Quiritis was a

Sabine The Sabines (, , , ; ) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains (see Sabina) of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divided int ...

(pre-

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

) goddess of motherhood. She was often associated with protection. In later years, Quiritis was identified with the goddess

Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods * ''Juno'' (film), the 2007 film Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, a character in the book ''Juno of ...

, who was sometimes worshipped under the name Juno Quiritis (or Juno Curitis). Some scholars believe that Juno was in fact merely another version of Quiritis, although others say that the two are linked merely by borrowing.{{cite book, author=British Archaeological Association, title=Journal of the British Archaeological Association, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AWo_AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA247, year=1892, publisher=British Archaeological Association., pages=1– Her name is believed to have derived from a Sabine word meaning "

lance The English term lance is derived, via Middle English '' launce'' and Old French '' lance'', from the Latin '' lancea'', a generic term meaning a wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generic term meaning a spear">wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generi ...

" or "

spear A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with Fire hardening, fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable materia ...

", and she is often depicted holding that weapon (presumably in defence of someone or something). This is a feature that was incorporated into Juno's identity. Traditionally, Roman

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

s included a ritual where the bride's hair was cut or parted with a spear - some see this as the result of Juno's association with marriage, although other explanations for the ritual are given as well. Juno Quiritis is said to have been the only deity worshipped by all thirty of the original ''curiae'' (political and military divisions) established by

Romulus Romulus (, ) was the legendary founder and first king of Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus and his contemporaries. Although many of th ...

. There was a temple to Juno Quiritis on the

Campus Martius The Campus Martius (Latin for '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 ...

, an area where soldiers traditionally trained.

References

Roman goddesses Mother goddesses Childhood goddesses it:Quiriti