01 · The stories
Myths & defining acts
Romulus disappears in a storm during an assembly, and Proculus Julius reports that Romulus has become a god (Livy 1.16).
02 · Sacred lineage
Family & relations
Quirinus is identified with Romulus, whom Ovid calls the son of Mars and Silvia (Fasti 3.21–44; Livy 1.4).
Greek literary genealogies and Roman cult identities are not interchangeable. Explore the family tree and its traditions.
03 · Places of devotion
Abode & sacred sites
The Quirinal; modern reference works describe a flamen Quirinalis and a deified-Romulus tradition.
04 · Two traditions
Greek & Roman perspectives
The Greek perspective
No Greek counterpart is named in the sources cited here.
The Roman perspective
Ovid says one day in February is named for Quirinus, who had been Romulus before (Fasti 2.475–480). Livy tells how Romulus vanished in a storm and Proculus Julius reported a vision (1.16). Modern reference works describe the Quirinus cult and the fusion with the deified Romulus.
05 · Extensive analysis
A closer reading
In Livy, Romulus vanishes in a storm and a vision by Proculus Julius gives him divine standing. In Ovid, Quirinus is the name Romulus took as a god, with several explanations of the name.
06 · Primary sources
What the sources say
These are the main ancient passages behind this entry, with what each one actually says.
- Livy, Ab Urbe Condita book 1, chapter 16
Romulus vanishes in a storm during a review of the army; Proculus Julius reports meeting him and hearing of Rome's destiny.
Read the passage - Ovid, Fasti book 2, lines 475–480 (Latin text)
A day in February is named for Quirinus, who was Romulus before; Ovid offers several explanations of the name.
Read the passage - Wikipedia, Quirinus, a modern summary sections on worship and the deified Romulus
Covers the cult of Quirinus, the flamen Quirinalis and the tradition of the deified Romulus.
Read the passage
07 · Story & deeper insight
Quirinus and the disappearance of Romulus
During an assembly, a storm obscures Romulus and he vanishes. Livy records competing explanations: divine elevation and suspicion that the senators killed him. Proculus Julius later reports an encounter in which Romulus announces his heavenly status and Rome's future greatness. The city's founder is thereby connected with the god Quirinus.
The competing accounts are essential to the story. Apotheosis can dignify a community's origins, while rumours of political murder expose uncertainty beneath the official explanation. Livy preserves the tension rather than offering modern proof of either supernatural disappearance or an assassination.
Quirinus was an old Roman deity with a major priesthood and connections to the civic community. His identification with the deified Romulus developed within that religious history; it does not establish that every aspect of his worship originated with the founder's legend. He has no direct Greek equivalent. The narrative offers a deep dive into how memory, political authority and divine status could reinforce one another at Rome.