Beginning with a discussion of Levana, the ancient Roman goddess of childbirth, De Quincey imagines three companions for her: Mater Lachrymarum, Our Lady of Tears; Mater Suspiriorum, Our Lady of Sighs; and Mater Tenebrarum, Our Lady of Darkness. This is the essay, as part of the collection Suspiria de Profundis (Sighs From the Depths) that inspired Dario Argento’s horror movie Suspiria.
