Content Warning: This section of the guide references rape, graphic violence, and death.

Juliette Cross’s Firebird is a historical fantasy romance that draws deeply and deliberately from ancient Roman history, geography, and mythology, much as Rick Riordan draws on Greek mythology for The Lightning Thief. Though the world of Firebird includes dragons, empathic tethers, and magical priestesses, its foundation is firmly rooted in the structures, customs, and legends of the Roman Empire. Cross does not merely borrow names; she reconstructs a fantasy world that echoes Rome’s politics, belief systems, violence, and even gender dynamics, crafting a story that feels otherworldly and historically familiar.

A key example of this historical adaptation is the reimagining of the myth of Romulus and Remus, depicted in Edith Hamilton’s Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. In Roman legend, a she-wolf raises the abandoned twins who go on to found the city of Rome, with Romulus ultimately killing Remus. Firebird transforms this myth by replacing the wolf with a dragon who raises the boys, giving them the power to shift between human, half-skin, and dragon forms. This twist infuses the founding myth with supernatural energy and provides a mythical explanation for the dragon-shifting bloodlines that dominate the novel’s political structure. By embedding the magical in the historical, Cross expands on the Roman preoccupation with lineage, power, and divine favor.

The novel also reflects real Roman political and military titles and institutions. As explained in Plutarch’s Lives, Julian is a legatus, a high-ranking Roman officer who historically commanded legions or provinces. The ruling emperor is Caesar, a title that evolved from Julius Caesar’s name into a symbol of imperial authority. The currency mentioned, the aureus, was a real Roman gold coin, often stamped with the image of emperors or gods. The government mirrors the Roman Senate, where political discourse and deadly intrigue occurred. These terms and institutions provide authenticity, making the fantasy empire feel convincingly Roman.

Geography in Firebird also adheres closely to Roman-era boundaries. Malina, the protagonist, is Dacian, a real people from the region of modern-day Romania. Romans annexed Dacia in the early 2nd century CE and considered it a rebellious frontier. In addition, Caesar sends Julian to Moesia, now Serbia, another historical province bordering Dacia, which was frequently threatened by incursions and uprisings. These settings underscore the tension between Rome’s center and its often-volatile outer provinces, a real challenge faced by the Roman Empire. In the novel, Rome’s brutality plays out most clearly in these regions, where resistance simmers.

The novel also incorporates a distinctly Roman flavor of vulgarity and irreverence. Ancient Roman graffiti (preserved in cities like Pompeii) reveals a crude and humorous side of everyday life, often involving sexual insults, political mockery, or boasts. In Firebird, Julian notes graffiti depicting Caesar and himself with exaggerated genitalia, a crude satire that mirrors real Roman humor. These touches add comic relief and reinforce the class divisions and libertine culture that underpinned much of Rome’s public life.

Mythology, particularly the stories of Medusa and the gods Minerva, Pluto, and Proserpina, plays a critical role in shaping the world of Firebird. Cross adapts the Medusa myth to fit the novel’s themes of power, trauma, and retribution. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Neptune rapes Medusa in Minerva’s temple, and Minerva punishes Medusa by transforming her into a Gorgon. In Firebird, Minerva instead empowers Medusa and her sister priestesses: Medusa receives empathic gifts, another becomes a siren, and the third gains Charon’s kiss (the ability to kill corrupt men). This shift reclaims female agency and casts divine justice in a more empowering light.

The gods in Firebird are not abstract symbols but active forces. Minerva (goddess of wisdom and war), Pluto (ruler of the underworld), and Proserpina (goddess of seasonal rebirth) shape the story’s spiritual and political fabric. Malina makes offerings to Minerva, pleading for protection and guidance. Julian buries the dead to ensure they reach Pluto’s realm. These acts reflect the deeply ritualistic nature of Roman religion, where gods were seen as arbiters of justice and fate who required offerings, obedience, and fear. Not completing the correct burial rites would preclude a person from reaching the underworld, so Caesar’s refusal to let slaves have burial rites is callous.

The brutality featured in the novel is also rooted in Roman history. One of the more chilling details in Firebird—the hanging of traitors’ heads on city walls—has historical precedent, as described in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. During periods of civil unrest, such as the proscriptions under Sulla and the reign of Emperor Nero, the heads of executed enemies were publicly displayed in places like the Rostra (Porter, Barry. “Bloodbath at the Colline Gate.” The Warfare History Network. Oct 2008.). This practice served as a warning to others and a gruesome display of power. Cross channels this reality to amplify the stakes of rebellion in her story, reminding readers that human cruelty remains all too familiar even in a world of dragons.

Firebird creates a vivid fantasy world that draws from Rome’s historical and cultural heritage. By integrating accurate Roman customs, military terms, mythology, and political rituals, Cross grounds her novel in a recognizable imperial past. The dragons and magic may be fantastical, but the heart of Firebird beats with the same ambitions, hypocrisies, and rebellions that shaped ancient Rome.