In 508 BC, during the war between Rome and Clusium, the Clusian king Lars Porsena laid siege to Rome. Gaius Mucius Cordus, with the approval of the Roman Senate, sneaked into the Etruscan camp with the intent of murdering Porsena. Since it was the soldiers' pay day, there were two similarly dressed people, one of whom was the king, on a raised platform speaking to the troops. This caused Mucius to misidentify his target, and he killed Porsena's scribe by mistake. After being captured, he famously declared to Porsena: "I am Roman citizen, men call me Gaius Mucius. I came here as an enemy to kill my enemy, and I am as ready to die as I am to kill. We Romans act bravely and, when adversity strikes, we suffer bravely." He also declared that he was the first of three hundred Roman youths to volunteer for the task of assassinating Porsena at the risk of losing their own lives.[1]
"Watch", he is said to have declared, "so that you know how cheap the body is to men who have their eye on great glory". Mucius thrust his right hand into a fire which was lit for sacrifice and held it there without giving any indication of pain, thereby earning for himself and his descendants the cognomenScaevola, meaning "left-handed". Porsena was shocked at the youth's bravery, and dismissed him from the Etruscan camp, free to return to Rome, saying "Go back, since you do more harm to yourself than me". At the same time, the king also sent ambassadors to Rome to offer peace.[2]
Mucius was granted farming land on the right-hand bank of the Tiber, which later became known as the Mucia Prata (Mucian Meadows).[3]
Dante Alighieri refers to Mucius and the sacrifice of his hand within the Divine Comedy. In Paradiso Canto 4: 82–87, along with St. Lawrence, Mucius is depicted as a person possessing the rarest and firmest of wills.
In a poem in Musa Posthuma, Martha Marchina compared Mucius unfavorably to the martyr Martha and suggests that Martha was the stronger hero because she suffered worse on behalf of God.[4]
At the age of twelve, Friedrich Nietzsche, attempting to prove to his classmates at Schulpforta that the story could be true, burnt his outstretched palm over a book of burning matches without expression of pain and was only saved from serious harm by the school's prefect.[5]
Since 1991 Spanish cultural association Fuerzas de Choque Extraordinarii from the Carthaginians and Romans [es] festivities of Cartagena has Gaius Mucius Scaevola as their commander.
In the 2022 television series Gaslit, James McCord says to G. Gordon Liddy "Gaius Scaevola would be proud". McCord is referring to an earlier conversation where Liddy describes holding his hand over a candle in order to prove to several Cubans that he was "macho". This was part of a program Liddy followed to develop his willpower.[6]
^Marchina, Martha (1662). Musa Posthuma. Rome. p. 77.
^Levine, Peter (1995). Nietzsche and the Modern Crisis of the Humanities. State University of New York Press. p. 3.
^Woodward, Bob (1980-05-18). "Gordon Liddy Spills His Guts". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gaius Mucius Scaevola.
January 01, 1970
gaius, mucius, scaevola, other, people, named, mucius, scaevola, mucius, scaevola, disambiguation, gaius, mucius, cordus, better, known, with, later, cognomen, scaevola, latin, ˈskae, wɔla, ancient, roman, youth, possibly, mythical, famous, bravery, mucius, sc. For other people named Mucius Scaevola see Mucius Scaevola disambiguation Gaius Mucius Cordus better known with his later cognomen Scaevola ˈ s iː v e l e ˈ s ɛ v SE E V e le Latin ˈskae wɔla was an ancient Roman youth possibly mythical famous for his bravery Mucius Scaevola by Louis Pierre Deseine 1791 Louvre Museum In 508 BC during the war between Rome and Clusium the Clusian king Lars Porsena laid siege to Rome Gaius Mucius Cordus with the approval of the Roman Senate sneaked into the Etruscan camp with the intent of murdering Porsena Since it was the soldiers pay day there were two similarly dressed people one of whom was the king on a raised platform speaking to the troops This caused Mucius to misidentify his target and he killed Porsena s scribe by mistake After being captured he famously declared to Porsena I am Roman citizen men call me Gaius Mucius I came here as an enemy to kill my enemy and I am as ready to die as I am to kill We Romans act bravely and when adversity strikes we suffer bravely He also declared that he was the first of three hundred Roman youths to volunteer for the task of assassinating Porsena at the risk of losing their own lives 1 Watch he is said to have declared so that you know how cheap the body is to men who have their eye on great glory Mucius thrust his right hand into a fire which was lit for sacrifice and held it there without giving any indication of pain thereby earning for himself and his descendants the cognomen Scaevola meaning left handed Porsena was shocked at the youth s bravery and dismissed him from the Etruscan camp free to return to Rome saying Go back since you do more harm to yourself than me At the same time the king also sent ambassadors to Rome to offer peace 2 Mucius was granted farming land on the right hand bank of the Tiber which later became known as the Mucia Prata Mucian Meadows 3 In popular culture edit nbsp Mucius Scaevola in the Presence of Lars Porsenna by Matthias Stom early 1640s Art Gallery of New South Wales Dante Alighieri refers to Mucius and the sacrifice of his hand within the Divine Comedy In Paradiso Canto 4 82 87 along with St Lawrence Mucius is depicted as a person possessing the rarest and firmest of wills In a poem in Musa Posthuma Martha Marchina compared Mucius unfavorably to the martyr Martha and suggests that Martha was the stronger hero because she suffered worse on behalf of God 4 Jean Jacques Rousseau mentions in Book One of his Confessions that as a child he attempted to replicate Mucius action by placing his hand over a chafing dish At the age of twelve Friedrich Nietzsche attempting to prove to his classmates at Schulpforta that the story could be true burnt his outstretched palm over a book of burning matches without expression of pain and was only saved from serious harm by the school s prefect 5 Gordon Scott portrayed Mucius in the sword and sandal film Hero of Rome 1964 which was loosely based on this story Since 1991 Spanish cultural association Fuerzas de Choque Extraordinarii from the Carthaginians and Romans es festivities of Cartagena has Gaius Mucius Scaevola as their commander In the 2022 television series Gaslit James McCord says to G Gordon Liddy Gaius Scaevola would be proud McCord is referring to an earlier conversation where Liddy describes holding his hand over a candle in order to prove to several Cubans that he was macho This was part of a program Liddy followed to develop his willpower 6 See also editCloelia Et facere et pati fortia Romanum est Mucia gens TyrReferences edit Livy Ab Urbe Condita 2 12 Livy Ab Urbe Condita 2 12 13 Livy Ab Urbe Condita 2 12 13 Marchina Martha 1662 Musa Posthuma Rome p 77 Levine Peter 1995 Nietzsche and the Modern Crisis of the Humanities State University of New York Press p 3 Woodward Bob 1980 05 18 Gordon Liddy Spills His Guts The Washington Post Washington D C Retrieved April 17 2023 nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gaius Mucius Scaevola Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gaius Mucius Scaevola amp oldid 1221731061, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
