Mythic Monday: Wolf Mother Feronia

Feronia is the name used by the Romans for the great Wolf Mother of the Sabines. If you haven’t heard of the Sabines, they were a fascinating people prominent in central Italy prior to the ascendancy of Rome. They fought against the Romans in early Roman wars around 750 B.C.E. The legend states that half of the Sabine population integrated with the Romans and the other half shunned integration to remain on their own.

As a wild goddess of the forest, Feronia represented raw, untamed nature without the refining conditions of civilization. Her positive attributes included giving mankind the opportunity to get ahead through the cultivation of plants and animals. The first fruits and grains of the annual harvest were offered to Feronia in gratitude for her bounty. Her temples were found in remote sacred groves, and she spurned the cities of men.

Romulus and Remus nursed by the She-wolf by Pe...
Peter Paul Rubens [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The legendary founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, were famously suckled by a she wolf. After Rome gained dominance, Feronia’s worship remained extensive, and her rites were maintained by one ancient clan tasked with that important responsibility. Her secrets were passed down among family members from generation to generation. Since she was also a fire goddess with dominion over volcanoes, corresponding miracles by her devotees included walking on burning coals.

Feronia’s consort was the ancient woodland god Soranus, whose powers included the underground journey of death and the rebirth of the sun each morning. His cyclical nature is represented in the annual cycle of the diminishing sun of autumn and winter, followed by the revitalized sun of spring and summer.

Next time you read a good werewolf story, give a nod of thanks to the Wolf Mother, Feronia.

Cheers & Happy Reading!
Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic with Paranormal Fantasy Romance

More: The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets by Barbara C. Walker
The Book of Goddesses and Heroines by Patricia Monaghan

 

 

By Flossie Benton Rogers

Paranormal romance author who loves to shake the edges of reality.

2 comments

  1. I love werewolf stories, which perhaps explains why I’ve always liked the history of Romulus and Reums, but I was unfamiliar with Feronia. It’s interesting how many of these old tales and histories cross!

    Reply

    1. It’s funny– my husband’s and son’s favorite fairy tale was always Little Red Riding Hood. I guess men like to be the big bad wolf and women enjoy the wild side of them as well! I’m just now seeing how much pre-empire mythology there is surrounding Rome and other parts of Italy. While there’s not a vast amount of information, I’m really loving learning about it.

      Reply

Comments make my day! Please dash off a line or two.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.