The chemical element Selenium was named after Selene by Jns Jacob Berzelius, because of the element's similarity to the element tellurium, named for the Earth (Tellus).[156][157]. 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). There are three different ways you can cite this article. There existed an oracular sanctuary for her in Laconia, near Thalamai. Obbink, Dirk (2002), "'All Gods are True' in Epicurus" in, Obbink, Dirk (2011) "56. 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. She had two siblings, Helios and Eos. Most mythologists assumed that Selene was an older moon goddess that was replaced later by Artemis in myth. Upon the head of Selene was normally found a crown that was representative of the spherical moon. 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. Accessed March 1, 2023. 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. [76] The Roman playwright Seneca, has Selene abandoned the night sky for Endymion's sake having entrusted her "shining" moon chariot to her brother Helios to drive. Selene was said to have several consorts but the man that the goddess of the moon was most linked with was the mortal Endymion. Oil lamp fragment with the head of Selene, early classical period, Muse de Die. Perhaps the most colorful ancient description of Selene comes from Homeric Hymn 32 (the Homeric Hymn to Selene). [36] This Pallas is possibly identified with the Pallas, who, according to Hesiod's Theogony, was the son of the Titan Crius, and thus Selene's cousin. [149][150] In addition, a type of flat, round moon-shaped cake was called 'selene' ("moon") and was offered "to the goddess. This she shared with her siblings and other goddesses like Nyx. In Greek, the word selene means light or shine or brightness for the moon goddess who sheds her light upon the world during the dark nights. 14)" in, Osborne, Robin, "Looking on Greek Style. Omissions? Though Selene almost never appears in modern adaptations of Greek mythology, she is nonetheless present in pop culture as the personification of the moon. 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. The goddess of the hunt became associated with the moon and lunar cycles. Lunacy takes its name from Selenes Roman counterpart, Luna. 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. [8], Selene began appearing in the visual arts around the early fifth century BCE. In this aspect she was closely associated with Dionysus. The name of the moon goddess is surrounded by accounts of the consorts she had and their children. There were some witches who people thought could make the moon or the sun disappear from the sky at a specified time, although it is more likely that such people, if they did exist, simply had the ability to predict when an eclipse was going to happen. Helios, the son of Hyperion and Theia, was their second child. 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. [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. Whenever the moon could not be seen in the night sky, it was because Selene had paused to take in Endymions beauty once again. Dark nights were a sign of the lunar goddesss eternal love for the sleeping mortal. Selene saw him as she passed overhead and fell deeply in love. Kapach, Avi. 527532; Shear, pp. [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. Chiswick House, London, UK. In another story she was loved by Pan. 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. Selene The Greek God Selene is best known as the Titan Goddess of the moon. In fact, there were several female deities who shared this domain. What Were the Hamadryads in Greek Mythology? From her immortal head a radiance is shown from heaven and embraces earth; and great is the beauty that ariseth from her shining light. Selene, goddess of the moon, truly represented the moon itself to the Greeks. [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. 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). Selene, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, was the personification of the moon. The bull panicked, threw Ampelus and gored him to death. The most important of Selenes symbols was her moon chariot. [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. [146], Her and her brother's worship is also attested in Gytheum, a town in Laconia near Sparta, via an inscription (C.I.G. [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. In other versions, Endymion was actually taken to Mount Olympus. Although Zeus had taken many mortal lovers, the goddess of the moon had been abandoning her duties and could cause chaos if she continued. According to early Greek myths, Selene used to be a Titan goddess of the moon and Artemis used to be a goddess of hunting and animals. She was depicted as a woman riding sidesaddle on a horse or driving a chariot drawn by a pair of winged steeds. [110] In later art, like other celestial divinities such as Helios, Eos, and Nyx (Night), Selene rides across the heavens. How Did Uranus get its Name as Per Greek Mythology? ), The name Selene (Greek , translit. Selene has a minor planet named after her, called 580 Selene. This is at times accompanied by stars to depict the night sky, but the crescent moon was perhaps the most recognizable of Selenes symbols. By all accounts, Selene seemed to have played a major role in this war. [125] An oracular sanctuary existed near Thalamai in Laconia. The bull was also one of her symbols and at times it was the bull that she was depicted to be riding. 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"). In antiquity, Selene would also often be depicted either riding upon a bull, or upon a silvery chariot drawn by two winged horses. [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. [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. 80; Acusilaus, FHG 1 frag. Another myth describes how Selene held her own against the monster Typhoeus when he attacked the gods. Grapevines then rose from Ampelus corpse, from which the heartbroken Dionysus made wine for the first time. [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. Zeus put Endymion into an eternal sleep so the goddess could see him forever as a beautiful young man. [59] Though the moon chariot is often described as being silver,[60] for Pindar it was golden. And unlike Hera or Aphrodite or Artemis, Selene is still quite a common first name in the English-speaking world, which is perhaps the moon goddesss own form of sweet justice over a civilization where she was only worshiped in secret by young women and expectant mothers for fear of being considered barbarians.. Like Helios with the sun, Selene drove the moon across the sky each night in a chariot. Selene does not appear in modern adaptations of Greek myths, since she is not exactly one of the major Greek gods like Zeus or Aphrodite. This upset both him and Selene, who then transformed poor Myia into a fly (myia is the ancient Greek word for fly). 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. Who were Zeus' Lovers? 245 M-W; Pherecydes, FHG 1 frag. Multiple sources say that she had a hand in the creation of the Nemean Lion, whether that was only Selene working on her own or in conjunction with Hera. Was the Griffin a Bird from Greek Mythology? In many paintings and sculptures, Selene is traditionally depicted with the crescent moon in her vicinity. See esp. [95], Anaxagoras also reports that the Nemean lion was said to have fallen from the moon. There were other goddesses worshiped by the Greeks who were widely associated with the moon themselves. 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. 500450 BCE. Around this time, Selene came to be identified with more important goddesses such as Artemis and Hecateidentifications that expanded her role in Greek religion. Her presence is felt in something as simple as the names of the days of the week. Most of the important Greek gods and goddesses had temple sites of their own. Witchcraft has long been believed to have had a connection with the moon and it was no different in antiquity. Plutarch, On the Face in the Moon 30, On Isis and Osiris 52; Quintus of Smyrna, Posthomerica 10.337; Nonnus, Dionysiaca 10.214, 44.70. The moon, in the ancient world, was heavily associated with certain kinds of womanly issues, fertility, and healing. [142] In Theocritus' second Idyll, a young girl invokes Selene in a love-spell. Selene, one of the younger generation of Titans, was also the Greek goddess of the moon. Selene was the Greek goddess of the moon. Greek Gods / Helios. The moon goddess and Artemis were occasionally shown as companions. Zeus could not do that, so he sent Endymion into an eternal slumber so he would never age or die. [104] Zeus agrees, urged by Selene's complaints and having long intended to deal with the philosophers himself. Other tales said that the sleep put on Endymion was more of a punishment than a gift. The goddess had pale skin that seemed to shine with its own inner light and long black hair that matched the dark sky around her. Interestingly, this version of the myth does not involve Selene. 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. Selene had a relationship with the god Pan, according to Virgil. [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. Selene was a Titan goddess in Greek mythology, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. Diodorus of Sicily, Library of History 3.57. [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. 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. Selene goddess of the moon, Athenian red-figure kylix C5th B.C., Antikensammlung Berlin. 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. For this the Greek gods were to be worshiped. Learn more about our mission. According to Hesiods Theogony, Selene was born of Hyperion and Theia. The crescent moon, full moon, and dark moon corresponded to the three states of being embodied by the Fates. Nonnus describes how, as Ampelus was riding a bull, he made the mistake of comparing himself to Selene. Whatever his profession, the handsome young man frequently slept beneath the open sky. Occasionally she asked her brother to take over her duties so she could spend more time on the ground with Endymion. The lunar goddess was also important for her influence over female fertility cycles and childbirth. 573 Bernab. Each day she drives her two-horse chariot, heralding the breaking of the new day and her brother's arrival. In many cases it rested on her brow or jutted out on either side of her head like a crown or horns. Selene - or Luna as the Romans called her - is the goddess of the moon, driving a horse-drawn chariot across the night sky. She was known for being the only Greek moon goddess portrayed as the embodiment of the moon by the ancient poets. But unlike other night goddesseslike Nyx, Hecate, and sometimes even ArtemisSelene represented the moon itself. [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". But on nights the moon could not be seen, there was a very good reason for her absence. [10] The Greek Stoic philosopher Chrysippus interpreted Selene and Men as, respectively, the female and male aspects of the same god. She drives her moon chariot across the heavens. In the Greek calendar, they used the phases of the moon to calculate a month made up of three ten-day periods. 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. Selene and Endymion, in the mural above the stage of the Friedrich von Thiersch Saal in the Wiesbaden Kurhaus. After all, mythology is storytelling at its finest. The myth of Selene, the moon goddess, is no exception. In some cases, it is debated whether she indeed was the mother. [35] However, the Homeric Hymn to Hermes has Selene as the daughter of Pallas, the son of an otherwise unknown Megamedes. [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. Selene, the goddess of the moon, was the youngest of the three siblings. [143] The idyll opens with the girl ordering her maid to bring potions and magical utensils, followed by an invocation to Selene and Hecate, and finally the rather lengthy spell itself; once she finishes her spell, the girl recounts to Selene of how she met and was betrayed by her lover, and calls upon the goddess to witness and help her, hence the love tail is woven into the love spell. In memory of the beautiful Endymion, the fly still grudges all sleepers their rest and annoys them. [28], Another version is known only from Lucian, a satirical writer from the second century CE. Selene was one of the three children of Hyperion and Theia, two of the original twelve Titans. Selenes Roman counterpart was called Luna (from the Latin word meaning moon). Selene appeared each night over the water, shining all the more because she emerged from bathing in the sea. [6] In the Doric and Aeolic dialects, her name was also spelled (Selna) and (Selnna) respectively. The Story of Selene. [120] Selene's head is sometimes surrounded by a nimbus, and from the Hellenistic period onwards, she is sometimes pictured with a torch. The most enduring story of Selene concerns the love she felt for an ordinary human man. "[2][150][151], The ancient Greeks called Monday "day of the Moon" ( ) after her. [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. Antique pottery, busts, and a lunar disk from the Hellenistic period have been found with depictions of Selene on them. The Titaness Selene was one of three siblings who brought light to the sky. [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]. Athena, also spelled Athene, in Greek religion, the city protectress, goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason, identified by the Romans with Minerva. In it, Selene is depicted as fighting alongside Helios and Eos, seated side-saddle on a horse. The goddess had one temple that was also an oracle near Thalamae in Laconia. Having risen to power in the generation of Zeus, they were universally revered and worshiped. In Greek mythology, Ceto was a goddess of the water. For centuries, those affected by mental illness were referred to as lunatics.. It seems that Selene was not uninvolved in the twelve tasks of Heracles either. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. [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. 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]. 13 In later times Selene was identified with Artemis, and the worship of the two became amalgamated. Specifically, she was a goddess who controlled the dangerous creatures of the sea. The light that humans saw from earth emanate from them, a legacy of their lustrous father. [100], Diodorus Siculus recorded an unorthodox version of the myth, in which Basileia, who had succeeded her father Uranus to his royal throne, married her brother Hyperion, and had two children, a son Helios and a daughter Selene, "admired for both their beauty and their chastity". [81], Philologist Max Mller's interpretation of solar mythology as it related to Selene and Endymion concluded that the myth was a narrativized version of linguistic terminology. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. 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. (2022, December 7). Selene was more than just a lunar goddess, she was the embodiment of the moon and its light. [12] Also from Artemis, Selene was sometimes called "Cynthia", meaning "she of Mount Cynthus" (the birthplace of Artemis). That leaves Artemis and Selene. The goddess Selene was the daughter of Titius Hyperion and Theia. The sky was dark at night and the sun more lethargic than usual. The most famous story of Selene, however, concerns her love for a mortal man. In Greek mythology, Selene was the Titan goddess of the moon. E.g., Thucydides, Histories 7.50.4; Tacitus, Annals 1.28.1ff. The moon was thought to influence people in other ways, as well. Selene was linked to Artemis as well as Hecate; all three were considered lunar goddesses. Selene was so enamored of the young man that she left the sky to see him more closely. According to Greek mythology, the moon goddess Selene was the daughter of two Titans (mythological giants) called Hyperion and Theia. While most of the Homeric Hymns were written in the seventh or sixth century BCE, the Homeric Hymn to Selene was probably composed no earlier than the fourth century BCE. [58] In some later accounts the chariot was drawn by oxen or bulls. Quintus of Smyrna, Posthomerica 10.336ff; cf. According to Hesiod's 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 the moon goddess was a minor figure in ancient Greek mythology. Nyx is the goddess of the night and is thus associated with the new moon. The masculine form, Phoebus, was used in reference to either Apollo or. While her husbands team of horses usually consisted of four animals, Selenes chariot, like her light, was less powerful. Accessed on 27 Feb. 2023. 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. Homeric Hymns 32.14ff, trans. [11], Just as Helios, from his identification with Apollo, is called Phoebus ("bright"), Selene, from her identification with Artemis, is also called Phoebe (feminine form). Selene was represented on the pedestal of the throne of Zeus at Olympia, riding on a horse or a mule; 12 and at Elis there was a statue of her with two horns. There are a number of stories about the moon goddess Selene in Greek mythology, in association with the other Greek gods, especially Zeus. Endymion [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. They put Hyperion to the sword, and drowned Helios in the river Eridanus. On the other hand, her eyes and hair were believed to have been as dark as the night. Eventually, she became identified with Artemis, goddess of the wilderness, who was sometimes associated with the moon. Selene's Roman name was Lunar. Helios was one of the Titans, son of Hyperion and Theia and brother of Eos (the Dawn) and Selene (the Moon ). Helios was married to Perse, but he had quite a few extramarital affairs, and a number of children . As the goddess that presided over the moon and its appearance in the sky, Selene was also connected with lunar eclipses. 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. 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. Altes Museum, Berlin, Germany. The moon was also believed to bring the night dew that nourished the plants and to bring sleep and rest to humankind. A third version of the story had Endymion himself choose an ageless sleep as opposed to living a mortal life. The cave in Anatolia where Endymion was said to sleep became a holy place for Selene. Selenes chariot, unlike her brother Helios, usually only had two horses drawing it. 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. Mythopedia, 7 Dec. 2022. https://mythopedia.com/topics/selene. Divine Selene watched over the earth from the sky for three days and the night lingered so that day would not dawn. 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. Hypothesis to the scholia on Pindars Nemean Odes. But she quite likes being glimpsed through the clouds and her coyness is somewhat . Selene also has a chemical element named after her, Selenium. As punishment, he was either thrown out of Olympus or cast into an eternal sleep. 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. Let's take a closer look at her story. [46], From Pausanias we hear that Selene was supposed to have had fifty daughters, by her lover Endymion, often assumed to represent the fifty lunar months of the Olympiad. 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. 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. Selene had an altar at Pergamon, at the sanctuary of Demeter, the goddess of spring. In Greek mythology, Selene was traditionally depicted as a beautiful young woman, with perhaps paler than usual skin. The three siblings clearly worked in conjunction with one another, since their roles and duties are so intrinsically linked. The goddess of the moon does not seem to have been the object of much ritual worship in the early Greek period. Thus, Selene falling for Endymion was supposed to represent moonrise every night. She was also well known for her many affairs with men and her love that possibly . [134], Selene was sometimes associated with childbirth, for it was believed that during the full moon women had the easiest labours; this helped in her identification with the goddess Artemis,[138] as well as other goddesses connected to women's labours. [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). Selene and Helios together were said to be the parents of the four Horae, the goddesses of the seasons. The Greeks followed a lunar calendar, making Selene one of the most important deities in the passage of time. Watched over by nymphs and visited often by the goddess, it was marked by glowing moonstones and pure white rock. Mythopedia. Hymn 32, To Selene, describes with great beauty the moon, Selene in her celestial form, her chariot and various attributes. Selene was not the only goddess the Greeks associated with the moon. Nonnus, Dionysiaca 12.1ff (who names Helios as the father of the Horae but does not name the mother). 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. Together, they fittingly created three sources of celestial illumination. 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