In Roman mythology, the Camenae (also Casmenae, Camoenae) were originally goddesses of childbirth, wells and fountains, and also prophetic deities.[1]
Some mythological figures associated with the Camenae include:[2]
The last two were sometimes specifically referred to as the Carmentae and in ancient times might have been two aspects of Carmenta rather than separate figures; in later times, however, they are distinct beings believed to protect women in labor.[3]
It is not clear whether these were in fact Camenae themselves, or just closely connected to them.[4]
The Camenae were later identified with the Greek Muses. The first instance of this is in Livius Andronicus' translation of Homer's Odyssey, rendering the Greek word Mousa (Μοῦσα) as Camena.[5]
Horace refers to poetic inspiration as the "soft breath of the Greek Camena" (spiritum Graiae tenuem Camenae) in Odes II.16. He also mentions the "nine Camenae" (Latin: novem Camenae) in the Carmen Saeculare, which denotes the Muses.
Latin authors used the Camenae as a Latinized version of the Greek Muses. This began with Livius Andronicus and continued with Gnaeus Naevius' epitaph. However, their use waned afterwards until a resurgence around the time of Horace.