The Roman Goddess Diana

Areas of Influence: Diana was the Goddess of the hunt and wild animals. She later took over from Luna as the Roman Goddess of the moon.

Despite having no children of her own she is also considered to be a fertility Goddess, worshiped by woman trying to get pregnant and those who wish for an easy labour.

Her trinity of gods included Egeria the water nymph and Virvius the woodland God.

Originally she was Queen of the open sky and possible a sun Goddess in addition to being a moon Goddess as her name means light or bright sky. She is also known as "Lady of the beasts."

Men fought to the death to for the honour of becoming one of her priests.

She was also said to be the Goddess of slaves and the lower classes who could seek sanctuary in her temples.

Origins and Genealogy: Her parents were Jupiter and Latona and she had a twin brother, Apollo.

In the Pagan tradition she is also said to have had a daughter Aradia who became queen of the witches.

Strengths: Independence and physical strength.

Weaknesses: Disliked men, she was so determined to guard her chastity that she was very vengeful if she felt this was under attack.

Greek Equivalent: Artemis. 

 Symbolism

Diana is often shown as we see here, in a statue from the Palace of Versailles collection,  as a beautiful, young, Goddess clad in a short tunic and hunting boots carrying a bow and set of arrows.

She is often accompanied by hunting dogs or deer. An example of the later is a statue on display at the Louvre

There are several artworks where this Goddess is illustrated with a crescent moon on her forehead.

Sacred Animal: Deer, bears and hunting dogs.

Sacred Plants: Apple, balm, beech, jasmine, mugwort, oak trees, vervain, and wormwood.

Festivals: Her festival was celebrated on August 13th

Temple: In Rome her main place of worship was the Aventine Temple. There was also a sacred grove of trees on the banks of Lake Nemi. To learn more about this Grove and it's bloody past click on the link to go to an excellent article by Ludovico Pisani.

Diana's Archetype's

The Child of Nature

This stereotype feels most at home outside bonding and communicating with the forces of nature. The child of nature is often emotionally very sensitive and prefers solace and the company of animals to being with people. They are often independent and physically fit.

The shadow aspect abuses animals and destroys the environment around them.

Diana embodies this role as she is the goddess of wild animals. As the huntress she becomes the shadow attribute of this stereotype, killing the animals and attacking anyone who tries to take away her dignity.

The Virgin

This archetype represents the desire to remain sexually pure and uncorrupt, maintaining your energy for other projects. It can also symbolise a deep desire to create brand new ideas and methods of working.

The shadow virgin, resists her sexuality due to fear and revolution of sex and the loss of innocence it symbolizes.

Diana the Roman Goddess like her Greek counterpart protects and cherishes her chastity.

Please follow this link to the Archetypes page to discover which other Goddess Archetypes resonate with you.

How to work With These Archetypes

The Child of Nature:

To have this particular archetype you need more than a love of nature. Your health and well-being is affected if you are unable to spend time outside working with animals, plants and other nature spirits. Your idea of hell is likely to be working in a busy office in the centre of town.

People who possess the shadow aspect are cruel to animals and have no interest in preserving the natural world.

The Virgin:

This Virgin is one of your main archetypes, if you are continually preserving your vital energies, for spiritual pursuits.

The virgin may also represent a desire to explore virgin territory; inventing refreshing, new ideas and ways of doing things. Call upon this Goddess if you need assistance with this.

On the shadow side, fear and disgust caused by bad past experiences could be preventing you from exploring your sexuality.