Diana

The Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals. Her Greek counterpart was Artemis. Originally Diana was not a goddess of the moon, until she had absorbed Artemis' attributes. In fact, afterwards Diana and Artemis were indistinguishable, since she then had completely identical attributes to Artemis. Diana/Artemis was widely recognised in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.

Diana was originally a Latin goddess, worshipped in Aricia (Ariccia), Latium. It was probably the Roman king Servius Tullius (fl. 6th century BC) who brought Diana to Rome and built her first temple in at Aventine Hill. Her festival was celebrated on August 13.

Like Artemis, Diana was seen as the virgin huntress with bow and arrows, either hunting through the woods or bathing in the lake, with her followers.

Diana was the daughter of Jupiter (Zeus) and Latona (Leto), and sister of Apollo. Apollo, however, had no Roman counterpart, so Apollo was adopted into the Roman pantheon.

Diana of Versailles
Musée du Louvre, Paris

In the Aeneid, when Aeneas visited the Sibyl in Cumae, there was a temple sacred to both Apollo and Diana. This was situated in Diana's Wood, outside of Cumae. In this wood was where the Golden Bough grew on a holm-oak tree. This Golden Bough was a talisman of passage to the Underwood. Entry to the Underwood was situated in a cave, which was protected by a lake of black water and a dark forest. Diana, like Artemis, was frequently identified with the goddess Hecate or Trivia (Roman name).

The Romans identified Diana with Arduinna, who was the Gallic goddess of the forest and hunting, as well with the Asiatic Astarte.

Diana reappeared in medieval legend, particularly in Arthurian legend. In the French Vulgate Cycle and the Post Vulgate Cycle, the Lake of Diana, within the confines of forest of Broceliande in Brittany, was where the Lady of Lake (Ninianne) ensnared Merlin with her spell.

According to this legend, Diana was the lover of Faunus, whom she killed. Merlin would meet the same fate as that of Faunus, being entombed in stone by the magic of Ninianne. (See Death of Merlin in the Legend of Excalibur.)