Acca Laurentia
|
Acca Larentia: Italian goddess of cornfields. With husband Faustulus, she raised Romulus and Remus. She was said to have had twelve sons, with whom she made sacrifices annually for the fertility of the fields. When one son died, Romulus took his place and instituted the collegium Fratres Arvales, the Arval Brethren. She is therefore identified with the Dea Dia of that collegium. The flamen Quirinalis acted in the role of Romulus (deified as Quirinus) to perform funerary rites for his foster mother. Acca Larentia, or Larentina, is also identified with Larunda, Mana Genita, and Muta.