Themis, a study of the social origins of Greek ... - Warburg Institute

IV] The Woodpecker-king 103
interfere to save the divine twins Romulus and Remus ;
once to
save the holy trees with which their life was bound up, once to
feed and protect them when they were exposed by the wicked
uncle. It is obvious, I think, that the two versions are sub-
stantially the same ;
children is really one.
the life of the two trees and of the two royal
Before the birth of the royal twins, Silvia their mother dreamt
a well-omened dream. She saw, wondrous to behold, two palm-
trees shoot up together, the one taller than the other. The tall
one with its heavy branches overshadowed the whole earth and
with its topmost tresses touched the uttermost stars. She saw
too her father's brother, the wicked uncle, brandish an axe against
the trees, and her heart trembled within her. But a woodpecker,
Fig. 18.
bird of Mars, and a she-wolf, delightful companions in arms, fought
for the trees and by their aid both palm-trees were unharmed.
Martia picus avis gemino pro stipite pugnant
Et lupa. Tuta per hos utraque palma fiiit 1 .
In her dream Silvia sees her children in tree-shape ; so Althaea
dreamed of the blazing log that held Meleager's life ; so Clytemnaestra
dreamed of the snake that was her fatal son. Then we
have the humanized form of the story. The wicked uncle is
routed by the comrades in arms, the wolf and woodpecker of Mars.
The twins are born, and in canonical fashion the order is given
1 Ovid, Fasti, in. 37.