DIANA (di-Vria or di-an'a), (Gr."Aprekas, ar'tem is, Artemis), a celebrated goddess of the heathen, and one of the twelve superior deities.
In the heavens she was Luna, or Meni (the moon), on earth Diana, in hell Hecate. She was invoked by women in childbirth under the name of Lucina. She was sometimes represented with a crescent on her head, a bow in her hand, and dressed in a hunting habit ; at other times with a triple body (triple-faced Proserpine), and bearing instruments of torture in her hands. At Rome there is a full-length and complete image of this goddess, which is clearly an emblematical repre sentation of the dependence of all creatures on the powers of nature, or the many and extensive bless ings bestowed by nature on all ranks of exist ence; whether man, lions, stags, oxen, animals of all kinds, or even insects, The goddess is symbol ized as diffusing her benefits to each in its proper station. Her numerous rows of breasts speak the same allegorical language, i. e., fountains of sup
ply.
The Ephesian Diana was regarded as invested with different attributes from the Diana of the Greeks, and her worship was of a slightly differ ent nature. (K. O. Muller, Hist. of the Dorians, i :403, Eng. Trans.).
It is well known that many heathen deities re solve themselves into the sun and moon, and that Diana is the moon, in most or all of her offices and characters. "The precious things put forth by the moon" are mentioned so early as the days of Jacob; and long afterward we fre quently read of the "queen of heaven," etc. The moon was also the goddess presiding over child birth. This deity was known by distinction as Diana of Ephesus, where she had a famous tem ple (see EenEsus), to some of the persons con nected with which Paul rendered himself obnox ious by the discharge of his apostolic duties (Acts xix :27, etc.). The large manufacture of silver shrines to this goddess is mentioned in Acts xix :24.