selene greek mythology

Although she counts as a goddess in her own right, Selene often gets associated with archer goddess, Artemis, who is also a moon goddess. Artemis has been commonly associated with Selene. That was a basic unit of how the Greeks measured time in the old days. 3/4, 1973, pp. [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. She was depicted as a woman riding sidesaddle on a horse or driving a chariot drawn by a pair of winged steeds. [2] She was often associated with cycles of growth and agriculture, female menstruation, and mysterious diseases like epilepsy and demonic possession. [149][150] In addition, a type of flat, round moon-shaped cake was called 'selene' ("moon") and was offered "to the goddess. [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 Greek word for the moon was also the word used to delineate the months. Most mythologists assumed that Selene was an older moon goddess that was replaced later by Artemis in myth. Learn more about our mission. Her lunar sphere or crescent was either a crown set upon her head or the fold of a raised, shining cloak. In the Homeric Hymn to Selene, she bears the beautiful Pandeic to Zeus, while Alcman says they are the parents of Herse, the dew. Not only was she the goddess of the moon, but she was considered a personification of the moon itself and that was how she was portrayed by many of the old poets and writers. 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. [117] Selene also appears on horseback as part of the Gigantomachy frieze of the Pergamon Altar. Selene was written off and Artemis became the goddess of the moon, hunting, and animals. In other words, Selene was the moon (similar to the Roman Luna or even the Norse Mni). 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. [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. The Story of Selene. [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. [27], In late accounts, Selene (like the moon itself) is often described as having horns. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [2], Selene was also called Mene. Whenever the moon could not be seen in the night sky, it was because Selene had paused to take in Endymions beauty once again. Her grandparents are Gaia, (Mother Earth) and Uranus (Father Sky). 3 (cited in the scholia on Apollonius of Rhodes Argonautica 4.57). Selene was one of the three children of Hyperionand Theia, two of the original twelve Titans. 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. The most enduring story of Selene concerns the love she felt for an ordinary human man. He may have been a pioneer in the field of astronomy and some sources even claimed he was a mortal son of Zeus. In Greek mythology, Ceto was a goddess of the water. Greek Gods / Helios. Altes Museum, Berlin, Germany. Eos represented the warm light that could be seen coming up above the horizon before the sun appeared in full. My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine. Did a Lion-Headed Monster Exist in Greek Mythology. Selene, one of the younger generation of Titans, was also the Greek goddess of the moon. Certain types of insanity were said to be brought on by the moons influence, and it was believed that Selene had the power to create lunacy with purpose. 13 In later times Selene was identified with Artemis, and the worship of the two became amalgamated. Often when one god supplanted another in a particular domain, the stories that involved that god were changed to reflect this. [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). Her Roman equivalent is Luna. Deciphering the Role of Helios, the Sun God of Greek Mythology. Homeric Hymn 32.313, trans. H. G. Evelyn-White; cf. When Selene spied him sleeping in a cave, she immediately fell in love and asked Zeus to extend his sleep for all eternity. In many cases it rested on her brow or jutted out on either side of her head like a crown or horns. 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. Often she was shown in a chariot drawn by a team of horses or oxen, but other times there was no chariot, and Selene would instead appear on the back of a horse or mule. [118], Selene is commonly depicted with a crescent moon, often accompanied by stars; sometimes, instead of a crescent, a lunar disc is used. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. Does the sculpted girl speak to women too?" Another myth describes how Selene held her own against the monster Typhoeus when he attacked the gods. Updates? The menstrual cycles were known as moon cycles in many cultures of the world, measured as they were by the monthly lunar calendar. Helios was one of the Titans, son of Hyperion and Theia and brother of Eos (the Dawn) and Selene (the Moon ). She and her brother did not just pull the chariots of their respective orbs through the sky. Selenes Roman counterpart was called Luna (from the Latin word meaning moon). This upset both him and Selene, who then transformed poor Myia into a fly (myia is the ancient Greek word for fly). 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 was the goddess of the dawn and brought new light to the world every morning. ", Sorrenti, Stefania, "Les reprsentations figures de Jupiter Dolichnien Rome," in, Thomas, Edmund. At night he drove below the edge of the world in the west, circling below Gaia to reappear on the eastern horizon by morning. Selenes siblings and Selene herself carried on their fathers legacy by shining light from the heavens upon the earth. Indeed, it reflects the fascinating way the Greeks observed the . 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. They brought night and day, shed light on the earth, were responsible for the turning of the months, and facilitated agriculture. 500450 BCE. 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. Selene (Greek mythology) The goddess of the Moon. Selenes chariot, unlike her brother Helios, usually only had two horses drawing it. Divine Selene watched over the earth from the sky for three days and the night lingered so that day would not dawn. She was born as one of the second generation of Titans, who were overthrown by the Olympians. Worshiped as one of the important celestial lights of the heavens, Selene was also reputedly revered as a deity of agriculture and fertility. However, her greatest love was a lowly mortal named Endymion. Attic red-figure kylix showing Selene riding the chariot of the moon, drawn by two winged horses. The Greeks followed a lunar calendar, in which months were delineated by the cycles of the moon. [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 counterpart to her brother, she traveled by night. [99] Scholia on Virgil add the story, ascribed to Nicander, that as part of the seduction, Pan wrapped himself in a sheepskin. [5], Selenes moon chariotsimilar to the sun chariot of her brother Helios and the dawn chariot of her sister Eoswas probably her most distinctive and consistent attribute. As the moon, Selene occupied an important place in popular religion. The Greek word Phoebe means bright and the word Cynthia means from Mount Cynthus which was said to be the birthplace of Artemis. [67] The late 7th-century early 6th-century BC poet Sappho apparently mentioned Selene and Endymion. [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. All Rights Reserved. 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. Selene personified the moon and was one of the Greek goddesses of the night. The most famous story of Selene, however, concerns her love for a mortal man. Selene was the ancient Greek Titan goddess of the 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. Selene was so enamored of the young man that she left the sky to see him more closely. Artemis is also a Goddess of the moon. [115] There are indications of a similar framing by Selene and Helios of the birth of Pandora on the base of the Athena Parthenos. [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. 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. The Origin of Hotdogs, The History of Boracay Island in The Philippines. [88], Ampelus was a very beautiful satyr youth, loved by the god Dionysus. There is a magnificent frieze in the Pergamon Altar, now kept at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, which depicts this battle between the Giants and the Olympians. 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. Her father was the Titan god of heavenly light, while her mother represented the blue color of the sky. 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. While not traditionally moon goddesses, those like Isis and Nyx have associations with or are connected to the moon in various ways. 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.. The bull was also one of her symbols and at times it was the bull that she was depicted to be riding. Like every celestial goddess , there was a yin to Selene's yang; In this case, there were two yins. 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]. E.g., Thucydides, Histories 7.50.4; Tacitus, Annals 1.28.1ff. Selene, goddess of the moon, truly represented the moon itself to the Greeks. The moon was thought to influence people in other ways, as well. "On Representations of Helios and of Selene", The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Sorabella, Jean, "A Roman Sarcophagus and Its Patron. 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. In later times, Selene was often associated with Artemis in the same way that her brother Helios was associated with Artemis brother Apollo. Sometimes these were winged horses, although some later accounts had the chariot drawn by bulls. Two winged steeds pulled her across the sky each night. Hecate and her followers, for example, asked Selene for her cooperation in their magic. 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. Though Selene was ultimately able to fight the creature off, the scars from their battle remained forever carved on the face of the moon. The moon was also believed to bring the night dew that nourished the plants and to bring sleep and rest to humankind. [78] In his dialogue between Aphrodite and Eros, Lucian also has Aphrodite admonish her son Eros for bringing Selene "down from the sky". Hesiod, Theogony 371ff; Apollodorus, Library 1.2.2; etc. In Greek mythology, Selene was the Titan goddess of the moon. The goddess had one temple that was also an oracle near Thalamae in Laconia. 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. 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. Same thing happened with Helius and Apollo. 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. [112], Selene was often paired with her brother Helios. Her brother, Helios, is the god of the sun, and her sister, Eos, is the goddess of the dawn. While her brother was clad in shining gold, her light was softer and more clear. [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. Occasionally Selenes chariot was pulled by oxen or bulls, again differentiating it from the faster vehicle of her brother. The goddess took offense, and sent a gadfly to sting Ampelus' bull. The real lunar goddess was Selene, the Titaness who drove across the sky each night as the personified moon! 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.. [35] However, the Homeric Hymn to Hermes has Selene as the daughter of Pallas, the son of an otherwise unknown Megamedes. Some even said that the Nemean Lion, as the offspring of Selene, had originally fallen from the moon.[30]. [58] In some later accounts the chariot was drawn by oxen or bulls. She was essentially urban and civilized, the antithesis in many respects of Artemis, goddess of the outdoors. 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. Endymion was, depending on the source, a prince in exile or a simple shepherd. [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. Cf. Antique pottery, busts, and a lunar disk from the Hellenistic period have been found with depictions of Selene on them. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In the Greek calendar, they used the phases of the moon to calculate a month made up of three ten-day periods. The masculine form, Phoebus, was used in reference to either Apollo or. Thus, Selene falling for Endymion was supposed to represent moonrise every night. Were building the worlds most authoritative, online mythology resource, with engaging, accessible content that is both educational and compelling to read. The talkative Myia would sit with Endymion as he slept his eternal sleep, chattering endlesslyso much so that Endymion eventually woke up. Selene and Endymion, fresco on ceiling by Giuseppe Antonio Orelli, circa 1730-1770, Palazzo Riva. Eventually, she became identified with Artemis, goddess of the wilderness, who was sometimes associated with the moon. Ceto - Goddess of the Water. Francoise Gury, Selene/Luna, in Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (Zurich: Artemis, 1994), 7:70615. Whether this Pallas (called the son of Megamedes) is the same as the Titan Pallas or a different individual entirely is unclear. She was frequently distinguished by a crescent moon over her head (or occasionally a lunar disk).[9]. Many of Selenes epithetsincluding (agl, gleaming), (pasiph, all-shining), and (tanyspteros, long-winged)reflected her lunar qualities and other distinctive attributes. The air, unlit before, glows with the light of her golden crown, and her rays beam clear, whensoever bright Selene having bathed her lovely body in the waters of Ocean, and donned her far-gleaming raiment, and yoked her strong-necked, shining team, drives on her long-maned horses at full speed, at eventime in the mid-month: then her great orbit is full and then her beams shine brightest as she increases. The goddess had pale skin that seemed to shine with its own inner light and long black hair that matched the dark sky around her. From her immortal head a radiance is shown from heaven and embraces earth; and great is the beauty that ariseth from her shining light. The tale of Endymion and Selene is one that has resonated with people for millennia. The most well-known story of Selene is her love of the mortal man Endymion. [8], Selene began appearing in the visual arts around the early fifth century BCE. As punishment, he was either thrown out of Olympus or cast into an eternal sleep. Together, they fittingly created three sources of celestial illumination. 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. Hypothesis to the scholia on Pindars Nemean Odes. Attributes to the Byrgos Painter, ca. Selenes role in this war was not only to fight against the giants. Selene was a Titan goddess in Greek mythology, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. Her appearance matched the night sky she drove through. Thus, both the sun and the moon were seen as gods embodied in those forms. We knew of her that she was a goddess of the moon, but so was Artemis (Greek mythology) . Selene was the goddess of the moon. They were even called by their names, Phoebe and Phoebus respectively, in some sources. Her presence is felt in something as simple as the names of the days of the week. Selene fought back the giant, locking horns with Typhon; afterwards, she carried many scars on her orb, reminiscent of their battle. What are Hades Powers that are Really Scary? 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. [8] The masculine form of mene (men) was also the name of the Phrygian moon-god Men. Selene featured in few myths, with the most famous ones being the tales that tell of her lovers: Zeus, Pan and the mortal Endymion. She walked as quietly as possible to avoid frightening Endymion as he slept. [148] Records show that a type of cake called (bos, "ox") decorated with horns to represent the full moon or an ox was offered to her and other divinities like Hecate, Artemis and Apollo. [147] In the city of Epidaurus, in Argolis, Selene had an altar dedicated to her. "[2][150][151], The ancient Greeks called Monday "day of the Moon" ( ) after her. Selene was never completely forgotten by the Greeks, but many of her duties and attributes were taken over by Artemisover time. [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. Goddess Selene is often portrayed in art and in myths generally, riding a chariot across the sky. Selene had an altar at Pergamon, at the sanctuary of Demeter, the goddess of spring. In some later accounts, she is known as the Horned Selene, perhaps due to the crescent moon upon the crown of her head. Chiswick House, London, UK. She was descended . Although Endymion slept for eternity, many sources said Selene continued to see him. Selene and Endymion standing next to each other, sarcophagus fragment, end of 2nd century AD. [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. 116, no. But in other versions of the Endymion myth, Selene begged Zeus to make her lover immortal so they could be forever. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. One of the most important sources of this myth is in the Greek satirist Lucian of Samosatas Dialogues of the Gods, where Aphrodite and Selene talk about the latters love for Endymion. 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. Omissions? Seneca, Madness of Hercules 83; Hyginus, Fabulae 30; Aelian, On Animals 12.7 (citing Epimenides); etc. Museum of Classical Archaeology Databases. These three lunar goddesses were all important to the Greeks in different ways but it was only Selene who was considered the moon incarnate herself. In this aspect she was closely associated with Dionysus. Selene and Endymion by Sebastiano Ricci (1713). Selene. Mythopedia, 7 Dec. 2022. https://mythopedia.com/topics/selene. Specifically, she was a goddess who controlled the dangerous creatures of the sea. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. Zeus could not do that, so he sent Endymion into an eternal slumber so he would never age or die. 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"). [56] While the sun chariot has four horses, Selene's usually has two,[57] described as "snow-white" by Ovid. The moon goddess and Artemis were occasionally shown as companions. [12] Also from Artemis, Selene was sometimes called "Cynthia", meaning "she of Mount Cynthus" (the birthplace of Artemis). She was the personification of the moon, but was also associated with lunar elements such as tides, months, and even lunacy. A third version of the story had Endymion himself choose an ageless sleep as opposed to living a mortal life. Selene, like her siblings, was a Titan goddess because of her birth but they were no less important to the Greeks. Secretive and shy, she enjoys flitting silently through the night with a pearl-white or silvery chariot. Lunacy takes its name from Selenes Roman counterpart, Luna. Oil lamp fragment with the head of Selene, early classical period, Muse de Die. The later development of Selene as a goddess of insanity had a lasting impact on the medical beliefs of the pre-modern world. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death 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. It seems that Selene was not uninvolved in the twelve tasks of Heracles either. Is the Mother of Castor and Pollux a Goddess? 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". [59] Though the moon chariot is often described as being silver,[60] for Pindar it was golden. The crescent moon, full moon, and dark moon corresponded to the three states of being embodied by the Fates. [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. 199; Strabo, Geography 14.1.8; Catullus, Odes 66.5; Propertius, Elegies 2.15; Ovid, Heroides 15.89ff, 18.59ff; Seneca, Phaedra 309ff; Hyginus, Fabulae 271; Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica 8.28ff; Lucian, Dialogues of the Gods 19; Nonnus, Dionysiaca 2.325ff, 4.195ff, 7.237ff, and passim; Quintus of Smyrna, Posthomerica 10.125ff; etc. 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 . Because the Greek endyein meant "to dive," the name Endymion ("Diver") at first simply described the process of the setting sun "diving" into the sea. Hymn 31, To Helios, also speaks of the two sisters of Helios where the rich-tressed Selene is once again alluded to. She drives her moon chariot across the heavens. Selene was one of the daughters of the Titan gods Hyperion and Theia and the sister of the sun god Helios and the goddess of the dawn Eos. In this case, the story of Selene embracing Endymion, or Moon embraces Diver, refers to the sun setting and the moon rising. She also had a statue, alongside Helios, in the public marketplace of Elis. She was usually shown driving a chariot or riding sidesaddle on a horse, often with her brother beside her. [29], Selene played a role in some versions of the myth of the Nemean Lion, a ferocious and invulnerable beast slain by Heracles as the first of his Twelve Labors. Selene goddess of the moon, Athenian red-figure kylix C5th B.C., Antikensammlung Berlin. . [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". Watched over by nymphs and visited often by the goddess, it was marked by glowing moonstones and pure white rock. 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. [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.

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