Luna or Diana

[sean dwyer]

So, my favourite new character. Who is she really, and what is she doing?

Now I had always thought of Diana as a seperate hunting goddess, but Luna,
goddess of the moon, was "borrowed" from Artemis, or Selene of the Greeks,
twin sister of Apollo (who is a sun-god). If you think of Greek mythology as a
way to describe aspects of reality, then the profusion of gods/goddesses for
the same thing like the moon is more understandable. My sources are all
confused on the matter - some say Selene represents the full moon, Diana/Luna
the crescent moon. Robert Graves in his amazing book 'The White Goddess'
believes that Diana and Luna are two faces of the Triple Goddess: Diana, the
Earth, Luna the Sky (moon in all phases), and Persephone the Underworld. Each
have three phases. Another source says Diana was of the heavens, Luna the
earth, and Hecate/Persephone the underworld.

All a bit confusing. The important thing to understand is, whatever order they
seem to be in, they relate to the three Fates (eg the three witches of
Macbeth), the Girl, the Woman, the Hag, and all the variants. Luna is always
the central one, so it is in that capacity as the Moon we should view
her. In that she also represents the qualities of the astrological sign Cancer
(or vice versa if you wish), so she represents all phases too.

Hence her apparent qualities and no little mystery. If JKR sees her as twin
sister of Apollo (and astrologically Harry is a dark Leo), that is intriguing.
The family he never knew he had? His true complement? If he projects as
Apollo, what is it in him that she reflects as Luna? As a Leo, Harry is a
king, is Luna therefore a queen? Is that to do with the hidden royalty
suggested by HBP? Does Luna represent maturity in some way for Harry? Or is
she a mirror in which he sees something he hadn't recognised before?

What are your thoughts?

-- 
"vi is my shepherd; I shall not font."
                    -- Psalm 0.1 beta