That’s why it is a great honor to have her here with us in Sabiria. We want to know everything, from her love life to her life story, along with all the adventures that only such an important Goddess could have had.
Diana: Stop! You're going to make me blush with so many compliments.
Sabiria: You deserve no less. You are one of the main Roman goddesses in history! But we know that your story is much older than that. How does it feel to be so famous and recognized in all these civilizations?
Diana: It's a funny story, because my actual name is Artemis, I was also worshipped by the Greeks. They’ve all portrayed me differently, but my favorite is the Ephesus one, so creative... I was their goddess of prosperity after Kybele, so they imagined me with many breasts (she laughs). Anyways, the Romans then named me Diana and well... I liked that name so much better. It is more poetic and more approachable, don’t you think? When you live long enough the names have no importance...
Sabiria: I think Artemis and Diana are both beautiful names. And they go so well with your warm personality. Talking about warmth, you are also the goddess of childbirth. What's the story behind that?
Diana: Well, even though we are twins, I am older than my brother: Leto, our mother, gave birth to me several minutes before my brother Apollo, so once I was out, I helped deliver him. She had already suffered enough at the hands of Hera…
Sabiria: What do you mean?
Diana: It's the same old story, my father Zeus falls in love with our mother. When Hera, Zeus’ wife, discovered the affair between them, she cursed my mum so that she would never be allowed to give birth on land. So, when the time came and she was to give birth, she just couldn't, because all land rejected her. Finally, my uncle Poseidon pitied her and raised an island from the sea that accepted her.
Sabiria: Wow, Hera can be really cruel sometimes...
Diana: I know, she is always like this. It's not easy to be the wife of the all-mighty Zeus, we all know, but she needs to chill a bit. I mean, these women didn't even have a choice...
Sabiria: I have a little hard question for you now: how about Iphigenia?
She seems to get a bit annoyed at this question.
Diana: Alright, what can I say… I had my fair share of craziness too. So… that fool Agamemnon — whom I never liked, I hated his family long before he was born — basically killed my favorite deer, how dare he! At this point I was so blinded by rage, I acted upon the winds, so that Agamemnon's fleet couldn't sail to Troy. I asked him to sacrifice his eldest daughter Iphigenia, if he wants his winds back. I am not proud of it but those were different times.
Anyways, at the final moment I pitied Iphigenia, sent another deer in her place and saved her. I don't understand what's all this fuss is about...
It's time for a subject change before she gets angry.
Sabiria: Another story that our readers are curious about is the story between you and Orion, how about that?
Diana: Well, I've never really had much luck in love, and neither have those who were after me... Orion was an excellent hunting partner, albeit very cocky, and my brother, Apollo, did not like him very much. We are very close, me and my brother, and he’s always been a bit jealous.
Sabiria: So Apollo killed him?
Diana: No no no, even if he was super jealous he could never bear to see me sad. It was actually all Orion’s fault... One day Orion was bragging about how he could slay anything that came from the earth, so Gaia took this as a threat and sent a scorpion to “take care” of him. It was so terrible, so much that I asked my father to send him to the constellations.
Sabiria: And that's where Orion's belt comes from!
Diana: Exactly! You get it.
Sabiria: Which is next to... the constellation of Scorpio.
Diana: My father has a slightly twisted sense of humor.
Sabiria: I'm sorry to hear that. It's a shame that such a talented and beautiful goddess has never found love.
Diana: Don't sweat it. I never wanted any of it from the day I was born. The only thing I enjoy more than nature and hunting is my independence. I was never short of options, there was simply no one worthy of me.
Sabiria: We have always thought that you are a very independent and free-minded goddess, and we wanted to represent that and your love for nature with these golden leaves, they are our new earrings.
Diana: Really? It's a great honor! It reminds me of Autumn, my favorite season! Thank you so much!
Sabiria: Thank you for your time and for telling us your amazing story. We know that many modern goddesses are inspired by you and you have left a mark on them.
