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Carmenta, the *Happy Prophetess*, was a moon goddess, goddess of beginnings, and goddess of children. She could see the future.
No signs of death were allowed in her temple, so leather sandals and animal skins were forbidden. The Romans believed that pregnant women should never wear animal skins or their children might be born dead.
Carmenta was attended by her two sisters, Antevorta and Pastverta, "Forward Facing" and "Backward Facing", referring to their powers over the position of the child in the womb. Other female spirits present at childbirth included Lucina, who opened the baby's eyes, and Levana, who helped the father pick up the baby. Then there was Candelifera, who watched over the nursery lamp.
Thematically, there seems to be quite a bit of overlap with Janus, but I'm not aware of clues that the two are related.
Bernstein, Frances, _Classical Living: Reconnecting with the Rituals of Ancient Rome_. HarperCollins, 2000.
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✍️ Last Updated: 2022-01-18