goddess of light, a title given to Juno and Diana as presiding over childbirth and bringing children into the light of the world. The full name is lucina dea, " the light-bringing goddess" (lux, light, hence adj. lucinus). It is also given to Hecate (Tibullus 3.4. 13), as the bringer of terrible dreams, and is used metaphorically as a synonym for child-birth (Virg. Georg. iii. 60; Ovid, Ars. Amat. iii. 785).