The Archer on the Columbiad Cannon

An analysis written by Nicolas

Luna or Artemis?

Who is this goddess drawn in the Space Mountain's Columbiad Cannon? Disneyland Paris speaks about one goddess called "Luna". In fact, Luna is not a goddess ... Who is this mysterious character ?

Who is Artemis?

Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She was the twin sister of Apollon. Like her brother, she's the light's divinity, but of the Moon's light instead of the Sun's light as her brother was. Artemis is the goddess of the Moon.

One day, she asked a gift to Zeus her father, that was a whole hunt display. Her bow was forged by Hephaistos hiself. With her bow, she went in the wood and mountains so as to hunt. Artemis is the goddess of the hunt.

It seems like one other important coincidence between Artemis and Space Mountain, is that she was able to assist travellers (on the Earth or on the Sea, as some writters told it). But in the taste of Jules Verne's imaginary and in the taste of his extraordinary journeys, we could think about space travellers. Such a representation on the Cannon is a glorious sign, but also contributes to promote the uncertain journey of the projectile.

Diane or Artemis?

Diane is an Roman divinity of the wild nature, likened by Romans to the Greek Artemis. She is also the goddess of hunt. Nevertheless, it seems like the goddess from the Columbiad is Artemis and not Diane. In fact, Diane is often represented with numerous teats, symbol of prosperity and fertility.

Orio and Scorpio constellations

Artemis was chaste and virgin. Orion had a desire act, and immediatly was punished by the goddess. In fact, she was helped by a scorpion. To give the scorpion a reward, she send him to the sky

, giving him a constellation (the Scorpio constellation). Orion benefited from the metamorphosis, and got also his own constellation (the Orion constellation).

Artemis' arrow means two things.

If you look at the archer of Space Mountain - from the Earth to the Moon, you can see a star at the end of the arrow. It's a matter of a star that the goddess sends in skies so as to build Orio and Scorpio constellations.

Furthermore, the arrow is laied on a bow, 32° leaned, as the lunar train in the Cannon stock. This is the symbol of a frequent and imminent blast-off, imagined thanks to the fast and violent departure of an arrow. The speed feeling is emphasized by the flying streamers backward, the dress and the moved in the opposite direction by the force of the blast-off hair.

The non masculine physique of Artemis

Furthermore, Artemis is represented by Elders, sculptors and painters, like a sturdy young girl, with a severe face. Here we can see a streched nose, and a straight chin. Look at the spreaded musculature of the arms: it looks like a man musculature. Features are not very much effeminated

The ornaments and the clothes of Artemis

They are very rich. It's a matter of a goddess' ornaments. Notice the reality: the archer is gilded by a 24-carat gold leaf. Belt like hunters, armands in both of the arms and diadem: there is everything to present a hunter goddess

Artemis is represented by Elders, sculptors and painters, with a rolled up dress, letting her legs free to run so as to hunt stags and hinds. Her sandals confim this fact.

Artemis is represented by Elders, sculptors and painters, wearing a diadem, kind of crown. It's well represented in the Cannon.

The bow: an inspiration from the model of Apollon?

Furthermore, her brother Apollon was an archer too. Concerning Apollon's bow, Elders often compared it with the Sun.

For the Columbiad Cannon goddess, the bow has a little unusual form. Most of the time, bows don't have a circular form, we could compare this circle with the Sun's crescent, this is confirmed by the mythology according to the one Appolon's arrows were compared with the Sun's rays. This representation of Artemis seems to be deeply inspired by Greek mythology.