Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans.
The Romans usually treated their traditional narratives as histor...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
To the ancient Romans, hunting was both a pastime and a matter of survival; thus, a respect of the natural world was vital. To ensure both of these, the Romans turned to Diana, goddess of the hunt. Although she bore similarities to the Greek goddess Artemis, Diana seems to have been an indigenous Italian deity, perhaps originally a goddess of the woods, but over time she and Artemis blended together. By the height of Roman civilization, she was revered as the goddess of the hunt, as well as of wild animals, the moon, childbirth, children, and she was even associated with fertility. Often portrayed in a short tunic with a bow and arrow and accompanied by a crescent moon, deer, or hunting dogs, Diana was a major player in Roman life.
According to Roman mythology, Diana was the daughter of Jupiter and Latona, and twin of the god of light, Apollo. They were born on Delos and, like most Roman deities, were born as full-grown adults. Diana swore a vow of chastity, making her one of the Roman maiden goddesses famed for their virginity, alongside Minerva and Vesta. Many myths about Diana involve the protection of her virginal status, but perhaps the most famous involves the hunter Actaeon. Actaeon stumbled upon Diana bathing naked and, when the goddess saw him watching her, she turned him into a stag and set his own hunting dogs after him.
Facts about Diana
Name: Diana
A major deity and one of the 12 Olympian Gods
Jurisdiction: Diana was described as being the Roman Goddess of the Moon and Hunting. She was also the protector of children
Mythology: Mythical Family Tree or Relatives: Diana was believed to be the Goddess of the Moon and hunting. She was seen as an emblem of chastity Diana was the daughter of Jupiter and Latona. Her brother was Apollo and as he was god of the sun his sister was the goddess of the moon.
Depiction / Description / Symbol: the cypress tree and the deer
Name of equivalent Greek Goddess: Artemis
She was worshipped at a festival on August 13 called Nemoralia, the festival of Torches
To celebrate the festival of Nemoralia worshippers would form a procession of torches and candles around the dark waters of the sacred Lake Nemi referred to as Diana's Mirror. The lights of their candles and torches joined the light of the moon reflecting upon the surface of the water
Hunting or killing any animal was forbidden on Nemoralia
The festival of Nemoralia was later adopted by Catholics as The Feast of the Assumption
Sacrifices to Diana - During sacrifices to the Roman gods the sex of the victim had to correspond to the sex of the god to whom it was offered. White animals were given to the gods of the upper world whereas black victims to the gods of the underworld
Roman gods
