Values of Founding Myths Essay

Livy.
The Early History of Rome, Penguin Group, 1960
Reviewed by Garrett Scharff, Oxford College of Emory University
The founding myth is one that tells the story of how a civilization or a people came to be. Peoples from the Romans
to the Britons, to the Americans all have unique founding myths. The founding myths hold a special place in the
hearts of its people because they incorporate ideals and morals of its people into them. The founding myth of the
Romans are an excellent example because of its in depth and well documented founding myth. In the Roman
founding myth of Romulus and Remus classic Roman morals and ideals such as nobility, bloodshed, the importance
of religion, military conquest, and decadence from the gods all appear in the myth.
The beginning of the founding myth starts years before the city of Rome was founded and starts with the Trojans led
by Aeneas, son of Anchises and Aphrodite. When landing upon what is now Italy he was met with opposition in the
form of King Latinus who as Livy states, “…was so deeply impressed by the noble bearings of the strangers and
their leader’s high courage either for peace or war, that he gave Aeneas his hand in pledge of friendship from that
moment onward.” (Livy, 1.1) In this section of the myth the ideals of nobleness and the willingness to fight for what
is best for the people but also wisdom to find peace is shown. The idea of nobleness is also carried on later in the
myth when Romulus and Remus would steal from thieves and give the bounty to the shepherds and friends. These
morals can be seen in later Rome by the institution of patronage, in which the rich would hire those less fortunate
allowing them to move up in society and gain personal wealth.
The idea of bloodshed is not necessarily a moral, however it is present in the founding myth and can certainly be
seen in later Roman life. In the myth Romulus and Remus were born out of time of bloodshed. When they were born
the king’s brother, Amulius, was killing the male children in the line of Numitor, Romulus and Remus’s grandfather.
When Romulus and Remus were born they were cast out onto the river Tiber to die. However, fate intervened, and a
wolf saved them. This myth is eerily similar to another founding myth, the myth of Moses being saved on the Nile
by the princess of Egypt. The motif of bloodshed is carried through the myth with the killing of Remus by Romulus
over a quarrel of who would rule over what is now Rome. Bloodshed can be seen in the history of Rome from the
blood sport of Gladiators in the Colosseum to the murdering of Julius Caesar on the Roman senate floor.
To the Roman religion was central. With most homes having shrines to household gods and some Roman citizens
devoting their life to a god in particular the idea of religion is pervasive throughout Roman society and can be seen
in its founding myth. Romulus calls upon Jupiter’s help in battle to rally his troops and after the successful battle
against the people Caenina Romulus dedicates the armor of a fallen prince to Jupiter under a sacred oak tree. In
addition, when founding Rome it was common practice for the people of the area to make a sacrifice to Hercules, a
Greek god. This sets the precedent for an important ideal in Roman society. The ideal of incorporating other
religions and gods into the Roman pantheon of gods or using Roman gods as equivalents of local gods. Thus,
allowing local or newly conquered people to keep their own religion just with new names for the gods.
Livy through his writings makes it clear that the Romans have descended from the gods. Aeneas’s mother was
Aphrodite, Romulus and Remus’s father was Mars, and even Romulus was taken up into the heavens and deified as
a god by later generations. This helps to justify the Roman belief of superiority which can be seen by Romulus and
Remus’s adopted father who stated “…the young men’s age and character, so different from the lowly born…”
(Livy 1. 5) when justifying why the boys were of royal and the blood of the gods in them. The belief that Romans
are superior and worthy of conquering other civilizations stems from this. As well as the practice of deifying
emperors which was done by later roman kings can be traced back to this myth.
The founding myths of each civilization and people group represent different ideals important to that people. As can
be seen the Romans find strength, power, religion, and fate as important ideals and morals to be kept. Other
civilizations such as the United states value honesty, with the story of George Washington chopping down a cherry
tree and then confessing to it because he cannot tell a lie. Each founding myth represents what a good citizen of that
empire, country, or people group should look up to and follow. If an individual is able to follow ideals of the
founding myth, then that individual will make a good citizen creating an idea of civic pride.

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Livy.

The Early History of Rome, Penguin Group, 1960

Reviewed by Garrett Scharff, Oxford College of Emory University

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