Fluonia (also called Fluviona or Fluvionia) is the Roman Goddess of menstrual blood, in its role of seeing to the nourishment of the growing fetus and newborn baby. Her name comes from the Latin fluo or fluere, which both mean ‘to flow, stream’ or ‘to emanate or proceed from’; funny enough this Latin root does not give us the English word ‘flow’, though it does give us ‘fluid’ (they both ultimately come from the same *reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root).

The Romans (at least according to Macrobius) believed that menstruation halted during pregnancy and lactation because the fetus was created from and nourished by the blood that was held back; they also believed that that same held-back blood later travelled to the breasts and was converted to milk. (Macrobius further states that this is why parents and children resemble each other, because they are created from part of the blood of the mother.) Of course we know now that both pregnancy and lactation stop ovulation, which is ultimately at the root of the menstrual cycle. In preparation for pregnancy, the lining of the uterus becomes thicker. If the woman conceives, that lining becomes a cushy environment for the embryo to implant and grow in. If she does not, it is shed as menstrual blood. The Roman theory isn’t really half bad, considering the knowledge they had—menstrual blood is actually in a sense retained (or rather, not shed) in pregnancy, and both blood and milk are fluids necessary and important for continued life.

Fluonia was believed to hold this life-giving blood back so that the fetus could be formed and then grow strong and healthy, in essence stopping (or redirecting) the flow of said blood. I would guess that She also had some part in ensuring the new mother’s milk flowed well, given that it was believed to originate in Her menstrual blood.

It may seem a bit strange that a Goddess Whose name means ‘flow’ seems to mainly have been concerned with stopping something from flowing; but for one thing, She is generally redirecting the flow to other places in order to create life, and also a Deity Who presides over a concept has power over all aspects of that concept. (For example, a Goddess of agriculture can both make the crops grow abundantly or kill them, bringing a famine.) I would guess that in addition to being able to hold the blood back at conception, Fluonia could cause women to not become pregnant, letting the blood flow as normal, or even bring a miscarriage, ‘releasing’ the blood after the woman had already conceived.

As Fluonia kept the menstrual blood back at conception, She also had a part in the natural rite of passage of women transitioning to mothers, and She was prayed to by women hoping to conceive.

There are of course many, many Roman Goddesses concerned with pregnancy and birth—for example Alemona was also believed to help the fetus in the womb grow, while Mena (Who was connected with the Moon, and so women’s monthly cycle) was also concerned with the flow (or redirection) of menstrual blood. And as with many of the other birth and pregnancy Goddesses, Fluonia was considered an aspect of Juno.

The Romans were of course mainly concerned with their matrons making new little Romans, and women who did not actually want to be pregnant don’t much make it into the official history; but given Fluonia’s power over ‘flow’, perhaps She can be thought of as a Goddess not only of conception and lactation, but of the timely and welcome flow of one’s menstrual period.