Lake Nemi

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A painting portraying Lake of Nemi.

Lake Nemi (Latin: Nemorensis Lacus) is a small circular volcanic lake in the Lazio region of Italy a few kilometers south of Rome, taking its name from Nemi, the largest town in the area, that overlooks it from a height. It has a surface of c. 1.67 km² and a maximum depth of 33 meters.

The lake is most famous for its sunken Roman ships. These ships were very large and technologically advanced for their time.

Above the Lake stands a grove sacred to the goddess Diana. From Diana's sanctuary a stream descends to Nemi, haunted by the water-nymph Egeria in league with a Rex Nemorensis, "Ruler of Woodlands" associated with Arthurian legends as "Fisher King" of the Grail Quest, with Diana his Lady of the Lake.

Egeria's stream to Nemi thus invokes fountains and wellsprings of Earth Goddesses' ever-flowing ruby-elixir Amrita Kali-- from Inanna of the Gilgamesh epic through Ishtar of Sumer to Cybele, the Sybil of Cumae, whose oracular Stones of Splendor "uttered" (gave birth to, as from Uterus) prophecies fulfilled in Roman Emperors as godheads.

Emperors Caligula and Tiberius sailed Lake Nemi not merely to cool off in summer, but to assert themselves as Nemorensi, rulers aligning with the Stars, wedded to Earth's perpetual life-force.