Camenae

The Camenae began as useful and practical goddesses who cared for springs and wells and cured disease and foretold the future.

But when the Greek gods came to Rome, the Camenae were identified with those impractical deities the Muses, who cared only for art and science.

The title of scriba was applied to Livius Andronicus; and Naevius, who has by some been regarded as the last of the old race of Roman bards, applies to himself the Greek name of poeta,— Flerent divae Camenae Naevium poetam.

The worship of the Camenae was indeed an old and genuine part of the Roman or Italian religion; but, as was said before, their original function was to predict future events, and to communicate the knowledge of divination; not like that of the Greek Muses, to imagine bright stories of divine and human adventure,— λησμοσύνην τε κακῶν ἄμπαυμά τε μερμηράων.

Even the names by which two of the Camenae were known—Postvorta and Antevorta—suggest the prosaic and practical functions which they were supposed to fulfil.