Assignment reading: on Ovid's Fasti: The Lupercalia Festival

Ovid's Fasti: Lupercalia Festival

Introduction

  • Ovid's Fasti explores the origins of Roman festivals and dates.

  • This passage focuses on the Lupercalia, celebrated annually on February 15.

  • The festival aimed to promote fertility and purify the city.

  • Young men, the Luperci, ran through the streets whipping women to aid pregnancy and childbirth.

  • The festival was believed to predate Rome, with Romulus and Remus participating in their youth.

  • The Lupercal, a cave, was central to the festival, serving as the starting and ending point for the Luperci's run and the site of animal sacrifices.

Origin of the Lupercal's Name (Ovid, Fasti 2.381-422)

  • Ovid addresses the question of why the cave is called the Lupercal and the festival named Lupercalia.

  • The narrative recounts the story of Romulus and Remus.

Silvia's Story (2.383-388)

  • Silvia, a Vestal Virgin, gave birth to twins.

  • Her uncle, the ruler, ordered the infants to be drowned in the river.

  • The infants' destiny was to include Romulus.

  • Servants reluctantly carried out the order.

The River's Condition (2.389-393)

  • The Albula River, later named Tiber after King Tiberinus, was flooded due to winter rains.

  • The area where the Roman Forum and Circus Maximus would later be were inundated, with boats floating where those structures would eventually be built.

The Servants' Dilemma (2.394-404)

  • The servants could not proceed further due to the flood.

  • They commented on the beauty and vigor of the twins.

  • They speculated about the divine potential of the children, suggesting a god might be their father.

  • They lamented the children's fate, born to die together.

  • They placed the twins in the water.

The Abandonment (2.405-408)

  • The babies cried.

  • The servants left, saddened by their task.

  • The ark carrying the babies floated on the water.

  • The small plank bore a significant fate.

Rescue by the She-Wolf (2.409-416)

  • The ark drifted to a wooded area and grounded on the mud as the water receded.

  • A tree, initially called the Romulan fig-tree and later the Ruminal fig-tree, marked the spot.

  • A she-wolf, having recently given birth, miraculously came to the aid of the abandoned twins.

  • Instead of harming the babies, the wolf suckled them.

Divine Intervention (2.417-420)

  • The she-wolf fawned over the infants and licked their bodies.

  • The twins, fearless, suckled the wolf's milk, indicating their lineage from Mars.

Naming of the Lupercal (2.421-422)

  • The she-wolf (lupa) gave her name to the Lupercal.

  • The Lupercal then gave its name to the Luperci.

  • The nurse (the she-wolf) received a great reward for her milk.

Key Concepts

  • Lupercalia: A Roman festival celebrated on February 15 to promote fertility and purify the city.

  • Luperci: Young men who participated in the Lupercalia by running through the streets and whipping women.

  • Lupercal: A cave on the Palatine Hill, central to the Lupercalia festival.

  • Romulus and Remus: Mythical founders of Rome, whose story is intertwined with the Lupercal's origin.

  • Silvia: A Vestal Virgin and mother of Romulus and Remus.

  • The she-wolf (Lupa): The animal that nursed Romulus and Remus, leading to the naming of the Lupercal.