Diana and Actaeon Diana and Actaeon The myth of Diana and Actaeon can be found in Ovid’s "Metamorphoses". The tale recounts the unfortunate fate of a young hunter named Actaeon, who was a grandson of Cadmus, and his encounter with chaste Artemis, known to the Romans as Diana, goddess of the hunt. The latter is nude and enjoying a bath in a spring with help from her escort of nymphs when the mortal man unwittingly stumbles upon the scene. The nymphs scream in surprise and attempt to cover Diana, who, in a fit of embarrassed fury, splashes water upon Actaeon. He is transformed
Iana (goddess) to "Dianium", referring to either a shrine or the Temple of Diana on the Aventine Hill. Diana is one of the Roman goddesses most often identified with the moon, but Usener thought Iana might be better identified with Juno Lucina. The Church Father Tertullian, however, calls Iana a "diva arquis", "goddess of arches" (Latin "arcus" or "arquus", "arch; rainbow"). The arch as a passageway or portal suggests Iana as the female counterpart of Janus, whose role as a "doorkeeper" includes functions pertaining to time and the heavens. Varro's contemporary Nigidius Figulus identified Janus with Apollo and Iana with Diana. W.H.