Luperci

Roman religion

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

The Luperci were priests of the ancient Roman rural god Faunus, whose festival was called the Lupercalia. This festival, celebrated annually on February 15, was a fertility rite. The origins of the Lupercalia are somewhat obscure, but its name likely derives from lupus, the Latin word for "wolf," possibly connecting it to a deity who protected herds from wolves or the she-wolf that nursed Romulus and Remus.123

During the festival, the Luperci would sacrifice goats and a dog. Two young men would have their foreheads touched with a bloody knife, and the blood wiped away with wool dipped in milk, after which they were expected to laugh. Following a feast, the Luperci would cut thongs from animal skins and run around the Palatine Hill, striking women they encountered with these thongs, as a blow was believed to ensure fertility. The Christian church eventually forbade participation in the festival in 494 CE.24

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Lupercalia
…a corporation of priests called Luperci. The origins of the festival are obscure, although the likely derivation of its name from lupus (Latin: “wolf”) has variously suggested connection with an ancient deity who protected herds from wolves and with the legendary she-wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus. As a fertility…
Read More
…a corporation of priests called Luperci. The origins of the festival are obscure, although the likely derivation of its name from lupus (Latin: “wolf”) has variously suggested connection with an ancient deity who protected herds from wolves and with the legendary she-wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus. As a fertility…
Read More

priesthood
Ancient Greece and Rome
…the god Mars), and the Luperci, whose sacerdotal functions were confined to the Lupercalia. The fetiales were Roman officials employed in making treatises or declarations of war, whose work gradually fell into disuse at the beginning of the empire (late 1st century bce) when the state cult was in decline…
Read More
…the god Mars), and the Luperci, whose sacerdotal functions were confined to the Lupercalia. The fetiales were Roman officials employed in making treatises or declarations of war, whose work gradually fell into disuse at the beginning of the empire (late 1st century bce) when the state cult was in decline…
Read More