Lucina
Roman goddess of childbirth who brought babies into the light, equivalent to the Greek Eileithyia
The Myth of Lucina
Lucina's name comes from lux, "light," because she brought children into the light of day. She was sometimes treated as an independent deity and sometimes as an aspect of Juno (Juno Lucina) or Diana. Her sacred grove on the Esquiline Hill was one of the oldest in Rome. Women in labour called upon her name, and it was forbidden to tie knots or cross legs in her temple, as these were thought to magically impede delivery. The Matronalia on 1 March was closely associated with her worship, and new mothers made offerings at her shrine. Roman midwives invoked her as a matter of course. Her cult reflects the deadly seriousness of childbirth in the ancient world, where maternal mortality was extremely high.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
It was strictly forbidden to cross your legs or tie any knots inside a temple of Lucina, as this was believed to block childbirth
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Eileithyia
⚡ godGoddess of childbirth
Eileithyia presided over every birth — without her, no child could be born, giving her quiet but absolute power.
Juno
⚡ godMarriage, childbirth, women, the state
Queen of the Roman gods and protector of women and the state, counterpart to the Greek Hera
Venus
⚡ godLove, beauty, desire, fertility
Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, identified with the Greek Aphrodite but also revered as ancestress of the Roman people
Epione
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Melinoe
⚡ godUnderworld
A chthonic goddess of ghosts and nightmares who drove mortals to madness with spectral visions
Hygeia
goddesshealth, cleanliness, sanitation, prevention of illness
Goddess of health, cleanliness, and the prevention of sickness, daughter of Asclepius and one of the most widely worshipped healing deities.
Libera
⚡ godFemale fertility, freedom, wine
Roman goddess of female fertility and freedom, consort of Liber, sometimes identified with Proserpina
Achelois
🐉 creatureMoon, healing
Minor moon goddess or epithet meaning she who washes away pain, associated with lunar healing rites
Luna
⚡ godMoon, night, cycles
Roman goddess of the moon, equivalent to the Greek Selene
Dione
🏔 titanTitaness and mother of Aphrodite
An ancient Titaness worshipped at Dodona as the consort of Zeus and, in Homer's tradition, the mother of Aphrodite.
Persephone
⚡ godQueen of the Underworld
The daughter of Demeter who became queen of the dead — the goddess who bridges the living world and the realm of the departed.
Hera
⚡ godQueen of the gods, marriage, family, childbirth
Queen of the Olympian gods and goddess of marriage. Known for her jealous rages against Zeus's lovers and their children.