Gaius Mucius Scaevola

Was a Roman youth, celebrated for his bravery.

The Clusian King, Lars Porsena laid siege to Rome in 508 BC. Gaius Mucius, with the permission of the Roman Senate, sneaked into the king’s camp with the intention of murdering him. He made a mistake about Porsena’s identity and ended up killing his scribe instead. When captured he made a speech about the bravery of Roman youth and stuck his right hand in a fire lit for sacrifices and did not flinch and giving no indication of pain. From this he earned the sobriquet ‘Scaevola’ meaning ‘left-handed’ which was passed on through his descendants.

The story has it that Porsena was so impressed with the youth’s bravery that he let him go and at the same time sent ambassadors to Rome to sue for peace.

Mucius was awarded farmland on the right bank of the Tiber which became known as the Murcia Prata (Murcian Meadows)

It’s not clear whether the story is factual or is just a myth, but it has been used throughout history as a subject for statues, paintings and more lately has been used as a trope in various films.