DIA'NA, in mythology, the Latin name of the goddess known to the Greeks by the name of Artemis, the daughter of Jupiter and Latomt, and sister of Apol lo. She was the virgin goddess of tho chase, and also presided over health. The sudden deaths of women were at tributed to her darts, as those of men were to the arrows of Apollo. In later times she was confounded with various other goddesses, as Hecate, Lueina, Pro serpina, and Luna. In the two last of these characters she was said to appear in the nether world and in heaven re spectively, while on earth she assumed the character of Artemis ; whence she was called the three-formed goddess. She was generally represented as a healthy active maiden in a huntress's dress, with a handsome but ungentle expression of eountenanee. The homage rendered to Diana. was so extensive that the silver smith who remarked that she was wor shipped in all Asia. and the world, can scarcely be accused of exaggeration. A catalogue of the various places where temples were erected in her honor would comprise every city of nets in the ancient world. Among others may be mentioned Ephesus, Abydos, Ileraelea, Antis, Ere tria, Samos, Bubastus in Egypt, Delos (whence she was termed Delia,) and Mount Aventine at Reins. But of all
her temples, that at Ephesus was the most celebrated. It was erected at the joint expense of all the states of Asia; and according to the accounts of ancient authors, it must have surpassed in splen dor all the structures of antiquity, and fully deserved to be regarded as one of the wonders of the world. A small statue of the goddess, or, as she was termed by her votaries, the " Great Diana of the Ephesians," which was commonly sup posed to have been sent from heaven, was here enshrined and adorned with all that wealth and genius could contribute. The fate of this temple is well known. On the day that Alexander the Great was born, it was set on fire by Eratostratus, from a morbid desire to transmit his name even with infamy to posterity. This edifice was afterwards rebuilt on a plan of simi lar magnificence ; and it remained infull possession of its wealth and reputation till the year 260, A.D., when it was complete ly destroyed during an invasion of the Goths.