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, ...

, Empanda or Panda was a

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...

, or possibly an

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

of Juno. Festus identifies her only as a ''dea paganorum'', "goddess of the rustics." Varro associates her with Ceres, and notes that there is a Roman gate named after her, the ''Porta Pandana''. A similarly named gate is mentioned in the Umbrian Iguvine Tablets (VIa 14): ''pertome Padellar''. Varro connects the word with ''pandere'', "to open," but also explains it by ''panem dare'', "to give bread," so that Empanda would be the goddess of bread or food. Modern scholarship associates the Latin Empanda with the Oscan Patanaí (in the dative singular), and the Umbrian ''Padellar'' (<*''Padenla:s'' < *''Patnla:s'' < *''Patnola:s''), with Latin ''-nd-'' regularly from ''*-tn-'', and Oscan regular vowel insertion to break up consonant clusters. All are ultimately related to not only ''pando/pandere'', but also to Latin ''pateo'' "I open" and ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root ''*peth₂-'' "to spread" seen also in English ''fathom'' (originally meaning "outstretched arms"). Empanda had a sanctuary near the gate which led to the capitol and which was called the '' Porta Pandana'' after her. Her temple was an asylum which was always open. Needy supplicants who came to it were supplied with food from the resources of the temple. In the opinion of Leonhard Schmitz, this custom shows the meaning of the name ''Panda'' or ''Empanda'': it is connected with ''pandere'', to open; she is accordingly the goddess who is open to or admits any one who wants protection. Hartung(die Religion der Röm. ii. p. 76, &c.) – cited by Schmitz thinks that ''Empanda'' and ''Panda'' are only surnames of Juno.

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References

* Roman goddesses {{AncientRome-myth-stub ru:Empanda