Who were the Vestal Virgins, and what was their job? - Peta Greenfield

Translator: Sonia Redondo Reviewer: Anna Comas-Quinn

A lone priestess walks towards an underground chamber.

Una sacerdotessa camina cap a una cambra subterrània.

People line the streets to watch as she proclaims her innocence.

La gent fa cua al carrer per veure-la mentre ella reclama que és innocent.

It doesn't matter.

Tant és.

She's already been judged and found guilty.

El judici ja ha acabat i és culpable.

The sentence?

La sentència?

Live burial.

Enterrada viva.

The underground chamber contains a portion of bread, water, milk, and oil.

A la cambra subterrània hi ha pa, aigua, llet i oli.

She will have a lamp, a bed, and a blanket,

També hi ha un llum, un llit i una manta,

but she won't emerge alive.

però no en sortirà pas viva.

At the threshold, the priestess pauses,

Al llindar, la sacerdotissa es para,

claims her innocence one last time,

i proclama la seva innocència per última vegada.

then enters the chamber never to be seen again by the Roman people.

Tot seguit entra a la cambra. Cap romà la tornarà a veure.

The priestess is one of Rome's six Vestal Virgins,

La sacerdotessa és una de les sis verges vestals romanes,

each carefully selected as children from Rome's most aristocratic families.

escollides de petites de les famílies més aristocràtiques de Roma.

But now with her death, there are only five,

Amb la seva mort, ara només n'hi ha cinc,

and a new priestess must be chosen.

i s'ha d'escollir una nova sacerdotessa.

The six-year-old Licinia witnessed the spectacle,

La Licinia, una nena de sis anys, ha presenciat l'espectacle,

never suspecting that a few days later, she'd be chosen as the next Vestal Virgin.

sense sospitar que uns dies més tard seria escollida com la nova verge vestal.

Her age, her patrician family lineage,

La seva edat, llinatge patrici

and her apparent good health

i la seva aparent bona salut

makes her the best candidate to serve the goddess Vesta in the eyes of the Romans.

fan que sigui la millor candidata per servir la deessa Vesta.

Her parents are proud that their daughter's been chosen.

Els seus pares estan orgullosos que sigui l'escollida.

Licinia is afraid, but she has no choice in the matter.

La Licinia té por, però no hi té res a dir.

She must serve the goddess for at least the next 30 years.

Ha de servir la deessa els propers 30 anys com a mínim.

For the first ten years of Licinia's service,

Durant els deu primers anys de servei

she's considered in training, learning how to be a Vestal Virgin.

aprendrà a ser una verge vestal.

Her most important duty is keeping vigil over the flame of Vesta,

El seu deure més important és vigilar la flama de Vesta,

the virgin goddess of the hearth.

la deessa verge de la llar.

Vesta doesn't have a statue like other Roman gods and goddesses.

Vesta no té una estatua com la resta de deus i deesses romans.

Instead, she's represented by the flame which burns day and night in her temple

Se la representa amb la flama que crema nit i dia al seu temple,

located next to the Forum in the center of the city.

al costat del fòrum al centre de la ciutat.

Like all Vestal priestesses, Licinia spends part of each day on shift,

Com les sacerdotesses vestals, la Licinia dedica part de la jornada

watching and tending to the flame.

a vigilar i cuidar la flama.

The flame represents two things.

La flama representa dues coses.

The first is the continuation of Rome as a power in the world.

La primera és continuïtat de Roma com a potència en el món.

The Romans believed that if the flame goes out, the city's in danger.

Els romans creien que si la flama s'apagués, la ciutat estaria en perill.

The flame also symbolizes the continuing virginity of Vesta's priestesses.

La flama també simbolitza la virginitat de les sacerdotesses vestals.

For the Romans, a Vestal's virginity signaled not only her castitas,

Per als romans, la virginitat de les vestals no era només castitas,

or modest spirit and body,

o modèstia en esperit i cos,

but also her ritual purity.

sinó també la seva puresa ritual.

So Licinia knows she must never let the flame go out.

La Licinia sap que no pot deixar que la flama s'apagui mai.

Her life,

La seva vida,

the lives of her fellow Vestals,

la de les seves companyes vestals,

and the safety of Rome itself depends upon it.

i la seguretat de la pròpia Roma en depenien.

Licinia learns to collect water each day from a nearby fountain

La Licinia aprèn a recollir aigua cada dia d'una font propera

to cleanse the temple.

per netejar el temple.

She learns the Fasti, the calendar of sacred rituals

Aprèn el fasti, el calendari dels rituals sagrats

and she watches while the senior priestesses conduct sacrifices.

i observa com les sacerdotesses amb més experiència fan els sacrificis.

By the time Licinia completes her training,

Quan la Licinia acaba el seu aprenentatge

she's 16 years old.

té 16 anys.

Licinia understands that the way she must act

Entén que la forma en que ha d'actuar

is a reflection of the goddess she serves.

és un reflex de la deessa que serveix.

When it's her turn to collect the water, she keeps her eyes lowered to the ground.

Quan li toca anar a recollir aigua manté la mirada cap a terra.

When she performs sacrifices, she focuses intently on the task.

Quan fa sacrificis, s'hi dedica plenament.

Licinia directs her energy towards being the best priestess she can be.

La Licinia dedica tota la seva energia a ser la millor sacerdotessa.

She's worried that someday the state will claim her life for its own purposes

Li preocupa que un dia l'estat reclami la seva vida per motius propis

to protect itself from danger.

per salvar-se del perill.

Licinia could be accused of incestum, meaning unchastity,

La Licinia podria ser acusada d'incestum, o falta de castedad,

at any time and be sacrificed whether she's innocent or guilty.

en qualsevol moment i ser sacrificada tant si és innocent com culpable.

Licinia fully understands now why her predecessor was buried alive.

La Licinia ara entén per què van enterrar viva la seva predecessora.

Ten years ago, the flame of Vesta went out.

Fa deu anys, la flama de la Vesta es va apagar.

The priestesses knew that they couldn't keep it a secret.

Les sacerdotesses sabien que no ho podien mantenir en secret.

The future of Rome depended upon it.

El futur de Roma en depenia.

They went to the chief priest and he opened an investigation

Van anar al sacerdot en cap i es va obrir una investigació

to discover why the flame had failed.

per descobrir per què la flama s'havia apagat.

Someone came forward and claimed that one of the Vestals

Algú va dir que una de les vestals

was no longer a virgin.

ja no era verge.

That was the beginning of the end.

Allò va ser l'inici del final.

The accused protested her innocence, but it wasn't enough.

La acusada va protestar la seva innocència però no en va ser prou.

She was tried and found guilty.

Se la va jutjar i va ser declarada culpable.

That Vestal's death was meant to protect the city,

La mort de la vestal va ser per a protegir la ciutat,

but Licinia weeps for what has been lost and for what she knows now.

però la Licinia plora pel que s'ha perdut i pel que ara sap.

Her own path was paved by the death of another,

El seu propi camí s'havia obert a causa de la mort d'una altra

and her life could be taken just as easily

i la seva vida podria acabar senzillament

for something as simple as a flame going out.

pel simple fet que s'apagui una flama.