Selene - or Luna as the Romans called her - is the goddess of the moon, driving a horse-drawn chariot across the night sky. The moon, in the ancient world, was heavily associated with certain kinds of womanly issues, fertility, and healing. Although in most myths, the Horae appear to be triads born of Zeus and Themis, in this particular incarnation they were the daughters of Selene and Helios. [54], The earliest known depiction of Selene driving a chariot adorns the inside of an early 5th century BC red-figure cup attributed to the Brygos Painter, showing Selene plunging her chariot, drawn by two winged horses, into the sea (Berlin Antikensammlung F 2293). [3] Selene and Artemis were also associated with Hecate and all three were regarded as moon and lunar goddesses, but only Selene was regarded as the personification of the Moon itself. [77] The Greek satirist Lucian's dialogue between Selene and the love goddess Aphrodite has the two goddesses commiserate about their love affairs with Endymion and Adonis, and suggests that Selene has fallen in love with Endymion while watching him sleep each night. [4] Here she is represented as a radiant goddess, wearing a crown and beautiful robes and riding a horse-drawn chariot across the night sky: From her immortal head a radiance is shown from heaven and embraces earth; and great is the beauty that ariseth from her shining light. The crescent moon, full moon, and dark moon corresponded to the three states of being embodied by the Fates. This was known as the Gigantomachy. Selene, the goddess of the moon, has two siblings: Eos, the goddess of the dawn, and Helios, the sun god. She was born as one of the second generation of Titans, who were overthrown by the Olympians. As the daughter of the Titan god of heavenly light, it is an apt name. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. Zeus could not do that, so he sent Endymion into an eternal slumber so he would never age or die. In Greek mythology, Ceto was a goddess of the water. The light that humans saw from earth emanate from them, a legacy of their lustrous father. The myth of Selene claims that this goddess had several lovers, both divine and mortal. Witchcraft has long been believed to have had a connection with the moon and it was no different in antiquity. [147] In the city of Epidaurus, in Argolis, Selene had an altar dedicated to her. Along with presiding over dangerous sea creatures, Ceto produced her own set of frightening . In other words, Selene was the moon (similar to the Roman Luna or even the Norse Mni). In other versions, Endymion was actually taken to Mount Olympus. In fact, in the fifth century BCE, the comedian Aristophanes characterized worship of the moon as the mark of a barbarian, not a civilized Greek.[33]. As the most important and visible features in the sky, the people of ancient Greece thought that Selene, goddess of the moon, and her brother Helios, god of the sun, were the ones responsible for the movement of the two celestial bodies across the sky. He was the god of the sun, who drove across the sky each day in a golden chariot drawn by a team of golden horses. Selene was so enamored of the young man that she left the sky to see him more closely. Her request granted, Selene visited him regularly; some sources even reported that they had children together (see above).[27]. Though Selene had many consorts, the most famous of them was Endymion, a handsome young mortal. [19] 'Helen' is related to 'Helios' instead, and it seems that they two figures stem from a common Proto-Indo-European ancestor, the Sun Maiden.[20][21]. Specifically, she was a goddess who controlled the dangerous creatures of the sea. The Greeks recognized several goddesses as having a connection to the moon, but none was as closely associated with it as Selene. When Selene spied him sleeping in a cave, she immediately fell in love and asked Zeus to extend his sleep for all eternity. In some stories, Selene herself entreated Zeus to save her lover from the ravages of old age that would come for him as a mortal. Selene was said to drive her moon chariot across the sky every night, from east to west, following her brother. [78] In his dialogue between Aphrodite and Eros, Lucian also has Aphrodite admonish her son Eros for bringing Selene "down from the sky". Selene then turned Lilaeus into a mountain, Mt. "[42], According to the Homeric Hymn to Selene, the goddess bore Zeus a daughter, Pandia ("All-brightness"),[43] "exceeding lovely amongst the deathless gods". If you thought Artemis was the Greek goddess of the moon, you are only partially right. [63][66], Selene is best known for her affair with the beautiful mortal Endymion. Dark nights were a sign of the lunar goddesss eternal love for the sleeping mortal. Selene is often eclipsed by the popularity of Artemis as a lunar goddess, but as the personification of the moon itself she had a significant impact on the lives and views of the Greek people. Indeed, it reflects the fascinating way the Greeks observed the . [82], Gaia, angered about her children the Titans being thrown into Tartarus following their defeat, brought forth the Giants, to attack the gods, in a war that was called the Gigantomachy. Selene. The great English Romantic poet John Keats wrote a poem about the mortal, entitled Endymion, with some of the most famous opening lines in the English language. Worshiped as one of the important celestial lights of the heavens, Selene was also reputedly revered as a deity of agriculture and fertility. (Also, the name of the Titan Goddess Phoebe and an epithet of Artemis.). Plato, Republic 2.364e; Philochorus, Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum (FHG) 1 frag. Selene personified the moon and was one of the Greek goddesses of the night. Often when one god supplanted another in a particular domain, the stories that involved that god were changed to reflect this. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Cf. [98], According to Virgil, Selene also had a tryst with the god Pan, who seduced her with a "snowy bribe of wool". fr. She walked as quietly as possible to avoid frightening Endymion as he slept. While her brother was clad in shining gold, her light was softer and more clear. Artemis is also a Goddess of the moon. Perhaps the most colorful ancient description of Selene comes from Homeric Hymn 32 (the Homeric Hymn to Selene). 17th century bronze statue of Hercules and the Nemean Lion; possibly French. Her appearance matched the night sky she drove through. Selene - Mythology. This might have had a role in the later identification of Selene with Hecate, who was, after all, the goddess of witchcraft and spells. However, her greatest love was a lowly mortal named Endymion. However, in the science fiction book The First Men on the Moon by H.G. [144] And, according to a scholium on Theocritus, Pindar wrote that lovesick women would pray to Selene for help, as Euripides apparently had Phaedra, Selene's great-niece, do in his lost play Hippolytus Veiled. 3 (cited in the scholia on Apollonius of Rhodes Argonautica 4.57). Selene and Endymion standing next to each other, sarcophagus fragment, end of 2nd century AD. Homeric Hymns 32.14ff, trans. Monday, which the ancient Greeks named after the moon in honor of the moon goddess Selene, is still called that today, even though we might have forgotten the origins. [106], According to pseudo-Plutarch, Lilaeus was an Indian shepherd who only worshipped Selene among the gods and performed her rituals and mysteries at night. Like most of the Titans, Selene was rarely worshipped in the ancient world. The ancient Greeks saw her as the actual representation of the moon. [114] From Pausanias, we learn that Selene and Helios also framed the birth of Aphrodite on the base of the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. The idea that Selene would also give easy labours to women paved way for identification with Hera and the Roman Juno and Lucina, three other childbirth goddesses; Plutarch calls Selene "Hera in material form. Her father was the Titan god of heavenly light, while her mother represented the blue color of the sky. How Did Uranus get its Name as Per Greek Mythology? This article is about the Greek goddess. Myth Early History Selene was the daughter of the titans, Hyperion and Theia, sister to Helios (the sun) and Eos (dawn). Nonnus, Dionysiaca 12.1ff (who names Helios as the father of the Horae but does not name the mother). If youve ever wondered what role the moon played in ancient life, here is your chance to learn about how the Greeks viewed Selene, the personification of the moon. That the myths contained a considerable element of fiction was recognized by the more critical Greeks, such as the philosopher Plato in the 5th-4th century bce. Hesiod, Catalogue of Women frag. GREEK VASE PAINTINGS GALLERY 1 (86 IMAGES) . Knowing he would be there whenever she wanted to see him, the goddess no longer worried he would leave or die before she got to see him again. Nonnus describes how, as Ampelus was riding a bull, he made the mistake of comparing himself to Selene. Because Basileia's other brothers envied these offspring, and feared that Hyperion would try to seize power for himself, they conspired against him. While Selenes best known consort may have been Endymion and the mythic romance between the moon goddess and the mortal has been documented in many places, he was not the only person that she was involved with. [127] Selene (along with Helios, Nyx and others) received an altar at the sanctuary of Demeter at Pergamon, possibly in connection with the Orphic mysteries. Selene was the Greek goddess of the moon. 13 In later times Selene was identified with Artemis, and the worship of the two became amalgamated. Indeed, the Greek comic playwright Aristophanes said in the 5th century BCE that the worship of the moon was a sign of barbarian communities and not to be emulated by the Greeks. Updates? The air, unlit before, glows with the light of her golden crown, and her rays beam clear, whensoever bright Selene having bathed her lovely body in the waters of Ocean, and donned her far-gleaming raiment, and yoked her strong-necked, shining team, drives on her long-maned horses at full speed, at eventime in the mid-month: then her great orbit is full and then her beams shine brightest as she increases. Mene The personification of the months was sometimes an aspect of Selene and sometimes a separate goddess. [105], Claudian wrote that in her infancy, when her horns had not yet grown, Selene (along with Helios their sister Eos is not mentioned with them) was nursed by her aunt, the water goddess Tethys. Moon gods and goddesses have existed in all ancient pantheistic cultures for a very long time. There are three different ways you can cite this article. These were Eiar, Theros, Cheimon, and Phthinoporon, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. For this the Greek gods were to be worshiped. Mythopedia. Selene was, while not worshiped openly, apparently the object of many spells and invocations addressed to her by young women. [68] However, the first account of the story comes from the third-century BC Argonautica of Apollonius of Rhodes, which tells of Selene's "mad passion" and her visiting the "fair Endymion" in a cave on Mount Latmus:[69], And the Titanian goddess, the moon, rising from a far land, beheld her [Medea] as she fled distraught, and fiercely exulted over her, and thus spake to her own heart: I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. 68 A75 D-K). Francoise Gury, Selene/Luna, in Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (Zurich: Artemis, 1994), 7:70615. Hurwit, Jeffery M. (2017), "Helios Rising: The Sun, the Moon, and the Sea in the Sculptures of the Parthenon", Jones, Prudence H., "A Goddess Arrives: Nineteenth Century Sources of the New Age Triple Moon Goddess" in. Lastly, Selene was said to be the mother of the legendary Greek poet Musaeus,[50] with, according to Philochorus, the father being the legendary seer Eumolpus.[51]. Although Endymion slept for eternity, many sources said Selene continued to see him. Their daughter Eos was the first to appear each day. My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine. Selene, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, was the personification of the moon. The Story of Selene. [113] Selene and Helios also appear on the North Metopes of the Parthenon, with Selene this time entering the sea on horseback. Privacy. Selene featured in few myths, with the most famous ones being the tales that tell of her lovers: Zeus, Pan and the mortal Endymion. Well, go on, and steel thy heart, wise though thou be, to take up thy burden of pain, fraught with many sighs."[70]. Magical Goddess of the Silvery Moon. Selene and Endymion by Sebastiano Ricci (1713). The Greek word Phoebe means bright and the word Cynthia means from Mount Cynthus which was said to be the birthplace of Artemis. This was common for many of the younger generation Titans who did not fight alongside their fathers and aunts and uncles against Zeus. 1392). Festivals and feasts were determined by the lunar calendar, giving Selene as Mene an important role in the worship of all the gods and goddesses. The goddess Selene was the daughter of Titius Hyperion and Theia. The Moirai In some traditions the Fates were seen as three aspects of the lunar goddess. While other goddesses were associated with the night in more general terms, Selene was believed to be the embodiment of the moon herself. Her name was spelt differently in the different dialects of the Greeks but the meaning was the same. Greek mythology, body of stories concerning the gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks. Selene fought back the giant, locking horns with Typhon; afterwards, she carried many scars on her orb, reminiscent of their battle. Many people believed that labor and childbirth was easiest during the full moon and prayed to Selene for aid. Does the sculpted girl speak to women too?" The name Selene is also quite popular in the English-speaking world. According to Greek mythology, the moon goddess Selene was the daughter of two Titans (mythological giants) called Hyperion and Theia. [93] Aelian states: "They say that the Lion of Nemea fell from the moon", and quotes Epimenides as saying:[94], For I am sprung from fair-tressed Selene the Moon, who in a fearful shudder shook off the savage lion in Nemea, and brought him forth at the bidding of Queen Hera. The most enduring story of Selene concerns the love she felt for an ordinary human man. For other uses, see, Detail of Selene from a Roman sarcophagus, A winged Selene seems to be unique to this. Two of the original twelve Titans descended from Uranus and Gaia, Hyperion was the Titan god of heavenly light while Theia was the Titan goddess of vision and the aether. The concept of Selene as the lunar goddess also made her an important goddess of childbirth and female fertility. While the Maenids of Dionysus were driven mad by the frenzy of their worship, however, the madness brought about by Selene could be used as a targeted punishment. Kapach, Avi. As time progressed, they merged into one identity. By the 5th century bc Selene was sometimes identified with Artemis, or Phoebe, the bright one. She was usually represented as a woman with the moon (often in crescent form) on her head and driving a two-horse chariot. [47] Nonnus has Selene and Endymion as the parents of the beautiful Narcissus, although in other accounts, including Ovid's Metamorphoses, Narcissus was the son of Cephissus and Liriope.[48]. At night he drove below the edge of the world in the west, circling below Gaia to reappear on the eastern horizon by morning. Occasionally she asked her brother to take over her duties so she could spend more time on the ground with Endymion. Attributes to the Byrgos Painter, ca. A variation of this symbol was the nimbus, which surrounded her head, depicting the celestial light she bestowed on the world. Hurwit 2017, pp. She was known for being the only Greek moon goddess portrayed as the embodiment of the moon by the ancient poets. Her sister Eos was the light of dawn and their brother Helios drew the chariot of the sun across the sky each day. (Similarly, Selenes brother Helios came to be identified with Artemis brother Apollo. Most famous classical poets describe her beauty as so intriguing that gods and mortals alike could not resist her godly charms. Zeus put Endymion into an eternal sleep so the goddess could see him forever as a beautiful young man. However, hers might not be a name that is quite as well-known. The moon goddess was said to have had several lovers, including Zeus and the wild god Pan. Their daughter Eos was the first to appear each day. The name of the moon goddess is surrounded by accounts of the consorts she had and their children. My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember (too long!) Finally, although this account is more in doubt, some stories say that Selene and her brother Helios together birthed one of the generations of the Horae, the goddesses of the seasons. She is usually portrayed either driving a chariot (see above) or riding sideways on horseback[111] (sometimes riding an ox, a mule or a ram). In Greek mythology, Selene was traditionally depicted as a beautiful young woman, with perhaps paler than usual skin. They put Hyperion to the sword, and drowned Helios in the river Eridanus. 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