Background

The first temple honoring Diana at Rome was the Temple of Diana on the Aventine Hill. The Aventine Temple was established during the reign of King Tullius Servius in the sixth century BCE and was modeled after the renowned Temple of Ephesus, though the cult of Artemis at Ephesus was distinct from the cult of Diana at Rome. Diana's Temple at the Aventine set the standard for all other temples founded in the Roman coloniae (colonies); instituting regulations for, among other religious acts, the performance of a sacrifice. The Temple was dedicated on 13 August which was a holiday for slaves, and it became a refuge for runaway slaves.

The completion of Diana's Temple at the Aventine expounded Rome's political and religious significance among its Latin neighbors. The Temple became the new federal center for the Latin League, a group of independent city-states of which Rome was the leading state. Diana was the patron goddess of the Latin League and it was at Her shrine in Aricia that the Latin League had previously met, perhaps prior even to the founding of Rome.

It was to Diana Aventinensis ("Diana of the Aventine") that sacrifices were made during the Ludi Saeculares (Secular games), possibly formed in 509 BCE. The Ludi Saeculares were considered turning points in Rome's rebirth and ascendancy; marking the passing of an era and affirming divine intervention for the safekeeping of the Roman state. The games also served to avert disease and pestilence from the populace and both Apollo and Diana were honored during the celebration. The Ludi Saeculares commenced on the night of 31 and included a Sellisternia, a banquet for one or more gods given in honor of Iuno Regina (Juno Regina).

Diana had several cults, but Her most famous cult was at Aricia near Lake Nemi (from the word nemus meaning ‘sacred wood or grove’) also referred to as the "Mirror of Diana." Here, once a year, the women would meet on the idus (ides) of August after a 15-mile walk from Rome, carrying torches and wearing wreaths. The women would conduct rites to Diana after sunset in this sacred grove where they would also leave offerings for the tutelary goddess. The shrine of Diana at Nemi was also a sanctuary for slaves. The Rex Nemorensis ("King of the Lake") was an office held by a runaway slave who managed to pluck a bough from a sacred tree and defeat, in mortal combat, the previous Rex Nemorensis. The newly installed Rex Nemorensis was then joined in a sacred marriage with Diana's high priestess, and this ceremony may have occurred annually for as long as he was able to defend his office. The Rex Nemorensis was identified as Diana's consort, Virbius ("god of the forest") and may have possibly represented regeneration; a mortal lover of Diana, who is reborn as Her son and becomes Her consort once more.

Diana was very popular with women, yet she was also highly esteemed by men. There were numerous private societies in Rome which met under the auspices of a deity. Diana was a patroness of funeral societies, which provided adequate burials for their members. One funeral societas (society), dedicated to Diana and Antinous of Rome, convened once a month under a set of by-laws which were governed by the Senate under Augustan decree. Members of the societas, comprised of slaves and freedmen, paid monthly dues to ensure their own decent burials and to provide for monthly banquets. The societas was governed by a strict set of rules that regulated all of it's various functions including the offices, the allotment of funds for members’ funerals (no funds were provided for suicides), and the fines imposed for abusing a fellow member.

How do we relate to Diana today?

Diana is still the essence of the goddess from antiquity. She is still the powerful aspect and protectress of women, the lady of the beasts who reminds us that we are all creatures of the grove, sewn with its inhabitants, from the same cloth. As the Romans became increasingly urban, so too, have we veered from our rustic roots; the fragile sway of nature replaced with concrete, metal and commerce. Our relentless contemporary journey is affixed to the rationalization of progress, yet we often find ourselves hindered by a habituated yearning for the unkept innocence of the wild. Women in antiquity particularly understood Diana's importance in their lives and honored Her ability to reconnect them with nature. They understood Diana's indomitable force that is the central thrust of the living experience and the equable law in the human realm. The refuge of Diana's domain served to placate the sometimes chaotic fragment of existence, still so fleeting in its perceptions and extent. Diana's fervent arrows continue to reign down upon us, inevitably luring us into the lost wilderness that was once our home; a poignant habitat from where the luxuries of the earth continue to sift in unpretentious consummation.

How do we honor Diana today?

Diana is the call of the wild, the beating heart of the forests, the animal spirit within, urging us to remember our origins. She guides us back to nature; the need to feel the rustling wind through your hair, to hear the howling of a wolf or the echo of a voice in the forest. Diana's presence reminds us to let our animal essence out once in a while; to occasionally abandon the introspective sage of modernity and hone our inherent sensibilities. Dance and sing to the moon, run until your heart pounds to the top of a hill, take a swim in a creek, roll around in the grass as you once did as a child, or just gaze upon the stars in wonderment; knowing all the while that Diana is beside you, sharing in your wistfulness. Find a special place in or near your home and call it your own sacred grove to Diana, or join others for a nature walk and select a spot to honor the great goddess. Pray to Diana that you never forget the wonder of creation, Laetitia (see Virtues page); the joy of being alive, and the importance of a woman's place. Pray to Diana when you need Her strength to survive the wild city life and find the peace that comes from nature, within you.