Hirpi Sorani: The Wolves of Sorannus
Before the 5th Century BCE, a group of people called the Faliscan lived in close harmony of the Etruscan. These Faliscans had a cult centre to the god Sorannus at Mt Soracte in the Lower Tiber valley, the only mountain in the area. The cult was led by a group of priests called the Hirpi Sorani, roughly translating to "The Wolves of Sorannus".
Despite living and conducting rituals in the Faliscan region, some families of the Hirpi did not come from this region, according to Pliny and Solinus.
Although Priesthood was reserved to only certain families, the whole community joined in on the rituals.
According to Pliny the Elder, Solinus and Strabo, the rituals were conducted by burning a pile of wood, specifically pine according to Virgil, to glowing embers. The priests would later walk thrice on these embers, painless, carrying offerings for Sorannus.
All authors describe that the Hirpi didn't burn their feet even when they walked upon the embers. Varro and Servius point out that the priests applied a medical ointment on their soles to avoid burns.
(Image of a silver coin of Apollo-Sorannus)
The most striking aspect of the Hirpi Sorani is their affiliation with wolves. In the Etruscan religion in general, wolves were associated with the underworld. In the Mediterranean region, they served as a symbol of the passage between life and death. Thus their association with the goddess Hecate of the Greek Pantheon.
(Image of an Etruscan wolf helmet)
Their affiliation with Wolves may be the cause of syncretism with Apollo. After the 5th Century BCE, the Roman city-state gained control of the Faliscan territory. They ended up syncretising Apollo and Sorannus. Wolves were sacred to both gods.
The Hirpi Sorani represented wolves, and even were wolves spiritually or symbolically. The abuse of wolves was apparently taboo. They were also seen as messengers of the gods to the Romans. There is however no evidence as to if they had any clothing which made them look like wolves.
Much information about the Hirpi Sorani has been lost to time. For further reading:
• Rissanen, M. (2013) "The Hirpi Sorani and the Wolf Cults of Central Italy"
• Fogliazza, S. (2020) "Wolves and Gods in the Etruscan world"