roman mythology
The ancient Romans loved to hear the story of Romulus and Remus. In their eyes, this story explained why Rome had the right to rule.
According to the legend, Romulus and Remus justified their right to rule because their mother was a princess and their father was the war god Mars.
The legend of Romulus and Remus
Rhea was married to Mars, the Roman god of war. Rhea had twin sons. She loved her boys, but there were plots afoot by other gods and goddesses to harm her father, herself, her husband, and her children. To protect the boys, she set them adrift on the river, hoping someone would find them. Who would not love such beautiful boys?
Sure enough, first they were found by a she-wolf who fed them. Then a shepherd and his wife adopted the boys.
As the twins grew older, they decided they did not want to take care of sheep. They wanted to be kings. They decided to build a city on the shores of the Tiber. They both wanted to be the only king. They quarreled. In a fit of rage, Romulus picked up a rock, killed his brother, and made himself king.
That’s how Rome started.
According to the legend, Romulus and Remus justified their right to rule because their mother was a princess and their father was the war god Mars.
The legend of Romulus and Remus
Rhea was married to Mars, the Roman god of war. Rhea had twin sons. She loved her boys, but there were plots afoot by other gods and goddesses to harm her father, herself, her husband, and her children. To protect the boys, she set them adrift on the river, hoping someone would find them. Who would not love such beautiful boys?
Sure enough, first they were found by a she-wolf who fed them. Then a shepherd and his wife adopted the boys.
As the twins grew older, they decided they did not want to take care of sheep. They wanted to be kings. They decided to build a city on the shores of the Tiber. They both wanted to be the only king. They quarreled. In a fit of rage, Romulus picked up a rock, killed his brother, and made himself king.
That’s how Rome started.
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The ancient Greeks believed that it was not wise to anger the gods. They built temples all over ancient Greece. Each temple, no matter how elaborate, honored only one god. The major gods had more than one temple built in their honor.
Nearly everyone was fond of Apollo. He was the god of music, reason, and light. Apollo's chariot brought up the sun each day.
Apollo had other powers. One was a very special skill - Apollo could see the future. He had the gift of prophecy. Many people in ancient Greece brought gifts to Apollo, and asked for advice in exchange. Apollo liked the attention. And the gifts. It was all very nice, but it was also exhausting.
As the story goes ....
One day, Apollo decided that what he needed was an oracle, a wise woman to speak for him. In ancient Greece, an oracle was a person who could predict and interpret the future.
Apollo used some magic and established his oracle in a temple at Delphi. There were many oracles, or fortune tellers, in ancient Greece. Apollo's oracle at Delphi was the most famous.
The predictions made by other oracles were rather vague. A normal oracle might answer, "Yes, the frost will be gone, and spring will come, if the gods decree it." Such an answer was not much help if your question was, "Should I plant my garden tomorrow?"
People in ancient Greece had heard that Apollo had shared his special power with the oracle at Delphi - the power of prophecy.
He did give her the power of prophecy. But Apollo had put a limit on her power.
Apollo's oracle had to tell people the truth, but she could not answer yes or no. The oracle could only make a truthful statement. It was up to you, the listener, to figure out what she meant by it. Sometimes people misunderstood what she was telling them. That was the trouble with oracles, even the best of them.
There is an old story about Apollo's oracle that went something like this .... Once upon a time, a long time ago, a weary king traveled to Delphi to ask the oracle, "Who will win the battle tomorrow?"
The oracle smiled at him, and gently answered, "A great king."
The king was very happy to hear this. He left many gifts for the oracle, and went quickly away to ready his men for battle, quite pleased that he had come.
What he had overlooked in his haste is that more than one king would lead his men to battle in the morning. An oracle's smile meant nothing.
Nearly everyone was fond of Apollo. He was the god of music, reason, and light. Apollo's chariot brought up the sun each day.
Apollo had other powers. One was a very special skill - Apollo could see the future. He had the gift of prophecy. Many people in ancient Greece brought gifts to Apollo, and asked for advice in exchange. Apollo liked the attention. And the gifts. It was all very nice, but it was also exhausting.
As the story goes ....
One day, Apollo decided that what he needed was an oracle, a wise woman to speak for him. In ancient Greece, an oracle was a person who could predict and interpret the future.
Apollo used some magic and established his oracle in a temple at Delphi. There were many oracles, or fortune tellers, in ancient Greece. Apollo's oracle at Delphi was the most famous.
The predictions made by other oracles were rather vague. A normal oracle might answer, "Yes, the frost will be gone, and spring will come, if the gods decree it." Such an answer was not much help if your question was, "Should I plant my garden tomorrow?"
People in ancient Greece had heard that Apollo had shared his special power with the oracle at Delphi - the power of prophecy.
He did give her the power of prophecy. But Apollo had put a limit on her power.
Apollo's oracle had to tell people the truth, but she could not answer yes or no. The oracle could only make a truthful statement. It was up to you, the listener, to figure out what she meant by it. Sometimes people misunderstood what she was telling them. That was the trouble with oracles, even the best of them.
There is an old story about Apollo's oracle that went something like this .... Once upon a time, a long time ago, a weary king traveled to Delphi to ask the oracle, "Who will win the battle tomorrow?"
The oracle smiled at him, and gently answered, "A great king."
The king was very happy to hear this. He left many gifts for the oracle, and went quickly away to ready his men for battle, quite pleased that he had come.
What he had overlooked in his haste is that more than one king would lead his men to battle in the morning. An oracle's smile meant nothing.