Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Selene, the moon goddess, was reputed to have had many children by various fathers. While other goddesses were associated with the night in more general terms, Selene was believed to be the embodiment of the moon herself. Seln) was also the ancient Greek word meaning moon. The etymology is uncertain, but it appears to be related to the Greek word (slas, light) and the Proto-Indo-European word *l(o)uksneh- (moon), from which we also derive the Latin word for moon, luna. Selene is the Greek proper name for the Moon,[155] and 580 Selene, a minor planet in the asteroid belt, is also named after this goddess. Along with presiding over dangerous sea creatures, Ceto produced her own set of frightening . According to Hesiods Theogony, her parents were the Titans Hyperion and Theia; her brother was Helios, the sun god (sometimes called her father); her sister was Eos (Dawn). Selene, like her siblings, was a Titan goddess because of her birth but they were no less important to the Greeks. She was essentially urban and civilized, the antithesis in many respects of Artemis, goddess of the outdoors. Names of the Goddess. It was only later, when Selene began to be conflated with other lunar goddesses, that she was openly worshiped. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. The goddess had one temple that was also an oracle near Thalamae in Laconia. 260 M-W; Epimenides, FHG 4 frag. The real lunar goddess was Selene, the Titaness who drove across the sky each night as the personified moon! They brought night and day, shed light on the earth, were responsible for the turning of the months, and facilitated agriculture. 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. Selene leaving her chariot, Roman mosaic, Andalusia. Plato, Republic 2.364e; Philochorus, Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum (FHG) 1 frag. There are different versions of this story. Sometimes this develops in later worship as they are identified with other deities or gods. (2022, December 7). 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. 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. 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. The most well-known story of Selene is her love of the mortal man Endymion. [8], Selene began appearing in the visual arts around the early fifth century BCE. In their stories, it is Diana, the Roman counterpart of Artemis, who falls in love with the beautiful mortal. 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. Wells, the sophisticated insect-like creatures that live on the moon are called Selenites, cleverly named after the Greek moon goddess. 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. Her sister Eos was the light of dawn and their brother Helios drew the chariot of the sun across the sky each day. Euripides, Phoenician Women 17576; Nonnus, Dionysiaca 44.191. Like every celestial goddess , there was a yin to Selene's yang; In this case, there were two yins. [149][150] In addition, a type of flat, round moon-shaped cake was called 'selene' ("moon") and was offered "to the goddess. SELENE was the Titan goddess of the moon. The second Japanese lunar orbiter spacecraft following was named SELENE (Selenological and Engineering Explorer) after Selene, and was also known as Kaguya in Japan. In fact, there were several female deities who shared this domain. Was the Griffin a Bird from Greek Mythology? [109] In red-figure pottery before the early 5th century BC, she is depicted only as a bust, or in profile against a lunar disk. A womans fertility was said to be influenced by the cycles of the moon, a belief that gave English the word menses, and under Selenes influence women were said to have an easier time in childbirth than they did during the day. [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. 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. The first mention of the moon goddess in Greek mythology was probably in the Homeric Hymns. Indeed, it reflects the fascinating way the Greeks observed the . Let's take a closer look at her story. [32], Selene was rarely worshipped, at least in earlier periods of ancient Greek history. Two of these were Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, and Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. "[42], According to the Homeric Hymn to Selene, the goddess bore Zeus a daughter, Pandia ("All-brightness"),[43] "exceeding lovely amongst the deathless gods". 13 In later times Selene was identified with Artemis, and the worship of the two became amalgamated. (Also, the name of the Titan Goddess Phoebe and an epithet of Artemis.). In the most familiar account, Selene first saw the beautiful Endymion as he lay sleeping in a cave on Mount Latmus. [78] In his dialogue between Aphrodite and Eros, Lucian also has Aphrodite admonish her son Eros for bringing Selene "down from the sky". Many of Selenes epithetsincluding (agl, gleaming), (pasiph, all-shining), and (tanyspteros, long-winged)reflected her lunar qualities and other distinctive attributes. Selene fought back the giant, locking horns with Typhon; afterwards, she carried many scars on her orb, reminiscent of their battle. [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. [113] Selene and Helios also appear on the North Metopes of the Parthenon, with Selene this time entering the sea on horseback. [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". Quintus Smyrnaeus makes Selene, by her brother Helios, the mother of the Horae, goddesses and personifications of the four seasons; Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn. [146], Her and her brother's worship is also attested in Gytheum, a town in Laconia near Sparta, via an inscription (C.I.G. 245 M-W; Pherecydes, FHG 1 frag. 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. 80; Acusilaus, FHG 1 frag. He may have been a pioneer in the field of astronomy and some sources even claimed he was a mortal son of Zeus. The ancient Greeks believed that a lunar eclipse was the work of a witch, particularly the witches of Thessaly. Kapach, Avi. Their daughter Eos was the first to appear each day. Only a handful of religious centers of Selene are known from the ancient world. [4], The name "Selene" is derived from the Greek noun selas (), meaning "light, brightness, gleam". Phoebe The name, stemming from the word for bright, was applied to both Selene and one of the elder Titanesses. [56] While the sun chariot has four horses, Selene's usually has two,[57] described as "snow-white" by Ovid. [96] Pseudo-Plutarch's On Rivers has Hera collaborating with Selene, "employing magical incantations" to create the Nemean Lion from a chest filled with foam. [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. The Greek word for the moon was also the word used to delineate the months. They were even called by their names, Phoebe and Phoebus respectively, in some sources. Hypothesis to the scholia on Pindars Nemean Odes. 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. Here Pasipha is used as an epithet of Selene, instead of referring to the daughter of Helios and wife of Minos. Updates? Witchcraft has long been believed to have had a connection with the moon and it was no different in antiquity. But Selene was also called by many generic epithets that were used for other goddesses as well, including (euplokmos, she of the beautiful hair), (leuklnos, white-armed), (glaukpis, gray-eyed, bright-eyed, an epithet most commonly associated with Athena), and (kyanpis, dark-eyed, essentially the opposite of glaukpis). It was devoted to Selene, under the name Pasiphae, and to Helios. Helius, Selene, Eos, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Nike, Boreas, Zephyrus, Astra) GREEK VASE PAINTINGS GALLERY 8 (83 IMAGES) Hesiod, Catalogue of Women frag. Different sources vary as to whether the chariot was golden or silver, but a silver chariot would seem to fit better with the goddess of the moon. 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. Pan, the god of the wild, supposedly seduced Selene while dressed in a sheepskin. In Greek, the name Endymion means one who dives and Max Muller thought that the myth was a symbolic representation of how the sun set by diving into the sea and then the moon arose. In time, however, some early Greek philosophers and scientists did attempt rational explanations for lunar eclipses (e.g., Democritus, frag. On the other hand, her eyes and hair were believed to have been as dark as the night. But on nights the moon could not be seen, there was a very good reason for her absence. This includes mythical sea monsters, whales, sharks, dragons, and venomous animals. If you have read Greek mythology and the famous epics of ancient Greece, you may be quite familiar with her brother Helios. Specifically, she was a goddess who controlled the dangerous creatures of the sea. 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. The myth of Selene claims that this goddess had several lovers, both divine and mortal. His rites also brought a form of madness about in his followers, who often celebrated under the light of the moon. Whatever his profession, the handsome young man frequently slept beneath the open sky. Diodorus of Sicily, Library of History 3.57. Kapach, A. It is unclear how much of a choice Endymion himself may have had in the matter, although there are versions of the myth which say that Endymion had fallen in love with the beautiful moon goddess as well and asked Zeus to keep him in a state of eternal sleep so that he could be with her forever. There were other goddesses worshiped by the Greeks who were widely associated with the moon themselves. As time progressed, they merged into one identity. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The name of the moon goddess is surrounded by accounts of the consorts she had and their children. In some cases, it is debated whether she indeed was the mother. [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. Selene was said to have several consorts but the man that the goddess of the moon was most linked with was the mortal Endymion. Selene, (Greek: "Moon") Latin Luna, in Greek and Roman religion, the personification of the moon as a goddess. However, hers might not be a name that is quite as well-known. How Did Uranus get its Name as Per Greek Mythology? As the embodiment of the moon, Selene and the movement of her chariot across the night sky was important for the Greeks to measure time. Selene was the goddess of the moon. And now thou thyself too hast part in a like mad passion; and some god of affliction has given thee Jason to be thy grievous woe. In Greek literature, Eos is presented as a daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, the sister of the sun god Helios and the moon goddess Selene. Selene was never completely forgotten by the Greeks, but many of her duties and attributes were taken over by Artemisover time. "[139] Roman philosopher Cicero connected Selene's Roman counterpart Luna's name to childbirth goddess Lucina's, both deriving from "light" (thus bringing the unborn child into the light). Selene and Endymion, in the mural above the stage of the Friedrich von Thiersch Saal in the Wiesbaden Kurhaus. Those that do exist are somewhat generic (like the previously mentioned epithets). The talkative Myia would sit with Endymion as he slept his eternal sleep, chattering endlesslyso much so that Endymion eventually woke up. She was known for being the only Greek moon goddess portrayed as the embodiment of the moon by the ancient poets. She was descended . Although Endymion slept for eternity, many sources said Selene continued to see him. 68 A75 D-K). H. G. Evelyn-White; cf. 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. All of these qualities bound Selene to the natural phenomena of time and seasons and the rejuvenation of nature as well, even apart from her ability to shed light. Although Zeus had taken many mortal lovers, the goddess of the moon had been abandoning her duties and could cause chaos if she continued. This was the mythological explanation for the movement of the moon across the sky. Myth Early History Selene was the daughter of the titans, Hyperion and Theia, sister to Helios (the sun) and Eos (dawn). Altes Museum, Berlin, Germany. That haunted cave [on Mount Latmos] of fair-haired Nymphai (Nymphs) where, as Endymion slept beside his kine, divine Selene watched him from on high, and slid from heaven to earth; for passionate love drew down the immortal stainless queen of night. Greek months began with the first new moon and were organized into three ten-day weeks that roughly followed the progression of the lunar cycle. The ancient Greeks saw her as the actual representation of the moon. Though Selene, as the moon, was undeniably important to the ancient Greeks, there are very few descriptions of her in literature. The masculine form, Phoebus, was used in reference to either Apollo or. Selene was one of the twelve Olympian gods and goddesses, and her story is one of the most captivating in Greek mythology. While her brother was clad in shining gold, her light was softer and more clear. That was a basic unit of how the Greeks measured time in the old days. When Selene spied him sleeping in a cave, she immediately fell in love and asked Zeus to extend his sleep for all eternity. Were building the worlds most authoritative, online mythology resource, with engaging, accessible content that is both educational and compelling to read. Seneca, Madness of Hercules 83; Hyginus, Fabulae 30; Aelian, On Animals 12.7 (citing Epimenides); etc. Though Selene had many consorts, the most famous of them was Endymion, a handsome young mortal. [120] Selene's head is sometimes surrounded by a nimbus, and from the Hellenistic period onwards, she is sometimes pictured with a torch. Selene saw him as she passed overhead and fell deeply in love. As the daughter of the Titan god of heavenly light, it is an apt name. 1392). The goddess of the moon does not seem to have been the object of much ritual worship in the early Greek period. Selene with sleeping Endymion, fresco in the fourth Pompeian style. Selene was written off and Artemis became the goddess of the moon, hunting, and animals. Depending on the author, the chariot was either silver,[6] snow white,[7] or gold. It is of course a tale that began in Ancient Greece, but the story of Endymion is one taken up with vigour by Renaissance artists and the imagery of the Moon goddesses visiting the eternal sleeping mortal was often repeated. Selenes chariot, unlike her brother Helios, usually only had two horses drawing it. According to Lucian, Selene had a rival for Endymions love named Myia. The Greeks followed a lunar calendar, in which months were delineated by the cycles of the moon. Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica 4.54ff; Pausanias, Description of Greece 5.1.4; Apollodorus, Library 1.7.5; cf. They included: The lunar goddesses sometimes worked together. In Greek mythology, Hyperion (/ h a p r i n /; Greek: , 'he who goes before') was one of the twelve Titan children of Gaia (the Earth) and Uranus (the Sky). Nyx is the goddess of the night and is thus associated with the new moon. In antiquity, Selene would also often be depicted either riding upon a bull, or upon a silvery chariot drawn by two winged horses. Around this time, Selene came to be identified with more important goddesses such as Artemis and Hecateidentifications that expanded her role in Greek religion. Selene is probably most famous for her love of Endymion, a handsome young man from Asia Minor (though some said that he was from Elis). We knew of her that she was a goddess of the moon, but so was Artemis (Greek mythology) . Seneca, Madness of Hercules 83; Hyginus, Fabulae 30; Aelian, On Animals 12.7 (citing Epimenides); etc. Selene had a relationship with the god Pan, according to Virgil. Although she counts as a goddess in her own right, Selene often gets associated with archer goddess, Artemis, who is also a moon goddess. What are Pan God Powers in Greek Mythology? Having risen to power in the generation of Zeus, they were universally revered and worshiped. Every evening, Selene ushered in nightfall and then drove her chariot through the night before giving way to dawn. [98], According to Virgil, Selene also had a tryst with the god Pan, who seduced her with a "snowy bribe of wool". 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. The Homeric Hymn to Helios uses the same epithet ("bright-tressed"), used in the above Hymn to Selene (elsewhere translated as "rich-", "lovely-", or "well-tressed"),[26] while Epimenides uses the epithet ("lovely-haired"). [142] In Theocritus' second Idyll, a young girl invokes Selene in a love-spell. What are Hades Powers that are Really Scary? She was worshipped at the new and full moons. For the people of old, natural phenomena was an important part of their worship. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. That leaves Artemis and Selene. There are three different ways you can cite this article. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. The moon goddess was said to have had several lovers, including Zeus and the wild god Pan. The three children have become much more well-known in general Greek literature than their parents, especially after the fall from grace of Hyperion, who stood by his brother Cronus in the latters war against Zeus and was banished to Tartarus for it. [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. The tale of Endymion and Selene is one that has resonated with people for millennia. Selene was one of the three children of Hyperionand Theia, two of the original twelve Titans. Upon the head of Selene was normally found a crown that was representative of the spherical moon. The first depictions of Selenes moon chariot goes back to the early 5th century BCE. I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. "Not I alone then stray to the Latmian cave, nor do I alone burn with love for fair Endymion; oft times with thoughts of love have I been driven away by thy crafty spells, in order that in the darkness of night thou mightest work thy sorcery at ease, even the deeds dear to thee. Learn more about our mission. Hymn 31, To Helios, also speaks of the two sisters of Helios where the rich-tressed Selene is once again alluded to. The lunar goddess was also important for her influence over female fertility cycles and childbirth. In some versions of the story, the goddess abandoned her duty and left the night sky so she could be with the man she loved. Accessed on 27 Feb. 2023. Selene, goddess of the moon, truly represented the moon itself to the Greeks. Her presence is felt in something as simple as the names of the days of the week. [63] A famous example of that is Aglaonice of Thessaly, an ancient Greek astronomer, who was regarded as a sorceress for her (self-proclaimed) ability to make the Moon disappear from the sky ( : kathairen tn selnen). [2] She was often associated with cycles of growth and agriculture, female menstruation, and mysterious diseases like epilepsy and demonic possession. Robert S. P. Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden: Brill, 2009), 2:131819. Endymion Selene - or Luna as the Romans called her - is the goddess of the moon, driving a horse-drawn chariot across the night sky. Even though she, along with her siblings, was a Titan goddess because of her parentage, the three of them became quite central to the Greek pantheon and were accepted as Greek gods themselves after the fall of the great Titans. She is the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and sister of the sun-god Helios, and Eos, goddess of the dawn. [148] Records show that a type of cake called (bos, "ox") decorated with horns to represent the full moon or an ox was offered to her and other divinities like Hecate, Artemis and Apollo. However, Selene was not one of them. She was the Greek goddess of the Moon and her sisters were the Eos and Helios. [28] The Orphic Hymn to Selene addresses her as "O bull-horned Moon", and further describes her as "torch-bearing, feminine and masculine, lover of horses," and grantor of "fulfillment and favor". Zeus slept with the human queen Alcmene, of which encounter Heracles was born. Everything We Know About the Greek Goddess of Agriculture, Aphrodite Facts: Awesome Facts about the Goddess of, Interesting Facts about Athena: Greek Goddess of Knowledge. This article is about the Greek goddess. She is dressed in the finest silk robes and travels in her silver moon chariot drawn by luminous steeds across the heavens. 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. (Similarly, Selenes brother Helios came to be identified with Artemis brother Apollo. "From the panteon of the gods to the Pantheon of Rome" in, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 02:32. [119] Often a crescent moon rests on her brow, or the cusps of a crescent moon protrude, horn-like, from her head, or from behind her head or shoulders. GREEK VASE PAINTINGS GALLERY 1 (86 IMAGES) . In the center of the main panel Selene descends from her chariot, whose horses are held by a nymph, to join Endymion, who lies to the right. [27], In late accounts, Selene (like the moon itself) is often described as having horns. She is pale, beautiful and indefinably alluring. 83 ; Hyginus, Fabulae 30 ; Aelian, on animals 12.7 ( citing Epimenides ) ; etc birth they... 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