In great horror at this transformation, Calista fled to the forests and
brought forth a son, with whom she dwelt, until one day she was induced to
enter a temple at Lycaen (where, with her son Arcas, she had been brought),
and which it was not lawful to enter. The dwellers in the city, among whom
was Arcas, enraged at the desecration, attacked her, and in all
probability, she would have perished by the hands of her son, had not
Jupiter snatched both to the sky, and placed them among the constellations,
Calista being called "the Great Bear," and Arcas, "the Little Bear." {51}
Aeneas, king of Calydon, neglecting the worship of Diana, the Goddess
revenged it by sending into his kingdom a monstrous wild boar; and to rid
their country of its ravages, he caused the Greek princes to assemble to
the chase. Atalanta, daughter of the king of Arcadia, wounded him first,
but she would have fallen beneath the fury of its revenge, had it not been
for Meleager, son of Aeneas, who slew the boar. A quarrel having arisen for
the possession of the head of this monster, Meleager killed his brothers.
Indignant at this crime, the wife of Aeneas threw into the flames a brand
which bore with it the life of Meleager; a fire immediately spread itself
through the vitals of the prince, and he expired in the midst of torments,
the most cruel and excruciating, and his mother, stricken with despair at
the sight of them, destroyed herself, and the sisters of the unhappy victim
were changed into fowls.
Diana is usually represented in the costume of a huntress, with a quiver on
her shoulder, and a bow in her hand; her dress is lifted, and her dog is
always by her side ready for his prey. Her hair is banded over her brow,
while sometimes a crescent is painted on her head, of which the points are
turned towards Heaven. Sometimes she is seen in a chariot trained by stags,
and in her hand is a torch which serves to frighten away the wild beasts.