Luperci

Luperci refers to a group of priests in ancient Rome known as the Fratres Luperci, who were responsible for conducting the Lupercalia festival. The name derives from lupus, or wolf, reflecting the mythic association with the Lupercal cave on the Palatine Hill, where Romulus and Remus were said to have been nursed by a she-wolf. The festival, held annually on February 15, celebrated fertility and the protection of the city.

The Fratres Luperci comprised two priests chosen each year, traditionally from patrician families. They wore goatskin garments called februa and performed a goats’ sacrifice at the Lupercal cave. They then ran around the city, striking bystanders with strips of goatskin to invoke fertility, an act intended to promote fertility in women and offspring for the community. The rites were conducted under the oversight of other priestly officials and included purification rituals for the city.

References to the Fratres Luperci appear in early Roman literature and inscriptions, with authors such as Varro and Ovid describing the rites of Lupercalia. In late antiquity, the festival declined as Christian authorities discouraged pagan practices, though some later customs and motifs related to fertility and purification persisted in various forms.