Lucius Vorenus

Lucius Vorenus (given as L. Varenus in some translations) was one of the two soldiers of the 13th Legion (Legio XIII Gemina) mentioned in the personal writings of Julius Caesar. The other soldier mentioned was Titus Pullo.

He appears, along with Titus Pullo, in Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico, Book 5, Chapter 44. The episode describes the two as centurions, approaching the first ranks, who shared a bitter personal rivalry. It relates how Pullo charged the enemy (the Nervii) in the heat of battle. Pullo casts his javelin at one of the enemy from a short distance, but he is simultaneously pierced by a spear and surrounded by other Nervii preventing him from drawing his sword. At this moment, Lucius Vorenus, following Pullo from the fortifications, reached the site of the mêlée, engaging the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. After slaying one of the enemy and driving back the rest, Vorenus lost his footing on the irregular terrain. As the Nervii drew closer to him, Pullo came to his rescue. After slaying many of their opponents, the two retreated to the fortifications amidst roaring applause from their comrades in arms.