She-wolf (Roman mythology)

The Capitoline Wolf, arguably the most famous statue of the She-Wolf.
The She-Wolf with Romulus and Remus, sculpture by Francesco Biggi and Domenico Parodi in the Palazzo Rosso of Genoa, Italy
The she-wolf on a coin of the late Roman republic (c.77 BC)

In the Roman foundation myth, the she-wolf (lupa in Latin) was an Italian wolf who nursed and sheltered the twins Romulus and Remus after they were abandoned in the wild by decree of King Amulius of Alba Longa. She cared for the infants at her den, a cave known as the Lupercal, until they were discovered by a shepherd, Faustulus. Romulus would later become the founder and first king of Rome. The image of the she-wolf suckling the twins has been a symbol of Rome since ancient times and is one of the most recognizable icons of ancient mythology.[1]

  1. ^ Wiseman Remus preface p. xiii