MAXIMUS

THE BACKGROUND TO OUR ROMAN HARE

Amanda Gee, the artist who would be painting the hare, chose as inspiration for her artwork the Roman story of the goddess Diana and Actaeon.  Students in each of the primary schools involved in the project were asked to do pictures illustrating this  story. This is the story …

Long ago in a forest there was a glade with a beautiful pool sheltered by trees. The glade was peaceful and Diana, the goddess of hunting, was swimming in the pool. Diana lay back and floated in the quiet pool, relaxed and calm. Nearby, within the forest, Actaeon was hunting with his dogs.  Actaeon was a much admired hunter, fearless and strong. Then, disaster! Actaeon stumbled out of the forest into the glade, disturbing the peace and quiet of Diana’s swim. This made Diana very, very angry. Diana cursed Actaeon and turned him into the very thing he’d been hunting; a stag: antlers grew from Actaeon’s head, fur formed all over his body and his arms became forelegs with hooves.  Actaeon, shocked by what had happened to him, looked around and saw that even his dogs no longer recognised him. In an instant Actaeon fled from the glade, pursued by his own dogs.  And Diana – she returned to her peaceful swim.