Tacita Muse
When the Romans borrowed from Greeks the cult of the Nine Muses the arts protectors, they had already a muse only Roman: Tacita.
She is a muse who invites man to silence and confidentiality because the reticence and lack of loquacity were held in high regard in Rome. The cult had been would by Numa Pompilius who considered it necessary for the new city.
Tacita cult has found its roots in the history of the naiad Lara that regardless of the offense that could bring to Jupiter, went to tell to Juno that the father of the gods had designs on nymph Juturna; Jupiter became angry and tore the tongue "since she has been able to make good use", and ordered Mercury to accompany Lara became silent, to the swamp of the underworld of which would become the nymph patron. But during the journey Mercury took advantage of her and raped her; the nymph gave birth to twins, the Lares gods who had the task of protecting the city and watch over the borders.
As the goddess of silence, Lara took on so called Tacita Muse and, as mother of the Lares, was also called Acca, because the letter h is silent.
The myth is still displaying the values of Roman civilization - and before the Greek - that women should remain silent not only virtue but also to duty; and even the tongue is torn expression of abuse of the male world that to hide the rape, remove word to the woman: silence is imposed and the woman is submissive except for one year, during the holidays for the departed the 21th February.
During Feralia when were celebrating the Manes, the spirits of the dead, and in particular of deceased ancestors, as told by Ovid, was performed a ritual in honor of the goddess Tacita. For the ritual an old drunk womenwould sit in a circle with other girls and women, including three of his fingers put three grains of incense under a threshold, held in his mouth seven beans and then sprinkled with pitch the head of a fish, dumb animal, the roasted in wine and drank the beverage so obtained. Through this rite he wanted to prevent the city from spreading slander.
Tacita Muta, however, had a larger task than protecting just by rumors and gossips; It was a goddess of the underworld who presided at the funeral cults seen as passing from what is simply dead in what becomes support for new life.
It's from the rite to the goddess Tacita that was born the tradition of the beans of the dead,the sweets prepared inmany countries and eaten during the annual festivals of the dead.
by M.L. ©ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (Ed 1.0 - 07/07/2015)