List of Roman Birth and Childhood Deities - Child Development

Child Development

In well-to-do households, children were cared for by nursemaids (nutrices, singular nutrix, which can mean either a wet nurse who might be a slave or a paid professional of free status, or more generally any nursery maid, who would be a household slave). Mothers with a nursery staff were still expected to supervise the quality of care, education, and emotional wellbeing of children. Ideally, fathers would take an interest even in their infant children; Cato liked to be present when his wife bathed and swaddled their child. Nursemaids might make their own bloodless offerings to deities who protected and fostered the growth of children. Most of the "teaching gods" are female, perhaps because they themselves were thought of as divine nursemaids. The gods who encourage speech, however, are male. The ability to speak well was a defining characteristic of the elite citizen. Although women were admired for speaking persuasively, oratory was regarded as a masculine pursuit essential to public life.

• Potina (Potica or Potua) enables the child to drink.
• Edusa, from the verb edo, edere, esus, "eat," also as Edulia, Edula, Educa, Edesia etc., enables the taking of nourishment. The variations of her name may indicate that while her functional focus was narrow, her name had not stabilized; she was mainly a divine force to be invoked ad hoc for a specific purpose.
• Ossipago builds strong bones; probably a title of Juno, from ossa, "bones," + pango, pangere, "insert, fix, set." Alternative readings of the text include Ossipagina, Ossilago, Opigena, Ossipanga, Ossipango, and Ossipaga.
• Carna makes strong muscles, and defends the internal organs from witches or strigae.
• Cunina protects the cradle from malevolent magic.
• Cuba helps the child transition from cradle to a bed.
• Paventia or Paventina averts fear (pavor) from the child.
• Peta sees to its "first wants."
• Agenoria endows the child with a capacity to lead an active life.
• Adeona and Abeona monitor its coming and going in learning to walk.
• Interduca and Domiduca accompany it leaving the house and coming home again.

• Catius pater, "Father Catius," is invoked for sharpening the minds of children as they develop intellectually.
• Farinus enables speech.
• Fabulinus prompts the child's first words.
• Locutius enables it to form sentences.
• Mens ("Mind") provides it with intelligence.
• Volumnus or Volumna grants the child the will to do good.
• Numeria gives the child the ability to count.
• Camena enables it to sing.
• The Muses give the ability to appreciate the arts, literature, and science.

Children wore the toga praetexta, with a purple band that marked them as sacred and inviolable, and an amulet (bulla) to ward off malevolence.