Diana (Bright) Roman An ancient Roman, perhaps Etruscan, goddess of the Moon.

Diana (Bright) Roman An ancient Roman, perhaps Etruscan, goddess of the Moon. In the Roman pantheon, Diana was the daughter of Jupiter and the twin sister of Apollo. Diana's name means "bright" and comes from the Latin word for "god." With such a name, she was also considered the goddess of light, woodlands, women, and childbirth. Diana also protected wild animals. Women worshiped her in groves and woods, in temples on the Aventine Hill in Rome, and in Ephesus, an ancient city in Asia Minor. Slaves and members of the lower classes of Roman society were particularly attracted to the worship of Diana. With her special attachment to wild areas, Diana was portrayed carrying a bow and arrows and in the company of hunting dogs. As early as 600 b.c., Diana, though keeping her Roman name, took on the stories and characteristics of the Greek goddess Artemis.