On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Every evening, Selene ushered in nightfall and then drove her chariot through the night before giving way to dawn. 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. The people of Sparta claimed that Ares had been nursed by a nymph called Thero. 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. The name Selene is probably derived from the Greek selas, meaning "light".She was also called Mene, which means "month" referring to the lunar month which was calculated from the new moon to the dark moon and Phoebe, meaning "bright". document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember (too long!) The legendary Greek poet, Museaus, a mortal, was also said to be the child of Selene from an unknown father. [2] She was often associated with cycles of growth and agriculture, female menstruation, and mysterious diseases like epilepsy and demonic possession. After all, mythology is storytelling at its finest. Divine Selene watched over the earth from the sky for three days and the night lingered so that day would not dawn. Who was Vesta, the Goddess of the Hearth? He may have been a pioneer in the field of astronomy and some sources even claimed he was a mortal son of Zeus. Selene, goddess of the moon, truly represented the moon itself to the Greeks. 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. https://mythopedia.com/topics/selene, Avi Kapach is a writer, scholar, and educator who received his PhD in Classics from Brown University. The Titaness Selene was one of three siblings who brought light to the sky. Her appearance matched the night sky she drove through. Worshiped as one of the important celestial lights of the heavens, Selene was also reputedly revered as a deity of agriculture and fertility. 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. She was the goddess of the dawn and brought new light to the world every morning. Watched over by nymphs and visited often by the goddess, it was marked by glowing moonstones and pure white rock. Selene was more than just a lunar goddess, she was the embodiment of the moon and its light. [34] She also had a sacred statue (which stood alongside one of her brother Helios) in the public market of Elis.[35]. But on nights the moon could not be seen, there was a very good reason for her absence. 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. Myth Early History Selene was the daughter of the titans, Hyperion and Theia, sister to Helios (the sun) and Eos (dawn). It was only later, when Selene began to be conflated with other lunar goddesses, that she was openly worshiped. Who were Zeus' Lovers? She is the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and sister of the sun-god Helios, and Eos, goddess of the dawn. Athena, also spelled Athene, in Greek religion, the city protectress, goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason, identified by the Romans with Minerva. [78] In his dialogue between Aphrodite and Eros, Lucian also has Aphrodite admonish her son Eros for bringing Selene "down from the sky". There are a number of stories about the moon goddess Selene in Greek mythology, in association with the other Greek gods, especially Zeus. [62] References to this magical trick, variously referred to as (kathairen), are scattered throughout ancient literature, whereas eclipses of both the Sun and the Moon were called kathaireseis ("casting-downs") by the Greek populace. Most of the important Greek gods and goddesses had temple sites of their own. [63][66], Selene is best known for her affair with the beautiful mortal Endymion. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Selene could still see her sleeping love whenever she pleased, but the pressures of time and mortality were taken off her. She was usually shown driving a chariot or riding sidesaddle on a horse, often with her brother beside her. [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. [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. 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. Selene, one of the younger generation of Titans, was also the Greek goddess of the moon. The personification of the Sun, he was portrayed as driving a four-horse chariot across the sky on a daily basis. the crescent moon, full moon, and dark moon, as delinted by the divisions of the calendar month).[154]. But the Greek cult of Selene grew more and more prevalent towards the end of the Hellenistic period (32331 BCE). 68 A75 D-K). Selene - or Luna as the Romans called her - is the goddess of the moon, driving a horse-drawn chariot across the night sky. Those that do exist are somewhat generic (like the previously mentioned epithets). Zeus slept with the human queen Alcmene, of which encounter Heracles was born. 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]. While her husbands team of horses usually consisted of four animals, Selenes chariot, like her light, was less powerful. Selene was not the only lunar goddess of the Greeks. [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. Privacy. The goddess of the hunt became associated with the moon and lunar cycles. Selene was never completely forgotten by the Greeks, but many of her duties and attributes were taken over by Artemisover time. [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. In this case, the story of Selene embracing Endymion, or Moon embraces Diver, refers to the sun setting and the moon rising. Francoise Gury, Selene/Luna, in Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (Zurich: Artemis, 1994), 7:70615. 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. Selene - Mythology. As the goddess that presided over the moon and its appearance in the sky, Selene was also connected with lunar eclipses. The phases of the moonespecially the new moon and the full moonplayed a central role in the ancient Greeks understanding of time and agriculture. Attic red-figure kylix showing Selene riding the chariot of the moon, drawn by two winged horses. "[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). She was depicted as a woman riding sidesaddle on a horse or driving a chariot drawn by a pair of winged steeds. Like most of the Titans, Selene was rarely worshipped in the ancient world. This is a relatively late text. Homeric Hymn 32.313, trans. "[80], Lucian also records an otherwise unattested myth where a pretty young girl called Muia becomes Selene's rival for Endymion's affections; the chatty maiden would endlessly talk to him while he slept, causing him to wake up. [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. In later times, Selene was often associated with Artemis in the same way that her brother Helios was associated with Artemis brother Apollo. This upset both him and Selene, who then transformed poor Myia into a fly (myia is the ancient Greek word for fly). 3/4, 1973, pp. At night he drove below the edge of the world in the west, circling below Gaia to reappear on the eastern horizon by morning. According to Nonnus, Typhoeus battled Selene by chucking bulls at her, then violently rushing her. This irritated Endymion, and enraged Selene, who transforms the girl into a fly (Ancient Greek: , romanized:mua). Helios was married to Perse, but he had quite a few extramarital affairs, and a number of children . Thus, both the sun and the moon were seen as gods embodied in those forms. Greek Gods / Helios. Selene, one of the younger generation of Titans, was also the Greek goddess of the moon. Hypothesis to the scholia on Pindars Nemean Odes. [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. 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. Hill, D. E. "THE THESSALIAN TRICK." The counterpart to her brother, she traveled by night. 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. I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. The name of the moon goddess is surrounded by accounts of the consorts she had and their children. The Moirai In some traditions the Fates were seen as three aspects of the lunar goddess. Occasionally Selenes chariot was pulled by oxen or bulls, again differentiating it from the faster vehicle of her brother. Hurwit 2017, pp. Selene and Endymion by Sebastiano Ricci (1713). [3] Selene and Artemis were also associated with Hecate and all three were regarded as moon and lunar goddesses, but only Selene was regarded as the personification of the Moon itself. [87], According to the late account of Nonnus, when the gigantic monster Typhon laid siege against the heavens, he attacked Selene as well by hurling bulls at her, though she managed to stay in her course, and rushed at her hissing like a viper. Selene, (Greek: Moon) Latin Luna, in Greek and Roman religion, the personification of the moon as a goddess. 3 Most Important Characters in Greek Mythology, 5 Awesome Greek Mythology Fiction Books for Kids, Aphrodite Facts: Awesome Facts about the Goddess of Love and Beauty. [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. Depending on the author, the chariot was either silver,[6] snow white,[7] or gold. [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. Upon the head of Selene was normally found a crown that was representative of the spherical moon. This is at times accompanied by stars to depict the night sky, but the crescent moon was perhaps the most recognizable of Selenes symbols. [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). The Origin of Hotdogs, The History of Boracay Island in The Philippines. Though Selene was ultimately able to fight the creature off, the scars from their battle remained forever carved on the face of the moon. These were the fifty daughters who were fathered by Endymion the fifty months represented the four-year cycle of the Olympiads. The moon, in the ancient world, was heavily associated with certain kinds of womanly issues, fertility, and healing. A third version of the story had Endymion himself choose an ageless sleep as opposed to living a mortal life. 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). The fifty daughters of Selene and Endymion mark the fifty lunar months of the four year Olympiad Cycle. Though Selene had many consorts, the most famous of them was Endymion, a handsome young mortal. Selene was written off and Artemis became the goddess of the moon, hunting, and animals. Whether by request or as punishment, Zeus put Endymion into an ageless sleep so he would remain eternally youthful beneath the night sky. 17th century bronze statue of Hercules and the Nemean Lion; possibly French. In many cases it rested on her brow or jutted out on either side of her head like a crown or horns. Her lunar sphere or crescent was either a crown set upon her head or the fold of a raised, shining cloak. Learn more about our mission. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. Robert S. P. Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden: Brill, 2009), 2:131819. 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. Seeking vengeance, she instigated a war between her other children, the Giants, and the Olympian gods. She also had a statue, alongside Helios, in the public marketplace of Elis. Her name was spelt differently in the different dialects of the Greeks but the meaning was the same. How old is the United States of America? Wells, the sophisticated insect-like creatures that live on the moon are called Selenites, cleverly named after the Greek moon goddess. [75] Cicero seems to make Selene responsible for Endymion's sleep, so that "she might kiss him while sleeping". 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. But in the case of her daughters with Endymion, it is widely known that Selene gave birth to the fifty daughters known as the Menai. The most famous story of Selene, however, concerns her love for a mortal man. Selene visited the sleeping Endymion where he lay alone in a cave everyday and had fifty daughters with him, the Menai, the personification of the Greek lunar months. Selene is a Titan goddess in Greek mythology. 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