Goddesses of the Woods.
DIANA.
_Ques._ Who was Diana?
_Ans._ She was the daughter of Jupiter and Latona, and the twin-sister
of Apollo. This goddess had three names. On earth she was called
Diana, and was honored as the goddess of woods and hunting; in heaven
she was called Luna, and was identified with the moon, as her brother
Apollo was with the sun. In hell, she was called Hec´ate, and as
spirits were supposed to be subject to her, she was invoked under the
latter name in all magical incantations.
_Ques._ What were the habits of Diana?
_Ans._ She shunned the society of men, and frequented the woods,
attended by a train of virgins who had resolved, like her, never to
marry.
_Ques._ Who were the attendants of Diana?
_Ans._ Sometimes the Ocean´ides or daughters of Ocean´us; sometimes
the woodland nymphs. Diana often led a chorus of the Muses and Graces,
and joined them in singing the praises of her mother Latona.
_Ques._ How is Diana represented?
_Ans._ As a very stately and beautiful woman, dressed in the garb of a
huntress; she holds a bow in her hand, and a quiver of arrows is hung
across her shoulders. Her feet are covered with buskins, and a bright
silver crescent glitters on her forehead. Sometimes she is represented
as seated in a silver chariot drawn by hounds.
_Ques._ Who was Chi´one?
_Ans._ She was a nymph beloved by Apollo. She spoke scornfully of the
beauty of Diana, and the goddess, in revenge, pierced her tongue with
an arrow.
_Ques._ Relate the story of Ni´obe.
_Ans._ She was the daughter of Tan´talus, and the wife of Amphi´on,
king of Thebes. She was enriched with all the gifts of nature and
fortune, and being made insolent by prosperity, she insulted Latona,
and refused to offer incense at her shrine. Ni´obe had seven beautiful
sons, and as many lovely daughters, and had boasted of their number as
rendering her superior to Latona. The indignant goddess called upon
Apollo and Diana to revenge the insult offered to their mother, and
humble the haughty Ni´obe. This they effected by slaying, in one day,
all the children of the unhappy queen. Her sons expired by the arrows
of Apollo, and her daughters by those of Diana. Amphi´on killed
himself in despair, and the wretched Ni´obe, widowed and childless,
wept without ceasing until the pitying gods changed her into stone.
This story has furnished the subject of a very beautiful group of
statuary, in which Ni´obe is represented as vainly endeavoring to
shelter, beneath her mantle, the youngest and last of her children.
_Ques._ Where was the most celebrated temple of Diana?
_Ans._ At Ephesus in Asia Minor; it was so beautiful that it was
counted among the seven wonders of the world. Two hundred and twenty
years were spent in the building, although an incredible number of
workmen were employed. The entire length of the temple was 425 feet,
and the breadth 220; the whole was supported by 127 superb columns,
each the gift of a king. The statue of the goddess was of ebony, and
the most skillful painters and sculptors were employed in the
decorations of the edifice.
A man named Erostratus, who was anxious to make himself famous, by
whatever means, set fire to this magnificent building. This event took
place on the very day on which Alexander the Great was born.
The temple was but partially destroyed, and was soon afterwards
restored to its former splendor. The inhabitants of Ephesus seem to
have been particularly attached to the worship of Diana. We read in
the Acts of the Apostles that when they began to make converts in that
city, the people were very indignant; in their zeal for their goddess
they ran about the streets for the space of about two hours, crying,
"Great is Diana of the Ephesians!"
This temple was despoiled by Nero, who removed many costly offerings
and images, together with a large quantity of silver and gold. It was
afterwards plundered by the Goths in the reign of Gallienus; and the
materials of the building have been since used in the construction of
other edifices. The great dome of Santa Sophia, in Constantinople,
rests upon pillars of green jasper which were removed from the temple
of Diana by order of Justinian.
Two pillars of the great church of Pisa were also taken from this
temple, which has been so completely destroyed that the exact site is
not known.
NYMPHS.
_Ques._ Who were the Nymphs?
_Ans._ They were graceful young women who attended on Diana and the
greater goddesses. Some, also, had charge of certain fountains and
rivers, and were called Na´iades; the nymphs of Ocean were Nere´ides
and Ocean´ides. The Ore´ades were mountain nymphs, and others presided
over groves and even single trees.
_Ques._ What were the woodland nymphs called?
_Ans._ Those who watched over the forests, and always lived among the
trees, were called Dry´ades, from a Greek word which means an oak; the
Hamadry´ades were so called because they were attached, each to some
particular oak. The Hamadryad was born with the tree, flourished and
died with it. This belief lingered for a long time amid the German
forests, as also the superstition about water spirits.
_Ques._ What was the story of Arethusa?
_Ans._ This nymph was the daughter of Ocean´us, and an attendant of
Diana. She was admired by the god of the river Alphe´us, but refused
to listen to his addresses. As she fled from his presence, he pursued.
The terrified nymph had sped through all Arcadia; the shades of
evening were gathering, and Alphe´us pressed close upon her fainting
steps. In this extremity, Arethusa prayed to Diana for relief, and was
immediately dissolved into a fountain. Alphe´us resumed his watery
form, and sought to mingle his current with hers, but Diana opened for
her a passage under the sea, and she rose in the island of Ortygia, in
Sicily, still followed by the stream of the Alphe´us. In proof of this
fable, and of the Grecian origin of this famous fount, it was asserted
that a cup which fell into the river Alphe´us in Greece, rose in the
fountain of Arethusa, and that its clear waters were reddened with the
blood of the victims slain at the Olympic games.
_Ques._ Who was Echo?
_Ans._ Echo was a nymph, the daughter of Air and Tellus; she was one
of Juno's attendants, but offended that goddess by her talkativeness.
She was so far deprived of speech, that she could only repeat the
last words of every sentence which she heard. Echo loved the youth
Narcissus, and seeing that he despised her affection, she pined away
till nothing remained of her but her voice and bones. The latter were
changed into stones, but the voice is still heard among rocks and in
solitary places, repeating always the last words that are spoken.
_Ques._ What was the fate of Narcissus?
_Ans._ One legend is that he saw his image reflected in a fountain,
and, not perceiving that it was but his own shadow, gazed at it, lost
in admiration, until he was changed into the flower that bears his
name. According to another version, Narcissus had a twin-sister who
resembled him closely in form and feature, and was his constant
companion. This sister died young, and Narcissus, deeply lamenting her
death, used to go to a neighboring fountain, and try to recall the
image of his sister by gazing at his own reflection in the waters.
_Ques._ Were there many rural divinities?
_Ans._ Yes, a great number; but only a few were well known. Among
those we may mention Pomona, the goddess of orchards, and Flora, the
goddess of flowers. Pales was the goddess of shepherds and pastures.
The Romans celebrated feasts, called Pallia, in her honor. They
offered milk, and cakes of millet, that she might drive away the
wolves, and prevent diseases among the cattle.