Egeria

• Topics in Roman mythology
  Important Gods:
  Jupiter *Mars *Quirinus *Vesta *Juno *Fortuna	*Minerva *Mercury *Vulcan *Ceres *Venus *Lares
  Legendary History
  Roman religion
  *The Flamens
  Greek/Roman myth compared
  —
  Other Rustic Gods:
  *Bona Dea *Carmenta *Camenae *Dea Dia *Convector	*Flora *Lupercus *Pales *Pomona *Egeria

In Roman mythology, the goddess Egeria ("of the black poplar") was a goddess of birth, wisdom and one of the Camenae. She was married to Numa Pompilius, second king of Rome and taught him matters relating to being a wise and just king.

When Numa Pompilius died, she changed him into a well, located in the forest of Aricia, holy to Diana, in Latium.

In Early Chistian history, Egeria is the name of a nun who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land about the 380s, taking about three years to do it, and who wrote a long letter to her beloved community of nuns at home (somewhere not far from the Rhone) describing her travels. Only a part of it, three months' worth, survives, but in the 12th century a monk named Valerius wrote a synopsis that gives us a sketch of the rest. The manuscript is known as the Itineraria Egeriae.

The manuscript has been translated several times, but the best for the average reader is George Wilkinson, ''Egeria's Travels: newly translated'\', 1999 with supporting documents and notes.

External link

• Introduction to Egeria and further links to e-texts and commentaries

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There is also an asteroid 13 Egeria.