Built on Blood. Bound by Belief. | The Story of Romulus and Remus

A dramatic portrayal of Romulus triumphing over Remus, set against an evocative, ancient cityscape backdrop, highlighting the mythic origins of Rome.

To have a strong character is to have a strong origin story. The same goes for nations. The murder of brothers, divine will, the battle against tyranny. Every nation reflects the stories they were founded upon.

We all know the gist behind Romulus and Remus. Twin brothers who couldn’t agree on their cities logistics and ended up with Romulus killing Remus. The birth of Rome. Except, Romulus never existed. The story was created to explain the birth of the most important city in the ancient world and used to justify its power to the Roman people.

The Story of Romulus and Remus

The story of Romulus and Remus has been passed down for centuries. They were the twin sons of Rea Silva and Mars, the Roman god of war. Descendants of kings. When the throne of Alba Longa was seized by their great-uncle Amulius, the boys were seen as threats to his rule and were cast out as infants. Abandoned, drifting down the Tiber river in a basket.

Image of the Capitoline Wolf statue in Rome by Matthias Lemm from pixabay.com

But the twins would not succumb so easy. Their destiny awaited. They washed up along the river bank near Palatine Hill where a she-wolf, Lupa, nursed them in a cave. They were later found and raised by a sheperd named Faustulus. They grew fierce with leadership qualities.

Upon discovering their true heritage, they gathered local forces and overthrew Amulius, restoring their grandfather to the throne.

The two set out to build their own city, but grew more and more quarrelsome. They envisioned the city on different hills. Romulus wanted the city to be named Rome while Remus wanted it named Remora. They turned to augury, or looking to the sky for a divine sign. Remus saw six vultures. Romulus claimed twelve.

Whether they were truthful with each other or not, they both declared victory. Romulus built walls to separate each other and Remus leapt over them in defiance. Romulus struck him down.

“So perish anyone who crosses my walls,” he said.

And so Rome was born, according to this myth. Romulus declared himself king, naming the city after himself, stained in the blood of his own brother.

A Blueprint of Roman Values

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots. -Marcus Mosiah Garvey

Rome was not built on compromise. It was built on supremacy. And in this story, the origin of an empire, we see the blueprint of Roman values that shaped centuries of conquest, power, and legacy.

Violence is sacred. Romulus kills for Rome. Power is validated through action. Remus’ statement is also a declaration of war against any who cross Rome’s lines. Law, property, and territory were held sacred in Rome. To violate this was to invite destruction. His final lines also infer that state comes before the individual. From senators in the Forum to soldiers in the legions, Romans are servants of Rome first.

Emperor Constantine and his army gaze upwards at the celestial Chi-Rho symbol, a sign of divine intervention and inspiration before battle.

We also see a strong presence of divine authority in this story. From being the sons of Mars, a Roman god, to turning to augury to make decisions, Romans held their faith in high regard. The gods are not distant. Bloodlines matter and are chosen divinely, justifying rulers of Rome. We can also note how the twins turned to the sky for answers, or what was referred to as augury. Examples of this can be seen throughout Roman history, most notable in the case of Constantine, the ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire seeing a vision of the Chi-Roh in the sky and a voice that ensured him victory using the sign.

In this myth, Rome found who they were. Sons of war, divinely chosen, and above all… Romans.