Levana (from Latin levare, "to lift"[1]) is an ancient Roman goddess involved in rituals pertaining to childbirth. Augustine says that dea Levana is invoked when the child is lifted de terra, from the earth or ground.[2] Her function may be paralleled by the Greek Artemis Orthia, if interpreted as the Artemis who lifts or raises children.[3]
It is sometimes supposed that Levana was invoked in a ceremony by which the father lifted the child to acknowledge it as his own, but the existence of such a ceremony is based on tenuous evidence and contradicted by Roman law pertaining to legitimacy of birth.[4] More likely, Levana was the goddess who oversaw the lifting of the child by the midwife immediately after birth. Kneeling or squatting was a more common position for childbirth in antiquity,[5] and the newborn probably came to rest on the ground before the umbilical cord was cut.[6]
^W.M. Lindsay, The Latin Language: An Historical Account of Latin Sounds, Stems, and Flexions (Cambridge University Press, 1894, reprinted 2010), p. 326.
^Augustine, De Civitate Dei 4.11; perhaps also referenced by Tertullian, Ad nationes 2.11, but the text is problematic.
^Claude Calame, Choruses of Young Women in Ancient Greece: Their Morphology, Religious Role, and Social Functions, translated by Derek Collins and Janice Orion (Rowman & Littlefield, 2001), p. 167.
^Brent D. Shaw, "Raising and Killing Children: Two Roman Myths," Mnemosyne 54.1 (2001), pp. 54–55.
^Pierre Grimal, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology (Blackwell, 1986, 1996, originally published 1951 in French), pp. 311–312; Charles J. Adamec, "Genu, genus," Classical Philology 15 (1920), p. 199]; J.G. Frazer, Pausanias's Description of Greece (London, 1913), vol. 4, p. 436; Marcel Le Glay, "Remarques sur la notion de Salus dans la religion romaine," La soteriologia dei culti orientali nell' imperio romano: Études préliminaires au religions orientales dans l'empire romain, Colloquio internazionale Roma, 1979 (Brill, 1982), p. 442.
^Christian Laes, Children in the Roman Empire: Outsiders Within (Cambridge University Press, 2011, originally published 2006 in Dutch), p. 60; Robert Turcan, The Gods of Ancient Rome (Routledge, 2001; originally published in French 1998), p. 20.
Levana (from Latin levare, "to lift") is an ancient Roman goddess involved in rituals pertaining to childbirth. Augustine says that dea Levana is invoked...
Gvina levana (Hebrew: גבינה לבנה), which means "white cheese" in Hebrew, also known as Israeli white cheese, is a soft, creamy, and tangy cheese that is...
of prayers are recited to bless the new moon. The source of the Kiddush Levana is in the Babylonian Talmud: Rabbi Yochanan taught that one who blesses...
Levana Kirschenbaum is an American restaurateur, caterer, cooking teacher and food writer. She is almost always referred to solely by her given name, Levana...
Levana Finkelstein (Hebrew: לבנה פינקלשטיין; born 21 September 1947) is an Israeli actress and sculptor. She has appeared in more than thirty films since...
Queen Levana. Winter despises her stepmother and knows Levana will not approve of her feelings for Jacin. However, Winter is not as weak as Levana believes...
Levana Moshon (Hebrew: לבנה מושון, also Hebrew: לבנה מושון-קוזק, Levana Moshon-Kozak) (born October 28, 1952, Tel Aviv) is an Israeli writer, journalist...
layers of human consciousness and memory. Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow — beginning with a discussion of Levana, the ancient Roman goddess of childbirth...
Levanna projectile points are stone projectile points manufactured by Native Americans what is now the Northeastern United States, generally in the time...
ideas on art; he discussed the principles of education in Levana, oder Erziehungslehre ("Levana, or, Pedagogy", 1807); and the opinions suggested by current...
ceremonial chamber, impaling her. The idea of "Three Mothers" comes from "Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow", a section of Thomas de Quincey's Suspiria de...
artisanal cheeses, Israel is a key player in the global cheese market. Gvina levana is a soft spreadable cheese that is slightly similar to cream cheese and...
stars, as mentioned in the Book of Psalms and in particular in the Kiddush levana, thereby indicating the ethical balance of who, being Tzadik, would never...
specimens. In December 2015, more scorpion remains were found in the nearby Levana Cave. Wildlife of Israel Typhlocaris galilea Levy, 2007 "The first troglobite...
Meyer, thaumaturges are the bodyguards and police force of the Lunar Queen Levana. In Magic: The Gathering, many cards in the plane of Theros feature Thaumaturges...
sesame seeds. Bagel toast is generally filled with tzfatit, feta, gvina levana or galil cheese, green olives, corn, tomatoes, onions, dressing, and pizza...
Global Information