Suspiria de Profundis · Character

Levana

The Roman goddess who lifts the newborn from the ground and, in the narrator's Oxford dreams, presides over the severe education of grief.

supporting

First appearance: Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow

As a supporting figure in Suspiria de Profundis, Levana is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The Roman goddess of childbirth and sorrow, personified as a figure who presides over the afflictions of childhood.

In the storySuspiria de ProfundisOpen this moment free

See Levana in Suspiria de Profundis Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

She appears to the narrator in dreams, known by her Roman symbols, a veiled power who raises infants erect and watches over human development through passion, strife, and temptation rather than spelling-books. Her distinctive tension is that this goddess of ennobling kindness works chiefly through sorrow, reverencing grief as her deepest ministry. She matters because she reframes the narrator's childhood afflictions not as accidents but as a curriculum, giving the book its central claim that suffering educates the soul.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Levana sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Levana in Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow

Character Web

2 connections

A slice of how Levana sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Mythic and Divine Guides
Protagonist

Explore ties, sentiment, and clusters while you read

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the child’s longing for a lost mother or sister transforms fr…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

In the story

Levana appears across 5 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Suspiria de Profundis
The Roman goddess of childbirth and sorrow, personified as a figure who presides over the afflictions of childhood.
Memorial Suspiria
Not directly present, but the mother's dying letter and maternal counsel echo Levana's protective, sorrowful role.
Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow
Roman goddess who lifts newborns upright, symbolizing ennobling kindness and education through life's central forces; communes with the Sorrows.
Savannah-La-Mar
The Dark Interpreter, who accompanies the narrator in the dream and delivers a philosophical discourse on time, grief, and God's agriculture.
The Daughter of Lebanon
Not directly present, but the theme of sorrow and divine intervention echoes Levana's domain.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Levana unlock in the free preview.

See Levana in Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow

See Levana in Suspiria de Profundis