July 12, 100 BC
After long hours of labor, screams and blood, at midnight, with the full moon high in the clear black sky, Aurelia Cotta gave birth to a baby girl in the mansion of Gaius Julius Caesar, her husband. Her servants took her little girl in their hands, cleaned her face and her little body, then wrapped her in a cloth and gave her to the mother, sweaty and tired, who held out her hands stammering:
"Le-Let me see my son."
"My lady, she's a girl. You had a beautiful healthy daughter but she… she doesn't open her eyes and she doesn't even open her mouth."
"Give me my daughter ... I want to see her ... with my own eyes ..."
Aurelia took the baby in her hands, she was alive, she was breathing regularly but she hadn't cried, a very strange thing for a newborn; she stroked her face and kissed her forehead and only then did she see those deep scarlet eyes reflecting the moonlight. Aurelia immediately fell in love with that calm but serious look like that of a leader, holding that little baby girl in her arms she had the impression of having had a gift from the Gods.
Gaius Julius Caesar entered the room, anxious to see his daughter but when he noticed her eyes as red as his blood he was shocked and asked his wife:
"Such a thing is not normal. Her eyes are-"
"Maybe it's a sign. Maybe she's been blessed by Venus and that's the mark of the blessing."
"What if it's a curse?"
"No, it isn't, I'm sure. Look at her face, look at her beautiful eyes. She's not cursed ... she's blessed. I have faith."
Eventually her husband had to accept Aurelia's version, approached her to get a better look at his daughter and commented:
"I've never seen a baby so quiet."
"See? She's special."
"She's fine, but what do you want to call her?"
"I don't know. Have you thought of a name, my dear?"
"If it had been a boy I would have called him after me ... but she is a girl, I don't know what name to give her. Maybe Julia."
"I like it-"
Then the servants let in an elderly woman with her face covered, she walked holding on to a long wooden stick to which was attached a golden chain at the end of which was tied a concave saucer on which a fire was burning. The old woman raised her hand to greet the two parents.
"A vestal?" Aurelia Cotta asked, demanding explanations from her husband.
"Yes, she was with me when you were giving birth. She said she wanted to see the baby, it's new. Vestals don't visit families, generally."
"Maybe you want to bless our daughter? It's an honor! Please, come in, come and see my beautiful scarlet-eyed baby."
The elderly woman approached the baby girl, saw her eyes and caressed her face and felt, by touching her, a strong energy ... divine energy. She looked at her parents with two wide eyes, it was as if she had witnessed something miraculous; she turned to Aurelia Cotta and said in a weak voice:
"This little girl is blessed, she has divine blood. She will not know old age, like Romulus she will have to fulfill his destiny and abandon the mortal world and like Aeneas she will have to create something new. In peace she will be blessed by Venus, in war she will be guided by Mars and in dreams will see Jupiter. She will be like water and wind and her name will change the course of history forever."
The mother was excited to hear that prediction while the father, a little more skeptical, said:
"No offense, vestal, but she's not a male. What can she ever do in life? She will be the wife of a great man, at best, but nothing awaits her. The glory you speak of belongs to the man, to the one who's virtuous. "
"Fool, that baby girl your wife holds in her arms will not have such a fate. She will not be the wife of any great man, because every great man or great woman will be an insect in comparison with her. Her body cannot give life, such is the sacrifice the Gods have chosen in exchange for the power she will enjoy when she ascends the throne of Rome. No enemy will be able to defeat her, Fortune will watch over her. That little girl with scarlet eyes will shape the world and change the course of history. But for that to happen your name will have to be her name. "
"Should I call a girl a boy's name?! This is ... absurd! I refuse to do such a thing!"
"Don't insult the vestal! She's sacred!" scolded Aurelia Cotta.
"I don't want to disrespect the Gods but it's excessive to give a female a male name and treat her as if she will have a male future. She will never have virtue, it's a fact. As a father I prefer my daughter to be protected by a man that gives her a home to stay and live in peace, away from the horrors of war and- "
The vestal slammed her staff on the floor. The man fell silent. The old woman, with a cold look like winter, pointed to the full moon that could be seen from the window and said:
"Your daughter was born on a full moon midnight, Juno herself is blessing her and you want to deny her destiny just because she's a girl? Listen to these words of mine: I will not force you to give her that name but know that it's necessary that she has it so that her destiny can come true. This is the will of the Gods. "
"But-"
"Your family lives in a dark period. The lack of money and influence is accompanied by increasing debts. Do you want to restore honor to your family? Do you want to restore power to it? Do the divine will."
The man looked at his wife, her eyes begged him to listen to the words of the vestal and he was afraid of disrespecting the gods and infuriating them. In the vestal's words he felt wisdom, what she had uttered was not false and so, after heaving a compliant sigh, he kissed Aurelia Cotta and agreed.
Aurelia raised her daughter to the moon and said:
"You will be Caesar. Gaius Julius Caesar."
93 BC
In the mansion of the gens Julia, a little girl with long white hair and red eyes was playing in the garden with some friends. Aurelia Cotta saw her daughter, Caesar, having fun and laughing like a normal child, she was so happy to have a daughter protected by the Gods; but at the same time she feared for her because in her heart she knew that great people had many enemies, but she didn't want to pester herself with those negative thoughts, she wanted to live in the present and enjoy the moments of peace that were granted her.
Her husband came in the room, in his senator's robe.
"I'm going." he said.
"Sure sure." Aurelia was distracted, she probably hadn't even listened to her husband.
"You're absent, my dear. What happens?"
"What did you say?"
"Here, do you see? You don't listen to me."
"Forgive me, love, but I'm thinking of our daughter. I'm afraid of what will happen to her."
"You convinced me to give her my name."
"I don't regret that choice, but I'm still worried about her."
"Think of me having to put up with the teasing of my colleagues."
"No offense, vestal, but she's not a male. What can she ever do in life? She will be the wife of a great man, at best, but nothing awaits her. The glory you speak of belongs to the man, to the one who's virtuous. "
"Fool, that baby girl your wife holds in her arms will not have such a fate. She will not be the wife of any great man, because every great man or great woman will be an insect in comparison with her. Her body cannot give life, such is the sacrifice the Gods have chosen in exchange for the power she will enjoy when she ascends the throne of Rome. No enemy will be able to defeat her, Fortune will watch over her. That little girl with scarlet eyes will shape the world and change the course of history. But for that to happen your name will have to be her name. "
"Should I call a girl a boy's name?! This is ... absurd! I refuse to do such a thing!"
"Don't insult the vestal! She's sacred!" scolded Aurelia Cotta.
"I don't want to disrespect the Gods but it's excessive to give a female a male name and treat her as if she will have a male future. She will never have virtue, it's a fact. As a father I prefer my daughter to be protected by a man that gives her a home to stay and live in peace, away from the horrors of war and- "
The vestal slammed her staff on the floor. The man fell silent. The old woman, with a cold look like winter, pointed to the full moon that could be seen from the window and said:
"Your daughter was born on a full moon midnight, Juno herself is blessing her and you want to deny her destiny just because she's a girl? Listen to these words of mine: I will not force you to give her that name but know that it's necessary that she has it so that her destiny can come true. This is the will of the Gods. "
"But-"
"Your family lives in a dark period. The lack of money and influence is accompanied by increasing debts. Do you want to restore honor to your family? Do you want to restore power to it? Do the divine will."
The man looked at his wife, her eyes begged him to listen to the words of the vestal and he was afraid of disrespecting the gods and infuriating them. In the vestal's words he felt wisdom, what she had uttered was not false and so, after heaving a compliant sigh, he kissed Aurelia Cotta and agreed.
Aurelia raised her daughter to the moon and said:
"You will be Caesar. Gaius Julius Caesar."
93 BC
In the mansion of the gens Julia, a little girl with long white hair and red eyes was playing in the garden with some friends. Aurelia Cotta saw her daughter, Caesar, having fun and laughing like a normal child, she was so happy to have a daughter protected by the Gods; but at the same time she feared for her because in her heart she knew that great people had many enemies, but she didn't want to pester herself with those negative thoughts, she wanted to live in the present and enjoy the moments of peace that were granted her.
Her husband came in the room, in his senator's robe.
"I'm going." he said.
"Sure sure." Aurelia was distracted, she probably hadn't even listened to her husband.
"You're absent, my dear. What happens?"
"What did you say?"
"Here, do you see? You don't listen to me."
"Forgive me, love, but I'm thinking of our daughter. I'm afraid of what will happen to her."
"You convinced me to give her my name."
"I don't regret that choice, but I'm still worried about her."
"Think of me having to put up with the teasing of my colleagues."
Aurelia turned to her husband.
"Do you listen to them? You shouldn't. They're just fools."
"It's still not nice when they say our daughter will grow a beard."
"I don't care what they say. The Gods wanted her to have that name, you too see that she's different from everyone else. How can you deny a fact?"
"I don't trust the prophecies, that's all. I just need to know that she has many friends, that she has two older sisters who love her and that she's also a friend of Cossutia. You know, her family is very rich, they could help us with our ... debts. "
"I don't want their pity."
"And what do you want? Cling to the vain hope that a woman can change Rome? Excuse me, but I prefer to be realistic."
"I have faith in her," she said, looking her husband in her eyes, "on the contrary of yours, I believe in her. I know that she will change the world because this is the will of the Gods."
"Now I can no longer convince you otherwise ... but you know what I tell you? One day you will discover that she, like all women, wants to have a husband and be a mother. Women don't fight wars and don't rule cities."
"You really are a disbeliever-"
The screams of the children were heard. Aurelia immediately turned and saw the little ones running out of the garden, then she saw Caesar lying on the ground, she had continuous spasms, an epileptic seizure; immediately, the woman left the house, reached the garden and hugged Caesar to hold her still:
"Caesar, calm down! Calm down! Calm down, please ..."
Aurelia's husband came out, his eyes wide, incredulous.
After a couple of minutes the girl stopped moving, she raised her head towards her mother and asked, confused:
"Why are you here, Mom? Did something happen?"
"Oh, my baby!" Aurelia Cotta exclaimed in tears, holding her child in her arms.
Caesar's father, seeing what just happened, murmured, shocked:
"You have the sacred disease."
Due to the inexplicability and unpredictability of epileptic seizures, both in ancient Greece and in ancient Rome, those suffering from epilepsy were considered blessed by the Gods. Those who had the sacred disease had come into direct contact with the deities and therefore, when Caesar's parents saw that scene, they understood that she had really been consecrated.
"Do you listen to them? You shouldn't. They're just fools."
"It's still not nice when they say our daughter will grow a beard."
"I don't care what they say. The Gods wanted her to have that name, you too see that she's different from everyone else. How can you deny a fact?"
"I don't trust the prophecies, that's all. I just need to know that she has many friends, that she has two older sisters who love her and that she's also a friend of Cossutia. You know, her family is very rich, they could help us with our ... debts. "
"I don't want their pity."
"And what do you want? Cling to the vain hope that a woman can change Rome? Excuse me, but I prefer to be realistic."
"I have faith in her," she said, looking her husband in her eyes, "on the contrary of yours, I believe in her. I know that she will change the world because this is the will of the Gods."
"Now I can no longer convince you otherwise ... but you know what I tell you? One day you will discover that she, like all women, wants to have a husband and be a mother. Women don't fight wars and don't rule cities."
"You really are a disbeliever-"
The screams of the children were heard. Aurelia immediately turned and saw the little ones running out of the garden, then she saw Caesar lying on the ground, she had continuous spasms, an epileptic seizure; immediately, the woman left the house, reached the garden and hugged Caesar to hold her still:
"Caesar, calm down! Calm down! Calm down, please ..."
Aurelia's husband came out, his eyes wide, incredulous.
After a couple of minutes the girl stopped moving, she raised her head towards her mother and asked, confused:
"Why are you here, Mom? Did something happen?"
"Oh, my baby!" Aurelia Cotta exclaimed in tears, holding her child in her arms.
Caesar's father, seeing what just happened, murmured, shocked:
"You have the sacred disease."
Due to the inexplicability and unpredictability of epileptic seizures, both in ancient Greece and in ancient Rome, those suffering from epilepsy were considered blessed by the Gods. Those who had the sacred disease had come into direct contact with the deities and therefore, when Caesar's parents saw that scene, they understood that she had really been consecrated.
