Roman times. Roman historians speculated as to its origins. It may be associated with the godLupercus, the god ofshepherds and protector of flocks. Some historians link it to the She-Wolf and the Lupercal.

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  Mosaic depicting the She-Wolf with Romulus and Remus, from Aldborough (c.300 AD), Leeds City Museum (16025914306)

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  Replica ofFontana Maggiore of Perugia,Nocolai andGiovanni Pisano (1275), photo by G. Dall'Orto (August 5, 2006)
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  FromRomuleon, an illuminated manuscript (British Library (1480)

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  Romulus and Remus,Peter Paul Rubens (1616)
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  Romulus and RemusWenceslas Hollar afterGiulio Romano, (16c.)
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  The River Tiber from theQuattro Fontane byMuzio Mattei andDomenico Fontana (late 16c.). The She-Wolf can be seen peeking from behindFather Tiber on the right.

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  La lupa con Romolo e Remo "The She-Wolf with Romulus and Remus",Domenico Parodi and Francesco Biggi (1874)
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  Scanned from "History of Rome", published 1860, by Henry Liddell (6 February 1811 – 18 January 1898) with illustrations provided by Sir John Gardner Wilkinson (5 October 1797 – 29 October 1875). Scanned by Man vyi
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  Romulus and Remus from Ten Tribes, sculptor:Eric Gill, photo by David Ozeransky (1932)
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  Comic History of Rome Table 01, featuring a matronly she-wolf andPicus, the woodpecker overhead.John Leech (c.1850)

• List of wolves

• She-wolf (Roman mythology)
• 8th century BC in the Roman Kingdom
• Female legendary creatures
• Individual wolves
• Heraldic charges
• Legendary creatures in Roman mythology
• Romulus and Remus
• Wolves in folklore, religion and mythology

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