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Camilla, in Roman mythology, legendary Volscian maiden who became a warrior and was a favourite of the goddess Diana. According to the Roman poet Virgil (Aeneid, Books VII and XI), her father, Metabus, was fleeing from his enemies with the infant Camilla when he encountered the Amisenus (Amazenus) River. He fastened the child to a javelin, dedicated her to Diana, and hurled her across the river. He then swam to the opposite bank, where he rejoined Camilla.
Living among shepherds and in the woods, Camilla became a skilled hunter and resolute warrior through her father’s tutelage in the rustic arts. She became the leader of a band of warriors that included a number of maidens, and fought in a battle against the Roman hero Aeneas; but she was killed by Arruns, an Etruscan, as she was chasing a retreating soldier.
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