| Carmenta | |
|---|---|
Goddess of childbirth and prophecy, protector of mothers and children, patron of midwives, inventor of the alphabet | |
| Member of theCamenae | |
 Nicostrata-Carmenta inventing theLatin alphabet (Antoine Dufour, 1504) | |
| Other names | Nicostrate |
| Major cult center | a shrine near thePorta Carmentalis |
| Gender | female |
| Festivals | Carmentalia |
| Offspring | Evander of Pallantium |
 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(March 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Inancient Roman religion andmyth,Carmenta was a goddess of childbirth and prophecy, associated with technological innovation[citation needed] as well as the protection of mothers and children and a patron ofmidwives. She was also said to have invented theLatin alphabet.
The nameCarmenta is derived from Latincarmen, meaning a magic spell, oracle or song, and also the root of the English wordcharm. Her original name wasNicostrate (Greek:Νικοστράτη, "victory-army"), but it was changed later to honor her renown for giving oracles (Latin singular:carmen). She was the mother ofEvander of Pallene (fathered byHermes)[1] and, along with other Greek followers, they founded the town ofPallantium which later was one of the sites of the start of Rome.Gaius Julius Hyginus (Fab. 277) mentions the legend that it was she who altered fifteen letters of the Greek alphabet to become the Latin alphabet which her son Evander introduced into Latium.Carmenta was one of theCamenae and theCimmerian Sibyl. The leader of her cult was called theflamen carmentalis.
It was forbidden to wearleather or other forms of dead skin in her temple which was next to thePorta Carmentalis inRome. Her festival, called theCarmentalia, was celebrated primarily by women on January 11 and January 15. She is remembered inDe Mulieribus Claris, a collection of biographies of historical and mythological women by theFlorentine authorGiovanni Boccaccio, composed in 1361–62. It is notable as the first collection devoted exclusively to biographies of women in Western literature.[2]
| Deities (Dii Consentes) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Legendary figures | ||
| Legendary beings | ||
| Texts | ||
| Concepts and practices | ||
| Philosophy | ||
| Events | ||
| Objects | ||
| Variations | ||
| See also | ||