Lake Nemi is a small circular volcanic lake in the Lazio region of Italy south of Rome, taking its name from Nemi, the largest town in the area.

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”.

Egeria’s stream to Nemi thus invokes fountains and wellsprings of Earth Goddesses’ ever-flowing ruby-elixir prophecies fulfilled in Roman Emperors as godheads.

Emperors 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.