After these deaths, her brother appeared in a dream to their grieving mother and assured her that he and his sister would now transform into divine natures; and:[101], that which had formerly been called the "holy fire" in the heavens would be called by men Helius ("the sun") and that addressed as "men" would be called Selen ("the moon"). Thus, Selene falling for Endymion was supposed to represent moonrise every night. Her brother is Helios, the Sun and her sister is Eos, the Dawn. [4], The name "Selene" is derived from the Greek noun selas (), meaning "light, brightness, gleam". The pair could also have been the parents of the beautiful and vain Narcissus, for whom the Narcissus flower is named, according to Nonnus, the Greek epic poet of the Roman era. Kapach, Avi. Together, they fittingly created three sources of celestial illumination. Nonnus, Dionysiaca 12.1ff (who names Helios as the father of the Horae but does not name the mother). Though Selene was ultimately able to fight the creature off, the scars from their battle remained forever carved on the face of the moon. [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. The goddess took offense, and sent a gadfly to sting Ampelus' bull. 527532; Shear, pp. Perhaps the most colorful ancient description of Selene comes from Homeric Hymn 32 (the Homeric Hymn to Selene). 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. . [58] In some later accounts the chariot was drawn by oxen or bulls. Learn more about our mission. [88], Ampelus was a very beautiful satyr youth, loved by the god Dionysus. The crescent moon, full moon, and dark moon corresponded to the three states of being embodied by the Fates. Many of these old communities followed the lunar calendar and that made the moon a center of their faith and worship in many ways. 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. [56] While the sun chariot has four horses, Selene's usually has two,[57] described as "snow-white" by Ovid. Though Hesiod made the Nemean Lion the child of Echidna, other authors wrote that Selene gave birth to it or brought it up at Heras request. Another myth describes how Selene held her own against the monster Typhoeus when he attacked the gods. 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. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. Does the sculpted girl speak to women too?" [104] Zeus agrees, urged by Selene's complaints and having long intended to deal with the philosophers himself. The goddess of the hunt became associated with the moon and lunar cycles. She was often said to be the mother of the Horai, the personifications of the division of time and the seasons. 14 In works of art, however, the two divinities are usually distinguished; the face of There are different versions of this story. [140] Nonnus also identified Selene with Eileithyia. The goddess had one temple that was also an oracle near Thalamae in Laconia. During the night, Selene would drive her chariot with the moon across the sky. [59] Though the moon chariot is often described as being silver,[60] for Pindar it was golden. The Greeks (like many other ancient peoples) were notoriously terrified of eclipses, viewing them as signs of the gods displeasure.[3]. Kapach, A. [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. I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. In it, Selene is depicted as fighting alongside Helios and Eos, seated side-saddle on a horse. Along with presiding over dangerous sea creatures, Ceto produced her own set of frightening . [29] Empedocles, Euripides and Nonnus all describe her as (glaukpis, "bright-eyed", a common epithet of the goddess Athena)[30] while in a fragment from a poem, possibly written by Pamprepius, she is called (kyanpis, "dark-eyed"). Kapach, Avi. [95], Anaxagoras also reports that the Nemean lion was said to have fallen from the moon. [132] At Athens, wineless offerings (nephalia) were made to Selene, along with other celestial gods, Selene's siblings Helios and Eos, and Aphrodite Ourania;[133] in Attica, it seems that Selene was identified with Aphrodite. Rheinisches Museum Fr Philologie, vol. 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. This eventually led to the identification of Selene with Artemis, also associated with fertility and the moon in various ways. 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. She is pale, beautiful and indefinably alluring. Were building the worlds most authoritative, online mythology resource, with engaging, accessible content that is both educational and compelling to read. [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. "[42], According to the Homeric Hymn to Selene, the goddess bore Zeus a daughter, Pandia ("All-brightness"),[43] "exceeding lovely amongst the deathless gods". 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. Selene (probably) and Helios adorned the east pediment of the Parthenon, where the two, each driving a four-horsed chariot, framed a scene depicting the birth of Athena, with Helios and his chariot rising from the ocean on the left, and Selene and her chariot descending into the sea on the right. Eventually, she became identified with Artemis, goddess of the wilderness, who was sometimes associated with the moon. E.g., Thucydides, Histories 7.50.4; Tacitus, Annals 1.28.1ff. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death Obbink, Dirk (2002), "'All Gods are True' in Epicurus" in, Obbink, Dirk (2011) "56. The counterpart to her brother, she traveled by night. She was known for being the only Greek moon goddess portrayed as the embodiment of the moon by the ancient poets. Way). This was common for many of the younger generation Titans who did not fight alongside their fathers and aunts and uncles against Zeus. ), The name Selene (Greek , translit. The people of Sparta claimed that Ares had been nursed by a nymph called Thero. For other uses, see, Detail of Selene from a Roman sarcophagus, A winged Selene seems to be unique to this. Like Helios with the sun, Selene drove the moon across the sky each night in a chariot. [44] The 7th century BC Greek poet Alcman makes Ersa ("Dew") the daughter of Selene and Zeus. In some versions, Zeus cursed Endymion because he fell in love with Queen Hera, wife of Zeus. Gaia, the primordial Titan goddess and grandmother to the Olympian gods and goddesses, was enraged when her children were defeated in the Titanomachy and imprisoned in Tartarus. 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. Her name was spelt differently in the different dialects of the Greeks but the meaning was the same. 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. They brought night and day, shed light on the earth, were responsible for the turning of the months, and facilitated agriculture. Even if he were sleeping, he would not be parted from the goddess he loved by death. If your web page requires an HTML link, please insert this code: . [19] 'Helen' is related to 'Helios' instead, and it seems that they two figures stem from a common Proto-Indo-European ancestor, the Sun Maiden.[20][21]. 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. 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. [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. The two other daughters that Selene and Zeus had together was Nemea, the nymph of the town that the Nemean Lion was from, and Ersa, the personified version of dew. As the goddess of the division of the months, Selene was a goddess of time. Her fifty daughters with Endymion marked the fifty lunar months that passed between celebrations of the Olympiad. Described by Pausanias, it contained statues of Pasipha and Helios. 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). Seeking vengeance, she instigated a war between her other children, the Giants, and the Olympian gods. [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 goddess had pale skin that seemed to shine with its own inner light and long black hair that matched the dark sky around her. 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. She fell madly in love with him and asked Zeus to let him stay asleep forever, remaining eternally young and beautiful (in some traditions, it was Endymion himself who requested this unending sleep). [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). Well, go on, and steel thy heart, wise though thou be, to take up thy burden of pain, fraught with many sighs."[70]. [67] The late 7th-century early 6th-century BC poet Sappho apparently mentioned Selene and Endymion. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. (Similarly, Selenes brother Helios came to be identified with Artemis brother Apollo. 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. 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. 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. On the other hand, her eyes and hair were believed to have been as dark as the night. 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". [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. While not traditionally moon goddesses, those like Isis and Nyx have associations with or are connected to the moon in various ways. Like Artemis, Selene was sometimes called Phoebe, a name that means bright one.. Pandia Usually said to be the daughter of Selene and Zeus, Pandia was also sometimes given as another name for Selene herself. It was devoted to Selene, under the name Pasiphae, and to Helios. Let's take a closer look at her story. But unlike other night goddesseslike Nyx, Hecate, and sometimes even ArtemisSelene represented the moon itself. Selene was the ancient Greek Titan goddess of the moon. Selene was written off and Artemis became the goddess of the moon, hunting, and animals. [72] A scholiast on Apollonius says that, according to Epimenides, Endymion fell in love with Hera, and Zeus punished him with eternal sleep. Deciphering the Role of Helios, the Sun God of Greek Mythology. [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). "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. Selene was not the only goddess the Greeks associated with the moon. [89] One day, in Nonnus' account, Ampelus rode on a bull, and proceeded to compare himself to Selene, saying that he was her equal, having horns and riding bulls just like her. The scientist Jons Jacob Berzelius named it such since the element was very similar in nature to tellurium, which was named after the Earth, whose Greek name is Tellus. Her sister Eos was the light of dawn and their brother Helios drew the chariot of the sun across the sky each day. 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. Their daughter Eos was the first to appear each day. Privacy. She was depicted as a woman riding sidesaddle on a horse or driving a chariot drawn by a pair of winged steeds. In the more familiar tradition, however, the Horae were the daughters of Zeus and Themis, and there were only three of them (even their names are completely different: Eirene, Eunomia, and Dike). The phases of the moonespecially the new moon and the full moonplayed a central role in the ancient Greeks understanding of time and agriculture. Francoise Gury, Selene/Luna, in Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (Zurich: Artemis, 1994), 7:70615. By all accounts, Selene seemed to have played a major role in this war. In rarer traditions, she is the daughter of the Titan Pallas. "On Representations of Helios and of Selene", The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Sorabella, Jean, "A Roman Sarcophagus and Its Patron. [141], Selene played an important role in love magic. Selene the moon goddess was a minor figure in ancient Greek mythology. . https://mythopedia.com/topics/selene, Avi Kapach is a writer, scholar, and educator who received his PhD in Classics from Brown University. Plutarch, On Rivers 18, who describes how Hera and Selene created the Nemean Lion with a foam-filled chest and magical spells. Lunacy takes its name from Selenes Roman counterpart, Luna. One of the names given for Selene, and occasionally for an independent personification, was Mene. See esp. [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. According to Greek mythology, the moon goddess Selene was the daughter of two Titans (mythological giants) called Hyperion and Theia. Selene was said to have several consorts but the man that the goddess of the moon was most linked with was the mortal Endymion. Mene, a name that she was also commonly known by, meant the moon or the lunar month, from the root mens which meant month. This is an attribute that she shares with her Roman equivalent Luna, where the latin luna also means moon.. These two goddesses have additional association with Hecate. Did a Lion-Headed Monster Exist in Greek Mythology. She had two siblings, Helios and Eos. Orphism, Cosmogony, and Genealogy (Mus. All Rights Reserved. [113] Selene and Helios also appear on the North Metopes of the Parthenon, with Selene this time entering the sea on horseback. Selene's Roman name was Lunar. Hypothesis to the scholia on Pindars Nemean Odes. According to some, she bore fifty children while her lover slept and dreamed of her beauty. Also known as Mene, she is traditionally the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and sister of the sun god Helios and the dawn goddess Eos. Hurwit 2017, pp. Indeed, it reflects the fascinating way the Greeks observed the . She was the goddess of the dawn and brought new light to the world every morning. 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). [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. [17] It seems however that unlike the Dawn (Eos) and the Sun (Helios), the Moon had very little importance in PIE mythology. They included: The lunar goddesses sometimes worked together. Selene personified the moon and was one of the Greek goddesses of the night. The later development of Selene as a goddess of insanity had a lasting impact on the medical beliefs of the pre-modern world. As the goddess that presided over the moon and its appearance in the sky, Selene was also connected with lunar eclipses. Moon gods and goddesses have existed in all ancient pantheistic cultures for a very long time. [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. Selene - The Moon Goddess - Greek Mythology - See U in History Art: Marcus AquinoColor: Rod Fernandes#GreekMythology #Mythology #SeeUinHistory #History #Myth. Zeus slept with the human queen Alcmene, of which encounter Heracles was born. This is at times accompanied by stars to depict the night sky, but the crescent moon was perhaps the most recognizable of Selenes symbols. This might have had a role in the later identification of Selene with Hecate, who was, after all, the goddess of witchcraft and spells. The myth of Selene, the moon goddess, is no exception. The tale of Endymion and Selene is one that has resonated with people for millennia. Her chariot was made of shining silver, bringing soft, clear light each night. Selene was more than just a lunar goddess, she was the embodiment of the moon and its light. [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. 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? In her Full Moon state, she is Panselene or . As Luna, she had temples at Rome on the Aventine and Palatine hills. 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. Selene detail from a sarcophagus, imperial period. According to the Homeric Hymn 32, Selene and Zeus together had a daughter named Pandia. [142] In Theocritus' second Idyll, a young girl invokes Selene in a love-spell. For this the Greek gods were to be worshiped. Though Selene had many consorts, the most famous of them was Endymion, a handsome young mortal. 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. In fact, there were several female deities who shared this domain. The Story of Selene. [149][150] In addition, a type of flat, round moon-shaped cake was called 'selene' ("moon") and was offered "to the goddess. This was known as the Gigantomachy. The animals, however, were almost always shown as pure white regardless of their type. Helios was one of the Titans, son of Hyperion and Theia and brother of Eos (the Dawn) and Selene (the Moon ). Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Selene and Endymion, fresco on ceiling by Giuseppe Antonio Orelli, circa 1730-1770, Palazzo Riva. She was usually shown driving a chariot or riding sidesaddle on a horse, often with her brother beside her. To link to this article in the text of an online publication, please use this URL: https://historycooperative.org/selene-greek-goddess-of-the-moon/. But the Greek cult of Selene grew more and more prevalent towards the end of the Hellenistic period (32331 BCE). The Greek word Phoebe means bright and the word Cynthia means from Mount Cynthus which was said to be the birthplace of Artemis. Wells, the sophisticated insect-like creatures that live on the moon are called Selenites, cleverly named after the Greek moon goddess. However, Selene was not one of them. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The name of the moon goddess is surrounded by accounts of the consorts she had and their children. Mene The personification of the months was sometimes an aspect of Selene and sometimes a separate goddess. There are a number of stories about the moon goddess Selene in Greek mythology, in association with the other Greek gods, especially Zeus. Like her brother Helios, the Sun god, who drives his sun chariot across the sky each day, Selene is also said to drive a chariot across the heavens. As the moon, Selene occupied an important place in popular religion. [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". The other gods, angered, sent him two lions to tear him apart. For centuries, those affected by mental illness were referred to as lunatics.. Became associated with the moon a center of their type that live the! Was also the ancient Greeks understanding of time and agriculture to as lunatics gods, angered, sent two... 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