The gate of the year

Statue of Diana, known as the Diana of Versailles, Roman copy of the I-II century A.D., from a Greek original of the IV century B.C., now in the Louvre Museum, Paris.
The name of the goddess Diana seems to be derived from the adjective dius (“bright”), thus signifying “the Luminous One”, with reference to the nocturnal light of the moon. Cicero, in fact, affirmed that “She was called Diana because she made a sort of day in the night-time” (Nature of the gods, II, 27, 69). The celebrations dedicated to her were held in the Ides of June, in the period corresponding to the full moon. The places of worship for her cult were frequently in woods and forests, on mountains or in caves. The oldest sanctuary of Diana, a landmark for all the ancient peoples of Latium, was located on the shores of the lake of Nemi, in the neighborhood of Rome. Here, ceremonies were held, mostly female, during which a great procession carrying torches took place. Such a ritual emphasized Diana’s function as bringer of light. The goddess assumed also the epithet of Lucifera. After Diana’s assimilation with the Greek goddess Artemis, some new functions were acquired by the Roman goddess, which originally did not belonged to her: she became a midwife and protector of children, huntress and goddess of the crossroads (by analogy with Artemis Trivia) (Schilling-Perea Yébenes 2005).
However, until the Imperial age a thoroughly Latin custom survived, which dated back to a remote antiquity. The sacred grove near the sanctuary of Nemi was entrusted to a priest, who was called with the ancient title of rex nemorensis, and who could keep his office only until he should be defeated or killed by his successor. Such a singular custom was the point of departure for Frazer’s work The Golden Bough (1st ed. 1890), in which the author hypothesized that the priest, like other figures of priest-king in different parts of the world, personified a vegetation god, who died and was reborn with the changing of the seasons.

[Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_of_Versailles]




Female Symbols

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Statue of Diana, known as the Diana of Versailles, Roman copy of the I-II century A.D., from a Greek original of the IV century B.C., now in the Louvre Museum, Paris. The name of the goddess Diana seems to be derived from the adjective dius (“bright”), thus signifying “the Luminous One”, with reference to the nocturnal light of the moon. Cicero, in fact, affirmed that “She was called Diana because she made a sort of day in the night-time” (Nature of the gods, II, 27, 69). The celebrations dedicated to her were held in the Ides of June, in the period corresponding to the full moon. The places of worship for her cult were frequently in woods and forests, on mountains or in caves. The oldest sanctuary of Diana, a landmark for all the ancient peoples of Latium, was located on the shores of the lake of Nemi, in the neighborhood of Rome. Here, ceremonies were held, mostly female, during which a great procession carrying torches took place. Such a ritual emphasized Diana’s function as bringer of light. The goddess assumed also the epithet of Lucifera. After Diana’s assimilation with the Greek goddess Artemis, some new functions were acquired by the Roman goddess, which originally did not belonged to her: she became a midwife and protector of children, huntress and goddess of the crossroads (by analogy with Artemis Trivia) (Schilling-Perea Yébenes 2005). However, until the Imperial age a thoroughly Latin custom survived, which dated back to a remote antiquity. The sacred grove near the sanctuary of Nemi was entrusted to a priest, who was called with the ancient title of rex nemorensis, and who could keep his office only until he should be defeated or killed by his successor. Such a singular custom was the point of departure for Frazer’s work The Golden Bough (1st ed. 1890), in which the author hypothesized that the priest, like other figures of priest-king in different parts of the world, personified a vegetation god, who died and was reborn with the changing of the seasons. [Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_of_Versailles]