W34:D1 - Ancient Rome - The Legendary Start of Rome - The Adventure Box Podcast

The Legend of Romulus and Remus

The wind howled across the hills of Alba Longa, rustling through the trees that stood like silent sentinels around the royal palace. Inside, a young woman named Rhea Silvia cradled her twin sons, their tiny fingers curling around her own. But her heart was heavy with fear.

 

Rhea Silvia was a Vestal Virgin, sworn never to bear children, yet she had broken that vow—not by choice, but by fate. She whispered to the infants, “You are the sons of Mars, the god of war,” hoping that the truth of their divine fatherhood would somehow protect them.

 

But the king, her uncle Amulius, was a ruthless man. He had seized the throne from Rhea Silvia’s father, Numitor, and feared the boys would grow strong and challenge his rule. When he heard of their birth, his face twisted in rage. “No heir of Numitor will live to take my throne,” he growled.

 

That night, Amulius ordered his guards to take the twins and cast them into the Tiber River. The swollen waters would carry them away, washing his worries downstream. The guards, though reluctant, obeyed. They placed the helpless infants in a woven basket and set them upon the river’s surface, watching as the current tugged them into the darkness.

 

But fate had other plans.

 

The basket floated down the river, twisting and turning as the waters carried it far beyond the reach of Amulius. As dawn broke, the river began to calm, and the basket drifted gently onto the muddy banks at the base of the Palatine Hill. There, beneath the thick shade of a fig tree, the cries of the hungry infants filled the air.

 

It was then that she came.

 

A great she-wolf, her coat dark and sleek, her eyes sharp as golden coins, emerged from the trees. She had lost her own cubs and was drawn to the sound of the crying babes. Sniffing at the basket, she let out a low growl, then, with surprising gentleness, picked up each infant in her powerful jaws and carried them to her den.

 

In the shadow of the Palatine Hill, beneath the tangled roots of an ancient oak, the wolf nursed the twins as if they were her own. She curled her body around them at night, her warmth shielding them from the cold, her keen senses keeping them safe from prowling beasts.

 

Days turned into weeks, and the twins grew stronger, their tiny hands tugging at the wolf’s fur, their laughter echoing through the hills. Birds perched in the trees above them, watching over the miraculous sight, and shepherds whispered of the wild children raised by a wolf.

 

One day, as the boys tumbled and played near the riverbank, a shadow fell over them. A grizzled shepherd named Faustulus had been watching them from afar, his heart pounding with wonder. He had never seen such a sight—human children raised by a beast! Carefully, he approached, his steps slow and deliberate. The she-wolf lifted her head, meeting his gaze. For a long moment, the two stared at each other. Then, as if understanding that her time as their protector had ended, the wolf stepped back and disappeared into the trees.

 

Faustulus gathered the twins in his strong arms and carried them to his home in the hills. He and his wife, Acca Larentia, raised the boys as their own, teaching them to hunt, to fight, and to speak. They grew into tall, fearless young men, their strength unmatched, their bond unbreakable.

 

But as they wandered the hills, a restless fire burned within them. They knew they were meant for something greater. They knew that their past had been stolen from them, and the blood of kings ran in their veins. And soon, the time would come for them to claim what was rightfully theirs.

To be continued...