Quick Myth - Romulus and Remus
Script:
For the Romans, few myths held more importance than the one concerning the founding of Rome: The Legend of Romulus and Remus
Near the eventual site of Rome, the city known as Alba Longa stood firm.
The city was in a treacherous turmoil where the soon-to-be King, known as Numitor, had his accession usurped by his own brother.
After he gained power, Amulius ended up murdering Numitor’s sons and he appointed Numitor’s daughter, Rhea Silvia, as a vestal virgin to prevent his brother’s offspring from becoming influential on his reign.
Unfortunately for Amulius, The God Mars impregnated Rhea Silvia, who gave birth to the two twins, Romulus and Remus.
Amulius had managed to discover the existence of these twins, and ordered them to be killed. Those ordered to kill them left the brothers to die by the Tiber River.
Romulus and Remus flew down the river and eventually ended up near the presence of a she-wolf. The she-wolf decided to carry the youths to her den to care for them, where they stayed for many years.
Romulus and Remus’s stay with the she-wolf influenced their lively youths, as they often ran around and played in the wilderness. However, one day a shepherd by the name of Faustulus noticed the boys and took them into his care. Faustulus and his wife managed to teach the two twins the ways of humanity while they still held on to some of their barbaric animalistic tendencies.
Over time, Romulus and Remus grew and their legendary leadership abilities flourished. At this point the two often assisted the victims of crimes, attracting many to the them.
The heroic feats of the brothers eventually reached King Amulius, concerning him to the point where he ordered his men to capture and imprison Remus. Romulus succeeded in recruiting his followers into fighting Amulius’s men to save Remus. The group ended up killing King Amulius and instead of taking the throne for themselves, they handed the throne back to the boys’ grandfather, Numitor.
The future looked bright for Romulus and Remus, having killed the man responsible for their tough child-hood and gave their birth-country’s control back to its rightful ruler, but each of their ambitions were soon to clash.
The two brothers wanted to found a city, but as many sources claim, each disagreed on the location; Romulus argued for Palatine Hill, and Remus desired to build upon Aventine Hill. The two decided to settle this dispute through the use of an augury, which was a method of determining divine will through birds. Remus had seen 6 birds over his location, but Romulus saw 12 birds fly by, causing him to insist he won the debate.
Romulus then proceeded to build upon his hill with mighty walls and structures. Remus still seemed cheated and, as some sources say, jumped over the wall, where he was killed by supporters of Romulus.