The main moon goddess in Roman mythology is Luna, who personified the Moon itself, though Diana, better known as a goddess of the hunt and the wilderness, also held lunar aspects, especially in later periods. Luna was the Roman counterpart of the Greek goddess Selene, while Diana was increasingly identified with the Greek Artemis and, through her, with the lunar goddess Hecate.
Luna: The Personification of the Moon
Luna was a relatively simple deity in early Roman religion: she was the Moon, driving her chariot across the night sky. Her Greek equivalent, Selene, was described in Hesiod’s Theogony as the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and the sister of Helios (the Sun) and Eos (the Dawn). The Romans adopted this genealogy for Luna, making her the sister of Sol (the Sun) and Aurora (the Dawn).
Luna had a temple on the Aventine Hill in Rome, reportedly built in the 6th century BCE, and another on the Palatine Hill. She was often invoked in rituals connected to the calendar and to the measurement of time, since the Roman months were originally based on lunar cycles. Her festivals were not as prominent as those of other deities, but she received sacrifices on the Ides (the 13th or 15th of the month), which were sacred to her.
Diana: The Huntress with Lunar Ties
Diana was a much more complex and widely worshipped goddess than Luna. Her primary roles were as goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, and childbirth. She was the daughter of Jupiter and Latona, and the twin sister of Apollo, a genealogy directly borrowed from the Greek myth of Artemis and Apollo. In this role, she was a virgin goddess who roamed the forests with a bow and arrows, accompanied by nymphs.
The lunar aspect of Diana developed later, largely through her identification with the Greek goddess Hecate, who was associated with the moon, magic, and the underworld. In Roman poetry, especially from the Augustan era onward, Diana is sometimes described as having three forms: Luna in the sky, Diana on earth, and Hecate in the underworld. This triple goddess concept was popular in literature and mystery cults, though it was not a formal part of state religion.
The Role of the Moon in Roman Religion
Unlike the Greeks, who had a rich mythology of Selene’s love affairs (such as with the shepherd Endymion), the Romans did not develop many myths about Luna. She remained a functional deity, more important for her role in the calendar and in agricultural cycles than for storytelling. The Roman calendar originally began in March and had months that roughly followed the moon, but by the time of the Republic, the calendar had drifted significantly from the lunar cycle.
The moon was also associated with women’s cycles and childbirth, and Diana, as a goddess of childbirth, was invoked by women in labor. Luna’s connection to time and the night made her a natural patron of those who worked at night, such as shepherds and travelers, though this was not as formalized as other cults.
Luna vs. Diana: How to Tell Them Apart
In art and literature, Luna is usually depicted as a woman driving a chariot pulled by two horses (or sometimes oxen), with a crescent moon on her forehead or holding a torch. Diana, in contrast, is shown as a young huntress with a bow, quiver, and a short tunic, often accompanied by a deer or hounds. When Diana is shown with a lunar attribute, it is usually a crescent moon in her hair, but she is never shown driving the moon chariot.
In practice, the distinction was not always clear. Roman writers like Cicero and Varro sometimes treated Luna and Diana as different aspects of the same goddess, and in some inscriptions, they are invoked together. For most Romans, the moon was a divine presence, and whether they called it Luna or Diana depended on the context: Luna for the celestial body, Diana for the huntress who happened to have lunar associations.
Worship and Temples
Luna’s main temples were on the Aventine and Palatine hills. The Aventine temple was said to have been founded by Servius Tullius, a legendary king of Rome, and it was rebuilt several times. Diana’s most famous temple was also on the Aventine, and it was a center for the Latin League, a confederation of cities. This temple housed the cult statue of Diana, which was said to be a copy of the Greek statue of Artemis of Ephesus.
Diana’s festival, the Nemoralia, was held on August 13 at Lake Nemi, a sacred grove dedicated to her. This festival was popular with women, who would wash their hair and offer flowers and other gifts to the goddess. Luna had no comparable festival, but her role in the calendar was acknowledged on the Ides of each month.
Later Syncretism and Influence
As the Roman Empire expanded and came into contact with other cultures, the lunar goddesses of different regions were often identified with Luna or Diana. For example, the Egyptian goddess Isis, who had lunar aspects, was worshipped in Rome, and some Romans saw her as a form of Luna. Similarly, the Carthaginian goddess Tanit was sometimes called Luna in Roman texts.
In the late Roman period, the cult of Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun) gained prominence, and Luna was sometimes paired with him as his companion. This pairing reflected the ancient idea of the sun and moon as a divine couple, though they were not usually considered married in Roman myth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the Roman goddess of the moon? The primary Roman goddess of the moon is Luna, who personified the Moon itself. Diana, the huntress goddess, also had lunar associations, especially in later periods when she was identified with the Greek Hecate.
Is Luna the same as Diana? No, Luna and Diana were originally distinct deities. Luna was the moon personified, while Diana was a goddess of the hunt and wilderness. Over time, they were sometimes conflated, especially in poetry and mystery cults, but they remained separate in official Roman religion.
What is the difference between Luna and Selene? Luna is the Roman equivalent of the Greek Selene. Both were personifications of the moon, and they shared similar attributes, such as driving a chariot across the night sky. The Romans adopted much of Selene’s mythology for Luna, but Luna never had as rich a set of myths as Selene.
Did the Romans have a moon god as well as a goddess? The Romans primarily worshipped the moon as a goddess, Luna. There was no major male moon deity in Roman religion, though the sun was personified as Sol, a male god. In some later syncretic cults, the moon was paired with Sol as a divine couple.
How was Luna worshipped? Luna had temples on the Aventine and Palatine hills in Rome, and she was honored on the Ides of each month, which were sacred to her. Her worship was not as elaborate as that of Diana, but she was invoked in rituals related to the calendar and timekeeping.
Why is Diana sometimes called a moon goddess? Diana’s association with the moon came from her identification with the Greek goddess Hecate, who was a lunar deity. In Roman literature, Diana was sometimes described as having three aspects: Luna (the moon), Diana (the huntress), and Hecate (the underworld). This triple form was a literary and mystical concept, not a standard part of her public cult.
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