Rome, Italy - The She-Wolf Mural; Arlington, MA - Menotomy Native American Hunter

Tiber Rome SheWolf.jpg

Title

Rome, Italy - The She-Wolf Mural; Arlington, MA - Menotomy Native American Hunter

Catalog Entry

As an ancient country, Rome was built by the twins named Romulus and Remus. Amulius is the brother of grandfather of the twins, who plans to kill them for the power. The result is that the twins are saved by a she-wolf. The she-wolf brings them up until a shepherd discovers them. Finally, the twins become the founders of Rome. It is the story of the picture The She-Wolf.

In the sculpture named The Capitoline Wolf with Romulus and Remus, a similar image to The She-Wolf, two boys are fed by a she-wolf. In Japan, several legends are related to She-Wolf. For example, Japanese Prince called Yamatotakeru is guided by a wolf once when he loses his way during one of his campaigns. Similarly, The Turki, one branch of the Hun people, are killed out by neighboring kingdoms, with only one ten-year-old boy survivor. He is saved and brought up by a she-wolf and they have ten babies. Known by kingdoms, the boy is killed finally. While the she-wolf flees away with their ten children. Surprisingly, they prospered and took wolf as their totem. Another similar legend talks about a god wolf, who guides the victory of the war. Besides, in the history written in the ancient Asia the wolf is regarded as the symbol or the ancestor. For instance, the Mongolians are descendants of a god wolf and a white deer; the Uigur people take wolf as a symbol of bravery; wolf becomes the ancestor of the Ainu people. It is related to the photo I chosen before, which tells the story about how Rome was founded. The she-wolf saves and brings up Romulus and Remus who are twins and build up Rome later. Those above exemplify that the she-wolf is paramount in a great range of world culture as a symbol or a belief.

Some scholars show the suspicion about the twins’ growth. Look at the words in The Classical Weekly [3]: “Sceptics who have their doubts concerning the truth of the story recorded in Livy" (1.4.6). Concerning the suckling of Romulus and Remus by a she-wolf will have their scepticism jarred by the following, printed in The New York Herald Tribune, April 5, 1927: Allahabad, India, April 4: "A seven-year old boy was rescued by an Allahabad police executive in the Maiwana district, several miles from human habitation, where he had been living with wolves. The child is completely wild, moves on his hands and knees and on his back are protuberances resembling a series of hardened corns.” This boy is finally brought to an asylum. That is to say, it is not easy to be a normal person under such a wild circumstances. Therefore, the scholars doubt that whether the twins can be normal ones after living in a wild environment for a long time. Other legends claim the city is named after a woman, Roma [4]. But the version of twins is the best popular one among several different legends.

Menotomy Native American Hunter [5] is a statue located in Arlington, MA, created in 1911 by Sculptor Cyrus E. Dal. The She-wolf is used in a popular Roman myth where the wolf had protected and nurtured the abandoned brothers Romulus and Remus, being very protective and conscious of its surroundings. In a way this statue of the hunter shows equal signs of defensive survival. She-wolf contributes much to the building of Rome, which shows its great powerful symbol of its time. It is not a kind-hearted creature. It is a defensive animal contrarily. Otherwise, the hunter holds some arrows in his hand which shows a necessary protection and survival.

Bibliography

[1] The Capitoline Wolf with Romulus and Remus: Musei Capitolini, Palazzo dei Conservatori, Rome
[2] She-Wolf mosaic: Garcia, Brittany. "Romulus and Remus." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 18 Apr 2018. Web. 29 Apr 2018. https://www.ancient.eu/Romulus_and_Remus/
[3] Burriss, Eli Edward. “Romulus, Remus, and the She-Wolf.” The Classical Weekly, vol. 21, no. 13, 1928, pp. 104–104. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4389078.
[4] Mark, Joshua J. "Ancient Rome." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 02 Sep 2009. Web. 29 Apr 2018. https://www.ancient.eu/Rome/
[5] Menotomy Native American Hunter statue Arlington MA. http://freedomsway.org/redesign2/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/arlington-dallin-indian-hunter-1024x1015.jpg

Catalog Entry Author(s)

Mingmin Miao , Student, Fitchburg State University

Research Assistant(s)

Tenzin Dhakpa, Student, Fitchburg State University
Chris Lach, Student, Fitchburg State University
Zachary Romero, Student, Fitchburg State University
Victoria Weeks, Student, Fitchburg State University

Photographer(s)

Kisha G. Tracy

Citation

“Rome, Italy - The She-Wolf Mural; Arlington, MA - Menotomy Native American Hunter,” Cultural Heritage through Image, accessed March 28, 2024, https://culturalheritagethroughimage.omeka.net/items/show/34.

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