Neonatal Care
Once the child came into the light, a number of rituals were enacted over the course of the following week. An offerings table received congratulatory sacrifices from the mother's female friends. Three deities—Intercidona, Pilumnus, and Deverra—were invoked to drive away Silvanus, the wild woodland god of trees: three men secured the household every night by striking the threshold (limen; see liminality) with an axe and then a pestle, followed by sweeping it.
In the atrium of the house, a bed was made up for Juno, and a table set for Hercules. In the Hellenized mythological tradition, Juno tried to prevent the birth of Hercules, as it resulted from Jupiter's infidelity. Ovid has Lucina crossing her knees and fingers to bind the labor. Etruscan religion, however, emphasized the role that Juno (as Uni) played in endowing Hercle with his divine nature through the drinking of her breast milk.
- Intercidona provides the axe without which trees cannot be cut (intercidere).
- Pilumnus or Picumnus grants the pestle necessary for making flour from grain.
- Deverra gives the broom with which grain was swept up (verrere) (compare Averruncus).
- Juno in her bed represents the nursing mother.
- Hercules represents the child who requires feeding.
- Rumina promotes suckling. This goddess received libations of milk, an uncommon liquid offering among the Romans.
Read more about this topic: List Of Roman Birth And Childhood Deities
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