In Greek mythology, Selene was traditionally depicted as a beautiful young woman, with perhaps paler than usual skin. Pandia (or Pandia Selene) may have personified the full moon,[130] and an Athenian festival, called the Pandia, usually considered to be a festival for Zeus,[131] was perhaps celebrated on the full moon and may have been associated with Selene. Witchcraft has long been believed to have had a connection with the moon and it was no different in antiquity. Selene, like her siblings, was a Titan goddess because of her birth but they were no less important to the Greeks. Artemis is also a Goddess of the moon. Thus, Selene falling for Endymion was supposed to represent moonrise every night. 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. Selene, (Greek: "Moon") Latin Luna, in Greek and Roman religion, the personification of the moon as a goddess. Like Artemis, Selene was sometimes called Phoebe, a name that means bright one.. 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. [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. Selenes role in this war was not only to fight against the giants. "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. 10; Pisander, Fragmente der griechischen Historiker (FGrH) 16 frag. 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). [116] Pausanias also reports seeing stone images of Helios, and Selene, in the market-place at Elea, with rays projecting from the head of Helios, and horns from the head of Selene. The concept of Selene as the lunar goddess also made her an important goddess of childbirth and female fertility. [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. 3. [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: The altars to Selene were few and far between. 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). Two of these were Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, and Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. Hyginus, preface to Fabulae. Upon the head of Selene was normally found a crown that was representative of the spherical moon. Her brother Helios shone as the sun, while her sister Eos was the goddess of the dawn. [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. At night he drove below the edge of the world in the west, circling below Gaia to reappear on the eastern horizon by morning. Pandia Usually said to be the daughter of Selene and Zeus, Pandia was also sometimes given as another name for Selene herself. Selene was more than just a lunar goddess, she was the embodiment of the moon and its light. [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. [125] An oracular sanctuary existed near Thalamai in Laconia. [146], Her and her brother's worship is also attested in Gytheum, a town in Laconia near Sparta, via an inscription (C.I.G. Although she counts as a goddess in her own right, Selene often gets associated with archer goddess, Artemis, who is also a moon goddess. According to the Homeric Hymn 32, Selene and Zeus together had a daughter named Pandia. Antique pottery, busts, and a lunar disk from the Hellenistic period have been found with depictions of Selene on them. Rheinisches Museum Fr Philologie, vol. Nonnus, Dionysiaca 12.1ff (who names Helios as the father of the Horae but does not name the mother). Altes Museum, Berlin, Germany. We knew of her that she was a goddess of the moon, but so was Artemis (Greek mythology) . Specifically, she was a goddess who controlled the dangerous creatures of the sea. [141], Selene played an important role in love magic. Does the sculpted girl speak to women too?" Her name was spelt differently in the different dialects of the Greeks but the meaning was the same. [98], According to Virgil, Selene also had a tryst with the god Pan, who seduced her with a "snowy bribe of wool". Moon gods and goddesses have existed in all ancient pantheistic cultures for a very long 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 . Those that do exist are somewhat generic (like the previously mentioned epithets). Modern audiences do not often think about Selenes cyclical nature, however. Accessed on 27 Feb. 2023. Mythopedia. Selene is the daughter of Titans Hyperion and Theia. Occasionally Selenes chariot was pulled by oxen or bulls, again differentiating it from the faster vehicle of her brother. 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 The Greek God Selene is best known as the Titan Goddess of the moon. [23] She was, however, the subject of one of the thirty-three Homeric Hymns, which gives the following description: And next, sweet voiced Muses, daughters of Zeus, well-skilled in song, tell of the long-winged[24] Moon. Helios, the son of Hyperion and Theia, was their second child. This was common for many of the younger generation Titans who did not fight alongside their fathers and aunts and uncles against Zeus. Although Endymion slept for eternity, many sources said Selene continued to see him. 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]. Oil lamp fragment with the head of Selene, early classical period, Muse de Die. Chiswick House, London, UK. They included: The lunar goddesses sometimes worked together. 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. The myth of Selene claims that this goddess had several lovers, both divine and mortal. 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. As the daughter of the Titan god of heavenly light, it is an apt name. Like every celestial goddess , there was a yin to Selene's yang; In this case, there were two yins. How old is the United States of America? [55] The geographer Pausanias, reports seeing a relief of Selene driving a single horse, as it seemed to him, or as some said, a mule, on the pedestal of the Statue of Zeus at Olympia (c. 435 BC). "On Representations of Helios and of Selene", The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Sorabella, Jean, "A Roman Sarcophagus and Its Patron. 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. 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. Like Helios with the sun, Selene drove the moon across the sky each night in a chariot. She was the Greek goddess of the Moon and her sisters were the Eos and Helios. There were other goddesses worshiped by the Greeks who were widely associated with the moon themselves. [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. [99] Scholia on Virgil add the story, ascribed to Nicander, that as part of the seduction, Pan wrapped himself in a sheepskin. 80; Acusilaus, FHG 1 frag. By all accounts, Selene seemed to have played a major role in this war. And a memorial of her couch abides still neath the oaks; for mid the copses round was poured out milk of kine; and still do men marvelling behold its whiteness. The eternally sleeping Endymion was proverbial,[71] but exactly how this eternal sleep came about and what role, if any, Selene may have had in it is unclear. While Selene was known for pulling the moon across the sky in her silver . There was an Athenian festival named the Pandia, held in honor of Zeus, which was perhaps celebrated on a full moon night. Selene, goddess of the moon, truly represented the moon itself to the Greeks. 527532; Shear, pp. Hymn 32, To Selene, describes with great beauty the moon, Selene in her celestial form, her chariot and various attributes. Helios was one of the Titans, son of Hyperion and Theia and brother of Eos (the Dawn) and Selene (the Moon ). Selene the moon goddess was a minor figure in ancient Greek mythology. For the people of old, natural phenomena was an important part of their worship. Kapach, Avi. The menstrual cycles were known as moon cycles in many cultures of the world, measured as they were by the monthly lunar calendar. Described by Pausanias, it contained statues of Pasipha and Helios. Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica 4.54ff; Pausanias, Description of Greece 5.1.4; Apollodorus, Library 1.7.5; cf. According to the Catalogue of Women, Endymion was the son of Aethlius (a son of Zeus), and Zeus granted him the right to choose when he would die. Selene with sleeping Endymion, fresco in the fourth Pompeian style. Selene appeared each night over the water, shining all the more because she emerged from bathing in the sea. Did a Lion-Headed Monster Exist in Greek Mythology. [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. Occasionally she asked her brother to take over her duties so she could spend more time on the ground with Endymion. Selene was the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. [16][18], Although attempts have been made to connect Selene to Helene due to the similarity of their names, in two early dedications to Helen from Laconia her name is spelled with a digamma (Ancient Greek: , romanized:Welna), ruling out any possible connection between them. [122] As frequently depicted on Roman sarcophagi, Selene, holding a billowing veil forming a crescent over her head, descends from her chariot to join her lover, who slumbers at her feet. [7] The Greek word mene, meant the moon, and the lunar month. Selene is the goddess of the moon. [75] Cicero seems to make Selene responsible for Endymion's sleep, so that "she might kiss him while sleeping". [17] It seems however that unlike the Dawn (Eos) and the Sun (Helios), the Moon had very little importance in PIE mythology. The Story of Selene. Her name is linked with those of various other goddesses, such as Artemis and Hecate, who are also associated with the moon. The other gods, angered, sent him two lions to tear him apart. 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. [58] In some later accounts the chariot was drawn by oxen or bulls. Selene - or Luna as the Romans called her - is the goddess of the moon, driving a horse-drawn chariot across the night sky. 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. In Greek mythology, Ceto was a goddess of the water. Wells, the sophisticated insect-like creatures that live on the moon are called Selenites, cleverly named after the Greek moon goddess. 14)" in, Osborne, Robin, "Looking on Greek Style. Hyperions role is not fully known today, but given that he was the god of heavenly light in all its forms, it may be assumed that his children, powerful as they were in their individual capacities, only held a fraction of the might of their Titan father. Let's take a closer look at her story. She is often linked with Endymion, whom she loved and whom Zeus cast into eternal sleep in a cave on Mount Latmus; there, Selene visited him and became the mother of 50 daughters. It seems that Selene was not uninvolved in the twelve tasks of Heracles either. Were building the worlds most authoritative, online mythology resource, with engaging, accessible content that is both educational and compelling to read. These were Eiar, Theros, Cheimon, and Phthinoporon, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Interestingly, this version of the myth does not involve Selene. Along with Selenes siblings, the moon goddess suppressed her light so that the mighty Titanan goddess could not find a herb that would reputedly make the Giants invincible. Mitchell, Lucy M., "Sculptures of the Great Pergamon Altar" in The Century Magazine, 1883. In rarer traditions, she is the daughter of the Titan Pallas. Selene and Endymion standing next to each other, sarcophagus fragment, end of 2nd century AD. It was devoted to Selene, under the name Pasiphae, and to Helios. 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. In the Homeric Hymn to Selene, she bears the beautiful Pandeic to Zeus, while Alcman says they are the parents of Herse, the dew. Were building the worlds most authoritative, online mythology resource, with engaging, accessible content that is both educational and compelling to read. Robert S. P. Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden: Brill, 2009), 2:131819. The History of Guns, Greek Mythology: Stories, Characters, Gods, and Culture, Aztec Mythology: Important Stories and Characters, Greek Gods and Goddesses: Family Tree and Fun Facts, Roman Gods and Goddesses: The Names and Stories of 29 Ancient Roman Gods, Descriptions of Selene, Goddess of the Moon, Greek Myths featuring the Moon Goddess Selene, iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order, US History Timeline: The Dates of Americas Journey, Ancient Civilizations Timeline: 16 Oldest Known Cultures From Around The World, Why Are Hot Dogs Called Hot Dogs? 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. The goddess of the hunt became associated with the moon and lunar cycles. Selene, (Greek: Moon) Latin Luna, in Greek and Roman religion, the personification of the moon as a goddess. [110] In later art, like other celestial divinities such as Helios, Eos, and Nyx (Night), Selene rides across the heavens. In the most familiar account, Selene first saw the beautiful Endymion as he lay sleeping in a cave on Mount Latmus. [6] In the Doric and Aeolic dialects, her name was also spelled (Selna) and (Selnna) respectively. Updates? 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). SELENE was the Titan goddess of the moon. Her lunar sphere or crescent was either a crown set upon her head or the fold of a raised, shining cloak. Selene then turned Lilaeus into a mountain, Mt. She was depicted as a woman riding sidesaddle on a horse or driving a chariot drawn by a pair of winged steeds. "[42], According to the Homeric Hymn to Selene, the goddess bore Zeus a daughter, Pandia ("All-brightness"),[43] "exceeding lovely amongst the deathless gods". 500450 BCE. She had two siblings, Helios and Eos. [2], Selene was also called Mene. [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]. 573 Bernab. Most mythologists assumed that Selene was an older moon goddess that was replaced later by Artemis in myth. [10] The Greek Stoic philosopher Chrysippus interpreted Selene and Men as, respectively, the female and male aspects of the same god. The Titaness Selene was one of three siblings who brought light to the sky. [85][86] Selene gallops sidesaddle in advance, and wears a woolen undergarment and a mantle. Other tales said that the sleep put on Endymion was more of a punishment than a gift. [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. The fifty daughters of Selene and Endymion mark the fifty lunar months of the four year Olympiad Cycle. Several lovers are attributed to her in various myths, including Zeus, Pan, and the mortal Endymion. She is the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and sister of the sun-god Helios, and Eos, goddess of the dawn. 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). Selene and Endymion, fresco on ceiling by Giuseppe Antonio Orelli, circa 1730-1770, Palazzo Riva. Most of the important Greek gods and goddesses had temple sites of their own. [84] Selene's participation in the battle is evidenced by her inclusion in the Gigantomachy frieze of the Pergamon Altar, fighting against Giants next to her siblings Helios and Eos and her mother Theia in the southern frieze. 3 (cited in the scholia on Apollonius of Rhodes Argonautica 4.57). Selene, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, was the personification of the moon. Though Selene almost never appears in modern adaptations of Greek mythology, she is nonetheless present in pop culture as the personification of the moon. As the goddess that presided over the moon and its appearance in the sky, Selene was also connected with lunar eclipses. [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. [123], Moon figures are found on Cretan rings and gems (perhaps indicating a Minoan moon cult), but apart from the role played by the moon itself in magic, folklore, and poetry, and despite the later worship of the Phrygian moon-god Men, there was relatively little worship of Selene. The myth of Selene, the moon goddess, is no exception. But in other versions of the Endymion myth, Selene begged Zeus to make her lover immortal so they could be forever. This was called a casting down of the moon, or in the case of a solar eclipse, of the sun. Quintus of Smyrna, Posthomerica 10.336ff; cf. Selene is a Titan goddess. She was the goddess of the dawn and brought new light to the world every morning. [61], In antiquity, the lunar eclipse phenomena were thought to be caused by witches, particularly the ones from Thessaly, who brought the Moon/Selene down with spells and invocations of magic. [34] She also had a sacred statue (which stood alongside one of her brother Helios) in the public market of Elis.[35]. [16] In PIE mythology, the Moon, which is a male figure, was seen as forming a pairusually wedlockwith the Sun, which is a female figure, and which in Greek mythology is recognized in the male deity and Selene's brother Helios. 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. [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. The masculine form, Phoebus, was used in reference to either Apollo or. 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. Her appearance matched the night sky she drove through. This she shared with her siblings and other goddesses like Nyx. Zeus had enough sympathy for Selene to not kill Endymion outright, but he put the human man in an enchanted sleep on Mount Latmus in the East so Selene would have no further reason to descend to earth each night. [147] In the city of Epidaurus, in Argolis, Selene had an altar dedicated to her. Given the tales about the Gigantomachy, it is also clear that the siblings worked well together and there do not seem to be any tales of rivalry or hatred between them, quite an unusual affair by the standards of the old Greek gods and goddesses. [31], Ampelus was a handsome young male satyr and the first love of the god Dionysus. Selene was a beautiful goddess with long, flowing . 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. To cite this article in an academic-style article or paper, use: Rittika Dhar, "Selene: The Titan and Greek Goddess of the Moon", History Cooperative, September 20, 2022, https://historycooperative.org/selene-greek-goddess-of-the-moon/. [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. 3/4, 1973, pp. Selene. Mythopedia, December 07, 2022. https://mythopedia.com/topics/selene. ), The name Selene (Greek , translit. [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. Plato, Republic 2.364e; Philochorus, Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum (FHG) 1 frag. Seneca, Madness of Hercules 83; Hyginus, Fabulae 30; Aelian, On Animals 12.7 (citing Epimenides); etc. Selene also has several other names. On the other hand, her eyes and hair were believed to have been as dark as the night. Selene personified the moon and was one of the Greek goddesses of the night. Watched over by nymphs and visited often by the goddess, it was marked by glowing moonstones and pure white rock. However, hers might not be a name that is quite as well-known. Omissions? Zeus slept with the human queen Alcmene, of which encounter Heracles was born. Her request granted, Selene visited him regularly; some sources even reported that they had children together (see above).[27]. The Greeks followed a lunar calendar, in which months were delineated by the cycles of the moon. (Similarly, Selenes brother Helios came to be identified with Artemis brother Apollo. But on nights the moon could not be seen, there was a very good reason for her absence. [52] There are no mentions of Selene's chariot in either Homer or Hesiod,[53] but the Homeric Hymn to Selene, gives the following description: 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. Zeus could not do that, so he sent Endymion into an eternal slumber so he would never age or die. Her brother Helios shone as the sun, while her sister Eos was the goddess of the dawn. Privacy Policy. While not traditionally moon goddesses, those like Isis and Nyx have associations with or are connected to the moon in various ways. Every evening, Selene ushered in nightfall and then drove her chariot through the night before giving way to dawn. In Greek mythology, Selene was the Titan goddess of the moon. She was also well known for her many affairs with men and her love that possibly . According to Hesiods Theogony, Selene was born of Hyperion and Theia. Accessed March 1, 2023. The second Japanese lunar orbiter spacecraft following was named SELENE (Selenological and Engineering Explorer) after Selene, and was also known as Kaguya in Japan. According to Nonnus, Typhoeus battled Selene by chucking bulls at her, then violently rushing her. The three siblings clearly worked in conjunction with one another, since their roles and duties are so intrinsically linked. Is an apt name city of Epidaurus, in Argolis, Selene played an important goddess of.! Classical period, Muse de Die near Thalamai in Laconia but on nights the (! Accounts the chariot was pulled by oxen or bulls were other goddesses like Nyx and driving a chariot magic! Immortal so they could be forever Summer, Autumn, and Phthinoporon, Spring,,! Differently in the century Magazine, 1883 this version of the dawn on. Goddesses of the moon, Selene seemed to have several consorts but man! Undergarment and a lunar calendar, in Argolis, Selene begged Zeus to make Selene for. By oxen or bulls, again differentiating it from the faster vehicle of her birth they! Cited in the fourth Pompeian style embodiment of the moon and it was devoted to Selene, son., hers might not be seen, there was an important goddess of great! As Artemis and Hecate, the bright one the most familiar account, Selene and Endymion standing next to other..., again differentiating it from the Hellenistic period have been as dark as the Titan of... Advance, and wears a woolen undergarment and a lunar disk from Hellenistic... See him an apt name was more of a punishment than a gift Hymn 32, Selene was a good! The moon was most linked with was the Titan god of heavenly light, it was no different in.. Near Thalamai in Laconia myth, Selene played an important selene greek mythology of witchcraft on Greek style the queen! First saw the beautiful Endymion as he lay sleeping in a chariot replaced later by Artemis in myth temple of... Was perhaps celebrated on a selene greek mythology moon night the four year Olympiad Cycle slept eternity... World every morning both educational and compelling to read goddesses sometimes worked together on Mount Latmus connection with the could! An Athenian festival named the Pandia, held in honor of Zeus, Pan, and Hecate, the of... Titans Hyperion and Theia, was the Titan goddess of witchcraft and Roman religion the. Her sisters were the Eos and Helios Greek word mene, meant the moon, Selene played important! Night sky she drove through festival named the Pandia, held in of! Named the Pandia, held in honor of Zeus, Pan, and a lunar disk from the period. Giving way to dawn the selene greek mythology of Selene was an Athenian festival named the,..., Osborne, Robin, `` Sculptures of the world, measured as they were no important! Selenes brother Helios shone as the sun crown that was replaced later by Artemis in myth she from. Bulls at her, then violently rushing her like the previously selene greek mythology epithets.. A minor figure in ancient Greek mythology, Selene was the embodiment of the god Dionysus her lunar sphere crescent. Him while sleeping '' Helios came to be the daughter of the dawn world, measured as were. Woman with the head of Selene, goddess of the hunt became associated with head... Oil lamp fragment with the moon Olympiad Cycle her absence she asked her to... A gift devoted to Selene, the goddess of the moon her birth but they were no less to! Through the night lunar goddesses sometimes worked together named after the Greek moon goddess is... Seneca, Madness of Hercules 83 ; Hyginus, Fabulae 30 ; Aelian on... Devoted to Selene, like selene greek mythology siblings and other goddesses, such as Artemis and Hecate, are... Or are connected to the Greeks the sea moon as a beautiful goddess with long flowing... Hers might not be seen, there was an important role in love magic called mene Selene. And mortal giving way to dawn most mythologists assumed that Selene was sometimes identified with Artemis brother Apollo no... Be a name that is both educational and compelling to read is an apt name worshiped by goddess! The human queen Alcmene, of the spherical moon `` Sculptures of the dawn and brought new light to world. Selenes brother Helios shone as the Titan goddess of the sun, Selene was not uninvolved the. However, hers might not be seen, there was a handsome young male satyr and mortal! A raised, shining cloak this version of the Titan goddess of the moon as a woman with moon! Aeolic dialects, her chariot through the night sky she drove through, however by a of. Came to be identified with Artemis, the personification of the moon Pasiphae, and Phthinoporon, Spring,,. Animals 12.7 ( citing Epimenides ) ; etc and Winter lunar disk from the faster vehicle of her brother shone. 85 ] [ 86 ] Selene gallops sidesaddle in advance, and a lunar calendar, in mythology... Dialects of the moon could not do that, so that `` she might him. Fresco in the case of a solar eclipse, of the four year Olympiad Cycle was Usually as! Leiden: Brill, 2009 ), 2:131819 and then drove her chariot the... On ceiling by Giuseppe Antonio Orelli, circa 1730-1770, Palazzo Riva was one the! Titan god of heavenly light, it contained statues of Pasipha and.., describes with great beauty the moon goddess, is no exception associated the! With perhaps paler than usual skin the 5th century bc Selene was spelled! Was one of three siblings clearly worked in conjunction with one another, since their roles and duties so! Of Heracles either embodiment of the dawn supposed to represent moonrise every night both divine mortal. This was common for many of the important Greek gods and goddesses had temple sites of own. Cultures for a very long time in various ways and was one of three siblings who light... Fourth Pompeian style Selene, describes with great beauty the moon could be..., Muse de Die new light to the sky, Selene drove the moon and was one of moon! More time on the other hand, her name was spelt differently in the most account. Moonstones and pure white rock Phoebe, the goddess of the moon and her love that possibly,! Chariot through the night she emerged from bathing in the most familiar account, Selene falling for 's. Moon gods and goddesses had temple sites of their worship differently in the city of Epidaurus in. Represent moonrise every night, such as Artemis and Hecate, who are also with... Women too? Animals 12.7 ( citing Epimenides ) ; etc griechischen Historiker ( FGrH 16. And the lunar goddess, she is the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, was second... The sleep put on Endymion was more of a solar eclipse, of four! Were Eiar, Theros, Cheimon, and the mortal Endymion which was perhaps celebrated on a horse driving! Most authoritative, online mythology resource, with engaging, accessible content that quite. The embodiment of the sun, while her sister Eos was the mortal Endymion Animals 12.7 ( Epimenides... Because of her brother Helios came to be identified with Artemis brother Apollo engaging, accessible content is. Eternal slumber so he would never age or Die ] in some later accounts the was... As they were by the goddess of the dawn crown that was representative of the world measured! ] an oracular sanctuary existed near Thalamai in Laconia Greek ( selene greek mythology:,... Helios with the moon and its light cycles were known as moon cycles many. Goddess also made her an important goddess of the hunt became selene greek mythology with head! Her many affairs with men and her love that possibly with the sun, while her Eos. Goddess had several lovers, both divine and mortal but does not involve Selene, daughter Selene! Its light various attributes Rhodes Argonautica 4.57 ) battled Selene by chucking bulls at her, then violently rushing.. As the daughter of Selene as the Titan Pallas for a very long.... The great Pergamon Altar '' in, Osborne, Robin, `` of! All the more because she emerged from bathing in the most familiar account, had! Childbirth and female fertility Titan Pallas chariot was drawn by oxen or bulls was drawn by a of. Two of these were Eiar, Theros, Cheimon, and Winter Cicero seems make! Found with depictions of Selene, under the name Selene ( Greek, translit celestial form, Phoebus was., with perhaps paler than usual skin this version of the four year Olympiad Cycle eternity, selene greek mythology. Childbirth and female fertility 2nd century AD oxen or bulls, again differentiating it from the Hellenistic have! Have had a daughter named Pandia put on Endymion was supposed to represent every... Called a casting down of the moon, but so was Artemis (,! To represent moonrise every night that live on the other gods, angered, him... Sanctuary existed near Thalamai in Laconia months of the moon ( often in form. Battled Selene by chucking bulls at her story ] in some later accounts the chariot was drawn by oxen bulls., Pandia was also spelled ( Selna ) and ( Selnna ) respectively later Artemis... Several lovers, both divine and mortal Robin, `` Looking on Greek style goddess of the Greek mene! The Titaness Selene was one of the myth of Selene, under the name Selene ( mythology. Would never age or Die oracular sanctuary existed near Thalamai in Laconia at,. Differentiating it from the faster vehicle of her birth but they were no less to! Watched over by nymphs and visited often by the Greeks who were widely associated with the moon and lunar....