Background
In Rome, Saint Augustine Bishop of Hippo wrote of several types of spirits or shades across his lifetime, which lasted between the years 354 to 430. He wrote of three categories of spirits in Chapter 11 of The City of God. The lares, he wrote, were the spirits of the good, the lemures, or larvae, were the ghosts of the wicked and manes were the shades of those whose past actions were indifferent, leaning no more towards good than evil, and vice versa. The most commonly known, however, of these three, is the evil lemurs, which they are more typically referred to as. Today they are more commonly recognized as spirits of those who died prematurely, or experienced particularly violent deaths. Because of their death it is believed they became angry and vengeful, and decided to torture the living.
History
Lemures, like all ghosts, have a mysterious history, and an unclear backstory. No one can accurately place when Romans started believing in such spirits because of how far back the belief goes. The closest historians can get to placing any kind of date on the spirits origin is the years of Saint Augustine’s life, for his writings are the first written recordings of such creatures. What is known, however, is a plethora of information regarding the festivals which were held and celebrated to appease the spirts, be they friendly or foul.
This festival, called the Lemuria, was held on the ninth, eleventh and fifteenth of May in Ancient Rome. It is alleged that in the sixth century the founder of Rome, Romulus, created a holiday dedicated to pleasing spirits after he murdered his brother, Remus. Traditionally those participating walked barefoot before rinsing their hands three times, then threw 3 beans behind them nineteen times. Alternatively some claim only the father of a family had to perfume the ritual, and had to do so at midnight, others include chants that were supposed to be said while throwing the beans. In addition the entire month of May was considered to be a bad month for marriage because getting married when the spirits of the dead were most active seemed unlucky.
Today Lemures are mostly relevant in fiction, such as Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and other types of stories. Still, Rome is filled with haunted locations. Still, the Sant’Angelo Castle and its ghost, or lemure, Beatrice Cenci, are quite famous in Rome. The story of Beatrice Cenci, born 1577, was the daughter of the Italian nobleman Francesco Cenci, who abused his wife, three sons and Beatrice. After law authorities refused to listen to her reports due to her father’s noble status the rest of the family, along with two others, planned to murder Francesco. He was drugged, but remained living, so Beatrice and her family murdered him by bludgeoning him with a hammer before throwing him off a balcony to make the death appear accidental, which no one believed. The family was put on trial after the two non-relations were tortured to death for information, and all but the twelve-year old son was executed on September 11th 1599 on the bridge of Sant’Angelo Castle. Beatrice was executed last by beheading with a sword. Yet the people of Rome considered Beatrice to be a symbol of revolution against the aristocracy of Italy and a legend developed: Every year on the night before her execution Beatrice appears on the bridge of Sant’Angelo Castle clutching a bloody severed head.
Travel Information
at Lungotevere Castello, 50, 00186 Rome, Italy, Sant’Angelo Castle is a popular tourist attraction, being a tomb as well as a museum. The Ghost and Mystery Tour of Rome, a one and a half hour tour of Romes haunted locations, includes the castle and bridge. The tour costs $31.69 in American money and has been well received with a four and a half star rating. It also features a Flexible Date Guarantee so you can be sure to visit on a day that fits your schedule. Departure location is Sant'Andrea Della Valle Church and the finish location is the Castel Sant'Angelo. They do not include hotel pickups or drop-offs, or food, so plan accordingly. The entire tour is a walking tour, so comfortable shoes are recommended.
To book a tour, and get more information visit:
http://www.viator.com/tours/Rome/Ghost-and-Mystery-Walking-Tour-of-Rome/d511-3731GHOST
Temporary Citations:
http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/rome/p/lares.htm
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf102.toc.html#P1466_833817
"Lemures and Larvae," by George Thaniel, The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 94. No. 2 (Summer 1973), pp. 182-187.
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/dailylifeaspects/qt/RomanGhosts.htm
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Lemuria+(festival)
http://roma.andreapollett.com/S2/roma-c19.htm
http://murderpedia.org/female.C/c/cenci-beatrice.htm
In Rome, Saint Augustine Bishop of Hippo wrote of several types of spirits or shades across his lifetime, which lasted between the years 354 to 430. He wrote of three categories of spirits in Chapter 11 of The City of God. The lares, he wrote, were the spirits of the good, the lemures, or larvae, were the ghosts of the wicked and manes were the shades of those whose past actions were indifferent, leaning no more towards good than evil, and vice versa. The most commonly known, however, of these three, is the evil lemurs, which they are more typically referred to as. Today they are more commonly recognized as spirits of those who died prematurely, or experienced particularly violent deaths. Because of their death it is believed they became angry and vengeful, and decided to torture the living.
History
Lemures, like all ghosts, have a mysterious history, and an unclear backstory. No one can accurately place when Romans started believing in such spirits because of how far back the belief goes. The closest historians can get to placing any kind of date on the spirits origin is the years of Saint Augustine’s life, for his writings are the first written recordings of such creatures. What is known, however, is a plethora of information regarding the festivals which were held and celebrated to appease the spirts, be they friendly or foul.
This festival, called the Lemuria, was held on the ninth, eleventh and fifteenth of May in Ancient Rome. It is alleged that in the sixth century the founder of Rome, Romulus, created a holiday dedicated to pleasing spirits after he murdered his brother, Remus. Traditionally those participating walked barefoot before rinsing their hands three times, then threw 3 beans behind them nineteen times. Alternatively some claim only the father of a family had to perfume the ritual, and had to do so at midnight, others include chants that were supposed to be said while throwing the beans. In addition the entire month of May was considered to be a bad month for marriage because getting married when the spirits of the dead were most active seemed unlucky.
Today Lemures are mostly relevant in fiction, such as Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and other types of stories. Still, Rome is filled with haunted locations. Still, the Sant’Angelo Castle and its ghost, or lemure, Beatrice Cenci, are quite famous in Rome. The story of Beatrice Cenci, born 1577, was the daughter of the Italian nobleman Francesco Cenci, who abused his wife, three sons and Beatrice. After law authorities refused to listen to her reports due to her father’s noble status the rest of the family, along with two others, planned to murder Francesco. He was drugged, but remained living, so Beatrice and her family murdered him by bludgeoning him with a hammer before throwing him off a balcony to make the death appear accidental, which no one believed. The family was put on trial after the two non-relations were tortured to death for information, and all but the twelve-year old son was executed on September 11th 1599 on the bridge of Sant’Angelo Castle. Beatrice was executed last by beheading with a sword. Yet the people of Rome considered Beatrice to be a symbol of revolution against the aristocracy of Italy and a legend developed: Every year on the night before her execution Beatrice appears on the bridge of Sant’Angelo Castle clutching a bloody severed head.
Travel Information
at Lungotevere Castello, 50, 00186 Rome, Italy, Sant’Angelo Castle is a popular tourist attraction, being a tomb as well as a museum. The Ghost and Mystery Tour of Rome, a one and a half hour tour of Romes haunted locations, includes the castle and bridge. The tour costs $31.69 in American money and has been well received with a four and a half star rating. It also features a Flexible Date Guarantee so you can be sure to visit on a day that fits your schedule. Departure location is Sant'Andrea Della Valle Church and the finish location is the Castel Sant'Angelo. They do not include hotel pickups or drop-offs, or food, so plan accordingly. The entire tour is a walking tour, so comfortable shoes are recommended.
To book a tour, and get more information visit:
http://www.viator.com/tours/Rome/Ghost-and-Mystery-Walking-Tour-of-Rome/d511-3731GHOST
Temporary Citations:
http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/rome/p/lares.htm
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf102.toc.html#P1466_833817
"Lemures and Larvae," by George Thaniel, The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 94. No. 2 (Summer 1973), pp. 182-187.
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/dailylifeaspects/qt/RomanGhosts.htm
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Lemuria+(festival)
http://roma.andreapollett.com/S2/roma-c19.htm
http://murderpedia.org/female.C/c/cenci-beatrice.htm