Acca Larentia (2)
Publié le 22/02/2012
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(Acc a Laurentia) Roman
A prostitute with whom the god Hercules spent
the night in a Roman temple, after the priest of that
temple played dice with the great hero and god and
lost. Acca Larentia was the beautiful woman the
priest found on the street and locked in the temple as
a prize for Hercules.
After enjoying the night with her, Hercules told
Acca Larentia to approach and be friendly with the
first wealthy man she met upon leaving the temple.
Some Roman writers say that Hercules influenced
the man; others say that Acca Larentia used tricks of
her trade to win his affections. As her role in the story
of Rome continues, Acca Larentia married the rich
man, and when he died, leaving her all of his wealth,
she gave the fortune to Rome, the city she loved.
Ancient Roman writers and modern scholars are
unsure of the relationship of the woman in this story
with the Acca Larentia (1) who became the foster
mother to Romulus and Remus. Some say it was
the same woman; others say that familiarity with her
name made it an easy one to give to the woman in this
story from the Hercules legends.