ancient Roman religion
Religion in ancient Rome consisted of varying imperial and provincial religious practices, which were followed both by the people of Rome as well as those who were brought under its rule.
The Romans thought of themselves as highly religious, ...
, Lucina was a title or epithet given to the goddess
Juno
Juno commonly refers to:
*Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods
* ''Juno'' (film), 2007
Juno may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters
*Juno, in the film '' Jenny, Juno''
*Juno, in the ...
, and sometimes to Diana,Green, C.M.C. (2007). ''Roman Religion and the Cult of Diana at Aricia''. New York: Cambridge University Press. in their roles as goddesses of childbirth who safeguarded the lives of women in labor.
The title ''lucina'' (from the Latin ''lux, lucis,'' "light") links both Juno and Diana to the light of the moon, the cycles of which were used to track female fertility as well as measure the duration of a pregnancy. Priests of Juno called her by the epithet ''Juno Covella'' on the new moon.Gagarin, M. 2010. ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome'', Volume 1. Oxford University Press. The title might alternately have been derived from ''
lucus
In ancient Roman religion, a ''lūcus'' (, plural ''lūcī'') is a sacred grove.
''Lucus'' was one of four Latin words meaning in general "forest, woodland, grove" (along with ''nemus'', ''silva'', and ''saltus''), but unlike the others it w ...
'' ("grove") after a sacred grove of
lotus tree
The lotus tree ( grc-gre, λωτός, ''lōtós'') is a plant that is referred to in stories from Greek and Roman mythology.
The lotus tree is mentioned in Homer's ''Odyssey'' as bearing a fruit that caused a pleasant drowsiness, and which was sai ...
s on the
Esquiline Hill
The Esquiline Hill (; la, Collis Esquilinus; it, Esquilino ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Its southernmost cusp is the ''Oppius'' (Oppian Hill).
Etymology
The origin of the name ''Esquiline'' is still under much debate. One view is ...
associated with Juno, later the site of her temple.
Juno Lucina was chief among a number of deities who influenced or guided every aspect of birth and child development, such as
Vagitanus
In ancient Roman religion, Vagitanus or Vaticanus was one of a number of childbirth deities who influenced or guided some aspect of parturition, in this instance the newborn's crying. The name is related to the Latin noun ''vagitus'', "crying, squa ...
, who opened the newborn's mouth to cry, and
Fabulinus In the popular Religion in ancient Rome, religion of ancient Rome, though not appearing in literary Roman mythology, the god Fabulinus (from ''fabulari'', to speak) taught children to speak. He received an offering when the child spoke its first wor ...
, who enabled the child's first articulate speech. The collective ''
di nixi
In ancient Roman religion, the ''di nixi'' (or ''dii nixi''), also ''Nixae'', were birth deities. They were depicted kneeling or squatting, a more common birthing position in antiquity than in the modern era. The 2nd-century grammarian Festus ex ...
'' were birth goddesses, and had an altar in the
Campus Martius
The Campus Martius (Latin for the "Field of Mars", Italian ''Campo Marzio'') was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome. The IV rione of Rome, Campo Marzio, which covers ...
.
The
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
...
146 Lucina
Lucina (minor planet designation: 146 Lucina) is a main-belt asteroid that was discovered by Alphonse Borrelly on June 8, 1875, and named after Lucina, the Roman goddess of childbirth. It is large, dark and has a carbonaceous composition. The sp ...
and the extinct species of ostracod
Luprisca incuba
''Luprisca incuba'' is an extinct species of ostracod crustacean. It was described as a new species in 2014, following discovery and analysis of fossilized specimens in mudstone rocks from New York, United States. A team of researchers from the ...
are named after this aspect of the goddess.
See also
*
List of Roman birth and childhood deities
In ancient Roman religion, birth and childhood deities were thought to care for every aspect of conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and child development. Some major deities of Roman religion had a specialized function they contributed to this ...