Monday, September 26, 2005

Myth, Legend and Fiction of Children raised by wolves/dogs


  • The Romulus and Remus story began when Amulius, king of the city of Alba Longa, deposed his brother Numitor. Afraid that Numitor's daughter Rhea Silvia might have sons who would rise up to overthrow him, Amulius forced Rhea Silvia to become a priestess, and therefore forbidden to marry. Nevertheless, the god Mars managed to reach her and as a result she conceived the twin sons, Romulus and Remus.
    Amulius found out and placed the boys in a trough that was thrown into the river Tiber. Then the twins were found by a she-wolf who suckled them until they were discovered by the shepherd Faustulus, whose wife looked after and gave them their names.
    Eventually, Romulus and Remus rose against Amulius, killed him, and restored the kingdom to their grandfather. Wanting to found their own town, Romulus and Remus built a settlement on the Palatine Hill, where the she-wolf had nursed them, but Remus mocked the low walls built by Romulus: as a result, Romulus killed him. Romulus finished building the new city, and called it Roma after his own name.
  • The classical historian Herodotus wrote that Cyrus had been suckled by a dog. How and Wells, in their notes on Herodotus, say that Sargon of Akkad was also suckled by a dog.
  • The twins Lycastus 3 and Parrhasius, sons of Ares and Phylonome, were suckled by a wolf.
  • Mowgli in Disney's 1967 adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book".
  • The 1977 movie "Lucan" - a story of a young boy who was raised by wolves in the wilderness of North Minnesota. Found at ten, he is cared for by a University Research Centre. After being seriously injured in an accident, he is advised to find his real parents. Numerous adventures occur as he tries to find his past.
  • Okami Shonen Ken (Ken the Wolf Boy) - 1963 Japanese anime TV series about a boy living with wolves.

(check out feralchildren.com for more info)

Wolf Song of Alaska

I just came across this Wonderful site called "Wolf Song of Alaska". www.wolfsongalaska.org

Incorporated in 1988, Wolf Song of Alaska has distinguished itself as a highly visible and credible organization that is devoted to understanding the wolf, its natural, history, its varied relation to humans throughout the ages, and its role as a major symbol in folklore, myth, legend, art, and religion.

I hate finding such interesting material - I will be now be spending too much of my time embroiled in such topics as The Wolf in Fiction, Wolves in Religion, and Wolves & Humans! They also have a Wolf Museum and an observation facility in Chugiak, Alaska. Road Trip anyone?