Diana

Diana was the goddess of the hunt, the moon and nature, and associated with wild animals and woodland.

Symbols: Bow and quiver, deer, hunting dogs, crescent moon
Parents: Jupiter and Latona
Siblings: Apollo
Greek equivalent: Artemis

Cametti Diana.jpg
Diana as Huntress by Bernardino Cametti, 1720. Bode Museum, Berlin.

Diana was known as the virgin goddess of childbirth and women. She was one of the three maiden goddesses, along with Minerva and Vesta, who swore never to marry. Oak groves and deer were especially sacred to her. Diana made up a triad with two other Roman deities; Egeria, the water nymph, her servant and assistant midwife; and Virbius, the woodland god.

Mosaic depicting Diana and her nymph surprised by Actaeon. Volubilis, 2nd c. AD. (c) Prioryman
Denarius of depicting the head of Diana Nemorensis and her triple cult statue, 1st c. BC.
Roman fresco depicting a scene of sacrifice in honour of the goddess Diana; she is seen here accompanied by a deer. House of the Vettii, Pompeii.
Diana of Versailles, a 2nd c. AD Roman version in the Greek tradition of iconography, Louvre. (c) Commonist
Gallo-Roman bronze statuette of Diana, 1st c. AD. (c) Marie-Lan Nguyen

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