Catullus dedicates his Carmen XXXIV to Diana. Here, the rhythmic repetitions transform the poem into a true hymn or a prayer where she is invoked as Mistress (domina) of wild life in verses 9 through 12: montium domina ut fores / silvarumque virentium / saltuumque reconditorum amniumque sonantum (Thus you are mistress of the hills, and the flourishing woods and the secluded pasture land and the resounding river). The verses show the duality of Diana as a midwife and protector of children, and as regent of the gloomy night. Thus, Diana is the light that rules the night. This is why she is also invoked as Lucina (and by the Greeks as Lucifera), stealing the role from Juno herself, who aids women in labor (Cicero, De natura deorum 2.68).
The Italic cult to Diana is very ancient. Legend attributes to King Tatius the establishment of her cult in Latium, brought from the land of the Sabines.
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