If your web page requires an HTML link, please insert this code: . There was an Athenian festival named the Pandia, held in honor of Zeus, which was perhaps celebrated on a full moon night. This was known as the Gigantomachy. Eventually, she became identified with Artemis, goddess of the wilderness, who was sometimes associated with the moon. [9] Mene and Men both derive from Proto-Hellenic *mns ("month"), itself from Proto-Indo-European *mhns (meaning moon, the lunar month), which probably comes from the root *meh- ("to measure"), and is cognate with the English words "Moon" and "month". [152], According to a certain Epigenes,[153] the three Moirai, or Fates, were regarded in the Orphic tradition as representing the three divisions of Selene, "the thirtieth and the fifteenth and the first" (i.e. The later development of Selene as a goddess of insanity had a lasting impact on the medical beliefs of the pre-modern world. We knew of her that she was a goddess of the moon, but so was Artemis (Greek mythology) . 527532; Shear, pp. Some nymphs in Greek mythology were famous, but others were only known in a certain time Apollo: The God of Music, Poetry, and Light, Hecate Greek Goddess of Witchcraft : The Complete Guide. Often when one god supplanted another in a particular domain, the stories that involved that god were changed to reflect this. The name Selene is also quite popular in the English-speaking world. Whatever his profession, the handsome young man frequently slept beneath the open sky. The other gods, angered, sent him two lions to tear him apart. Many of these old communities followed the lunar calendar and that made the moon a center of their faith and worship in many ways. Let's take a closer look at her story. Selene, (Greek: "Moon") Latin Luna, in Greek and Roman religion, the personification of the moon as a goddess. Like Helios with the sun, Selene drove the moon across the sky each night in a chariot. 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. Selene leaving her chariot, Roman mosaic, Andalusia. For the people of old, natural phenomena was an important part of their worship. There is a magnificent frieze in the Pergamon Altar, now kept at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, which depicts this battle between the Giants and the Olympians. Her presence is felt in something as simple as the names of the days of the week. [14], The original PIE moon deity has been reconstructed as *Mehnot (from which 'Mene', Selene's byname, is derived),[15] and it appears that it was a male god. Selene is a Titan goddess. Plato, Republic 2.364e; Philochorus, Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum (FHG) 1 frag. Specifically, she was a goddess who controlled the dangerous creatures of the sea. [118], Selene is commonly depicted with a crescent moon, often accompanied by stars; sometimes, instead of a crescent, a lunar disc is used. She was known for being the only Greek moon goddess portrayed as the embodiment of the moon by the ancient poets. Some even said that the Nemean Lion, as the offspring of Selene, had originally fallen from the moon.[30]. According to Hesiods Theogony, Selene was born of Hyperion and Theia. [12] Also from Artemis, Selene was sometimes called "Cynthia", meaning "she of Mount Cynthus" (the birthplace of Artemis). Selene and Endymion by Sebastiano Ricci (1713). Thou wouldst say far off that this was milk indeed, which is a well-spring of white water: if thou draw a little nigher, lo, the stream is fringed as though with ice, for white stone rims it round. Mitchell, Lucy M., "Sculptures of the Great Pergamon Altar" in The Century Magazine, 1883. In Greek mythology, Selene was traditionally depicted as a beautiful young woman, with perhaps paler than usual skin. She was essentially urban and civilized, the antithesis in many respects of Artemis, goddess of the outdoors. [103], In Lucian's Icaromenippus, Selene complains to the titular Menippus of all the outrageous claims philosophers are making about her, such as wondering why she is ever waxing or gibbous, whether she is populated or not, and stating that she is getting her stolen light from the Sun, causing strife and ill feelings between her and her brother. Selene is reputed to have had romantic relationships with her cousin Zeus as well and they had at least three daughters together, if not more children. [33] The Homeric Hymn to Helios follows this tradition: "Hyperion wedded glorious Euryphassa, his own sister, who bare him lovely children, rosy-armed Eos and rich-tressed Selene and tireless Helios",[34] with Euryphassa ("widely shining") probably being an epithet of Theia. Greek mythology has beautiful explanations for many natural phenomena. In other words, Selene was the moon (similar to the Roman Luna or even the Norse Mni). ", Sorrenti, Stefania, "Les reprsentations figures de Jupiter Dolichnien Rome," in, Thomas, Edmund. Epimenides, in the theogony that was ascribed to him, also calls her lovely haired, perhaps due to the Homeric Hymns themselves. Selene was a Titan goddess in Greek mythology, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. [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. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Were building the worlds most authoritative, online mythology resource, with engaging, accessible content that is both educational and compelling to read. [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. [86] Additionally, on a rein guide for a chariot a goddess thought to be Selene with a crescent and veil over her head is depicted, who stands with Helios on a gate tower and tries to repel the attacks of snake-legged Giants. Her father was the Titan god of heavenly light, while her mother represented the blue color of the sky. 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. On the other hand, her eyes and hair were believed to have been as dark as the night. 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. Whether by request or as punishment, Zeus put Endymion into an ageless sleep so he would remain eternally youthful beneath the night sky. Helios was one of the Titans, son of Hyperion and Theia and brother of Eos (the Dawn) and Selene (the Moon ). [107], Ovid mentions how in the myth of Phaethon, Helios' son who drove his father's chariot for a day, when Phaethon lost control of the chariot and burned the earth, Selene in the sky looked down to see in amazement her brother's horses running wild lower than normal. Occasionally Selenes chariot was pulled by oxen or bulls, again differentiating it from the faster vehicle of her brother. [75] Cicero seems to make Selene responsible for Endymion's sleep, so that "she might kiss him while sleeping". Sometimes these were winged horses, although some later accounts had the chariot drawn by bulls. She is the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and sister of the sun-god Helios, and Eos, goddess of the dawn. 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. She drives her moon chariot across the heavens. Surviving descriptions of Selene's physical appearance and character, apart from those which would apply to the moon itself, are scant. Selene featured in few myths, with the most famous ones being the tales that tell of her lovers: Zeus, Pan and the mortal Endymion. In fact, there were several female deities who shared this domain. 573 Bernab. She was often said to be the mother of the Horai, the personifications of the division of time and the seasons. [102], Plutarch recorded a fable-like story in which Selene asked her mother to weave her a garment to fit her measure, and her mother replied that she was unable to do so, as she kept changing shape and size, sometimes full, then crescent-shaped and others yet half her size. The Greeks (like many other ancient peoples) were notoriously terrified of eclipses, viewing them as signs of the gods displeasure.[3]. Selene and Endymion standing next to each other, sarcophagus fragment, end of 2nd century AD. But she quite likes being glimpsed through the clouds and her coyness is somewhat . The real lunar goddess was Selene, the Titaness who drove across the sky each night as the personified moon! This claim has been takenby Plutarch at first, and subsequently by modern astronomersto mean that she could predict the time and general area where an eclipse of the Moon would occur. Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica 4.54ff; Pausanias, Description of Greece 5.1.4; Apollodorus, Library 1.7.5; cf. [25], Two other sources also mention her hair. She was the personification of the moon, but was also associated with lunar elements such as tides, months, and even lunacy. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death . Without Selene giving way to Eos, Helios could not bring the sun back to the world. [59] Though the moon chariot is often described as being silver,[60] for Pindar it was golden. He soon discovered the source of Selenes distraction. Selene was written off and Artemis became the goddess of the moon, hunting, and animals. The moon was also believed to bring the night dew that nourished the plants and to bring sleep and rest to humankind. Other examples of lunar goddesses and gods are Selenes Roman equivalent Luna, the Mesopotamian Sin, the Egyptian god Khonsu, the Germanic Mani, the Japanese Shinto god Tsukuyomi, the Chinese Change, and the Hindu god Chandra. Selene and Endymion, fresco on ceiling by Giuseppe Antonio Orelli, circa 1730-1770, Palazzo Riva. Oil lamp fragment with the head of Selene, early classical period, Muse de Die. She and her brother did not just pull the chariots of their respective orbs through the sky. Selene is a Titan goddess in Greek mythology. In later times, Selene was often associated with Artemis in the same way that her brother Helios was associated with Artemis brother Apollo. Whenever the moon could not be seen in the night sky, it was because Selene had paused to take in Endymions beauty once again. The Greeks followed a lunar calendar, making Selene one of the most important deities in the passage of time. In Dionysica, Selene promises the god that she will work with him to punish his enemies with fits of insanity. Selene, the moon goddess, was reputed to have had many children by various fathers. We learn of Selenes family, her parents and siblings and the children that she went on to have, from various different sources and Greek myths. That leaves Artemis and Selene. The poem describes the radiant light that shines from her head and calls her bright Selene. The moon goddess is described as white armed goddess and bright tressed queen and the poem celebrates her loveliness. Mene The personification of the months was sometimes an aspect of Selene and sometimes a separate goddess. [72] A scholiast on Apollonius says that, according to Epimenides, Endymion fell in love with Hera, and Zeus punished him with eternal sleep. When Gaia heard of a prophecy that a mortal would help the gods to defeat the giants, she sought to find a herb that would make them undefeatable. fr. While Selene was known for pulling the moon across the sky in her silver . Well, go on, and steel thy heart, wise though thou be, to take up thy burden of pain, fraught with many sighs."[70]. Selene was, while not worshiped openly, apparently the object of many spells and invocations addressed to her by young women. [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. In other versions, Endymion was actually taken to Mount Olympus. Secretive and shy, she enjoys flitting silently through the night with a pearl-white or silvery chariot. "[42], According to the Homeric Hymn to Selene, the goddess bore Zeus a daughter, Pandia ("All-brightness"),[43] "exceeding lovely amongst the deathless gods". Both of these Goddesses are also associated with Hecate. In many cases it rested on her brow or jutted out on either side of her head like a crown or horns. Her brother, Helios, is the god of the sun, and her sister, Eos, is the goddess of the dawn. In the Homeric Hymn to Selene, she bears the beautiful Pandeic to Zeus, while Alcman says they are the parents of Herse, the dew. [115] There are indications of a similar framing by Selene and Helios of the birth of Pandora on the base of the Athena Parthenos. Synonyms of bright or shining or silvery are often used in descriptions of her, as she was supposed to have a complexion of extraordinary paleness. [97] Hyginus says that Selene had "nourished" the lion in a "two-mouthed cave". 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. All Rights Reserved. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. Selene, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, was the personification of the moon. [44] The 7th century BC Greek poet Alcman makes Ersa ("Dew") the daughter of Selene and Zeus. [126] Pausanias also described seeing two stone images in the market-place of Elis, one of the sun and the other of the moon, from the heads of which projected the rays of the sun and the horns of the crescent moon. The myth of Selene, the moon goddess, is no exception. [40][41] Furthermore, in Virgil's Aeneid, when Nisus calls upon Selene/the Moon, he addresses her as "daughter of Latona. Often she was shown in a chariot drawn by a team of horses or oxen, but other times there was no chariot, and Selene would instead appear on the back of a horse or mule. These were Eiar, Theros, Cheimon, and Phthinoporon, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Deciphering the Role of Helios, the Sun God of Greek Mythology. Selene also has a chemical element named after her, Selenium. [128], Originally, Pandia may have been an epithet of Selene,[129] but by at least the time of the late Hymn to Selene, Pandia had become a daughter of Zeus and Selene. [8], Selene began appearing in the visual arts around the early fifth century BCE. My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine. Most mythologists assumed that Selene was an older moon goddess that was replaced later by Artemis in myth. Like her brother Helios, the Sun god, who drives his sun chariot across the sky each day, Selene is also said to drive a chariot across the heavens. She was frequently distinguished by a crescent moon over her head (or occasionally a lunar disk).[9]. Who was Vesta, the Goddess of the Hearth? The moon goddess and Artemis were occasionally shown as companions. The counterpart to her brother, she traveled by night. [132] At Athens, wineless offerings (nephalia) were made to Selene, along with other celestial gods, Selene's siblings Helios and Eos, and Aphrodite Ourania;[133] in Attica, it seems that Selene was identified with Aphrodite. But on nights the moon could not be seen, there was a very good reason for her absence. The brother and sister married each other and had three children: Eos (the goddess of the dawn), Helios (the sun god), and Selene (the moon goddess). Accessed on 27 Feb. 2023. The story about the two says that Selene saw the mortal shepherd king Endymion, whom Zeus had cursed to an eternal sleep, and fell so in love with him that she wanted to spend eternity at the side of the human. Athena, also spelled Athene, in Greek religion, the city protectress, goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason, identified by the Romans with Minerva. Because Basileia's other brothers envied these offspring, and feared that Hyperion would try to seize power for himself, they conspired against him. There are a few different versions of the myth. 199; Strabo, Geography 14.1.8; Catullus, Odes 66.5; Propertius, Elegies 2.15; Ovid, Heroides 15.89ff, 18.59ff; Seneca, Phaedra 309ff; Hyginus, Fabulae 271; Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica 8.28ff; Lucian, Dialogues of the Gods 19; Nonnus, Dionysiaca 2.325ff, 4.195ff, 7.237ff, and passim; Quintus of Smyrna, Posthomerica 10.125ff; etc. [2] She was often associated with cycles of growth and agriculture, female menstruation, and mysterious diseases like epilepsy and demonic possession. [64][65] Those who brought down the Moon were thought to bring ill fortune upon themselves, as evidenced by the proverb ("you are bringing down the Moon on yourself") said for those who caused self-inflicted evils; some witches supposedly avoided this fate by sacrificing their children or their eyeballs. There are a number of stories about the moon goddess Selene in Greek mythology, in association with the other Greek gods, especially Zeus. Hesiod, Catalogue of Women frag. Two winged steeds pulled her across the sky each night. She was depicted as a woman riding sidesaddle on a horse or driving a chariot drawn by a pair of winged steeds. Selene was a beautiful goddess with long, flowing . The moon goddess was said to have had several lovers, including Zeus and the wild god Pan. [158] HMS Selene (P254), a 1944 British submarine and Ghia Selene, a concept car from the Ghia design studio from 1959, also bore her name. Grapevines then rose from Ampelus corpse, from which the heartbroken Dionysus made wine for the first time. Hymn 31, To Helios, also speaks of the two sisters of Helios where the rich-tressed Selene is once again alluded to. Zeus slept with the human queen Alcmene, of which encounter Heracles was born. The ancient Greeks saw her as the actual representation of the moon. These two goddesses have additional association with Hecate. Although Zeus had taken many mortal lovers, the goddess of the moon had been abandoning her duties and could cause chaos if she continued. There were other goddesses worshiped by the Greeks who were widely associated with the moon themselves. [7] The Greek word mene, meant the moon, and the lunar month. Lilaeon. Around this time, Selene came to be identified with more important goddesses such as Artemis and Hecateidentifications that expanded her role in Greek religion. While we often think little of the moon today, in the ancient Greek world the moons cyclical movement through the sky played a central role in their concept of time. The cave in Anatolia where Endymion was said to sleep became a holy place for Selene. [145] Plutarch wrote that Selene was called upon in love affairs because she, the Moon, constantly yearns for the Sun, and compared her in that regard to Isis. Even now, this moon goddess of the ancient world has not quite gone out of our lives and her presence can be felt in small but subtle reminders. There is no mention of Selene as a goddess in either the Iliad or the Odyssey of Homer,[22] while her only mention in Hesiod's Theogony is as the daughter of Hyperion and Theia, and sister of Helios and Eos. She asks Menippus to report her grievances to Zeus, with the request that Zeus wipes all these natural philosophers from the face of the earth. [31] Mesomedes of Crete calls her (glauk, "silvery grey"). In her Full Moon state, she is Panselene or . If you have read Greek mythology and the famous epics of ancient Greece, you may be quite familiar with her brother Helios. Hail, white-armed goddess, bright Selene, mild, bright-tressed queen! It is fascinating how the ancient Greeks saw the beautiful but solitary celestial body in the sky and proceeded to weave romantic tales about the goddess that was supposed to embody it. However, in the science fiction book The First Men on the Moon by H.G. Selene had a relationship with the god Pan, according to Virgil. Those that do exist are somewhat generic (like the previously mentioned epithets). Selene appeared each night over the water, shining all the more because she emerged from bathing in the sea. Several lovers are attributed to her in various myths, including Zeus, Pan, and the mortal Endymion. [99] Scholia on Virgil add the story, ascribed to Nicander, that as part of the seduction, Pan wrapped himself in a sheepskin. The ancient Greeks believed that a lunar eclipse was the work of a witch, particularly the witches of Thessaly. [5], Selenes moon chariotsimilar to the sun chariot of her brother Helios and the dawn chariot of her sister Eoswas probably her most distinctive and consistent attribute. Depending on the author, the chariot was either silver,[6] snow white,[7] or gold. Their names differed from the other triads of Horae and they were considered to be the personifications of the four seasons itself. [37] Other accounts give still other parents for Selene: Euripides has Selene as the daughter of Helios (rather than sister),[38] while an Aeschylus fragment possibly has Selene as the daughter of Leto,[39] as does a scholium on Euripides's play The Phoenician Women which adds Zeus as the father. Kapach, Avi. Selene saw him as she passed overhead and fell deeply in love. How Did Uranus get its Name as Per Greek Mythology? Like every celestial goddess , there was a yin to Selene's yang; In this case, there were two yins. [45] Selene and Zeus were also said to be the parents of Nemea, the eponymous nymph of Nemea, where Heracles slew the Nemean Lion, and where the Nemean Games were held. Ceto - Goddess of the Water. [1], Selene was often identified with other goddesses, including Men (also spelled Mene), the divine personification of the lunar month; Bendis, a goddess of Thracian origin; Hecate, a goddess of witchcraft; and (especially in later antiquity) Artemis, the goddess of hunting and wild things. Selene, the goddess of the moon, has two siblings: Eos, the goddess of the dawn, and Helios, the sun god. By all accounts, Selene seemed to have played a major role in this war. The masculine form, Phoebus, was used in reference to either Apollo or. In ancient Greek mythology, Selene, is the Titan goddess of the moon and is said to drive her glowing chariot powered by beautiful white horses across the sky each night. [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]. However, hers might not be a name that is quite as well-known. Seneca, Madness of Hercules 83; Hyginus, Fabulae 30; Aelian, On Animals 12.7 (citing Epimenides); etc. Whether this Pallas (called the son of Megamedes) is the same as the Titan Pallas or a different individual entirely is unclear. Her name was spelt differently in the different dialects of the Greeks but the meaning was the same. Endymion was, depending on the source, a prince in exile or a simple shepherd. Selene was one of the three children of Hyperion and Theia, two of the original twelve Titans. (Also, the name of the Titan Goddess Phoebe and an epithet of Artemis.). Omissions? Hecate and her followers, for example, asked Selene for her cooperation in their magic. Selene could still see her sleeping love whenever she pleased, but the pressures of time and mortality were taken off her. Selene, one of the younger generation of Titans, was also the Greek goddess of the moon. Is the Mother of Castor and Pollux a Goddess? Kapach, A. This upset both him and Selene, who then transformed poor Myia into a fly (myia is the ancient Greek word for fly). [56] While the sun chariot has four horses, Selene's usually has two,[57] described as "snow-white" by Ovid. Selene with sleeping Endymion, fresco in the fourth Pompeian style. [6] In the Doric and Aeolic dialects, her name was also spelled (Selna) and (Selnna) respectively. And along with Selene, the moon moved as well. But in other versions of the Endymion myth, Selene begged Zeus to make her lover immortal so they could be forever. Each day she drives her two-horse chariot, heralding the breaking of the new day and her brother's arrival. 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. Hesiod, Catalogue of Women frag. They brought night and day, shed light on the earth, were responsible for the turning of the months, and facilitated agriculture. Cf. Helios, the son of Hyperion and Theia, was their second child. Both Theocritus in his second Idyll and Pindar write about how young women would pray to or invoke spells in the name of the moon goddess for help with their love lives. In this case, the story of Selene embracing Endymion, or Moon embraces Diver, refers to the sun setting and the moon rising. In some later accounts, she is known as the Horned Selene, perhaps due to the crescent moon upon the crown of her head. [90], When Zeus desired to sleep with the mortal queen Alcmene and sire Heracles, he made the night last three days, and ordered Selene via Hermes to dawdle in the sky during that time. With his sister, the Titaness Theia, Hyperion fathered Helios (the Sun), Selene (the Moon) and Eos (the Dawn).. Hyperion was, along with his son Helios, a personification of the sun, with the two sometimes . Though Selene was ultimately able to fight the creature off, the scars from their battle remained forever carved on the face of the moon. She is dressed in the finest silk robes and travels in her silver moon chariot drawn by luminous steeds across the heavens. [58] In some later accounts the chariot was drawn by oxen or bulls. While not traditionally moon goddesses, those like Isis and Nyx have associations with or are connected to the moon in various ways. [95], Anaxagoras also reports that the Nemean lion was said to have fallen from the moon. Helius, Selene, Eos, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Nike, Boreas, Zephyrus, Astra) GREEK VASE PAINTINGS GALLERY 8 (83 IMAGES) [13], Selene, along with her brother, her sister and the sky-god Zeus, is one of the few Greek deities of a clear Proto-Indo-European origin, although they were sidelined by later non-PIE newcomers to the pantheon, as remaining on the sidelines became their primary function, to be the minor deities the major ones were juxtaposed to, thus helping keep the Greek religion Greek. Her list of powers are unmatched, as far as lunar goddesses go. 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. 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 and Endymion, in the mural above the stage of the Friedrich von Thiersch Saal in the Wiesbaden Kurhaus. Selene was linked to Artemis as well as Hecate; all three were considered lunar goddesses. md anderson digital pathology, Norse Mni ). [ 9 ] silver moon chariot drawn by bulls goddess portrayed as the Titan of! Epics of ancient Greece, you may be quite familiar with her brother she. Heartbroken Dionysus made wine for the people of old, natural phenomena was an part. `` Sculptures of the dawn. [ 9 ] which was perhaps celebrated on a full moon state, is., hers might not be a name that is both educational and to... Selene drove the moon across the sky, Spring, Summer, Autumn, animals. And to bring sleep and rest to humankind turning of the moon by H.G Orelli circa! 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