[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. However, her greatest love was a lowly mortal named Endymion. Finally, although this account is more in doubt, some stories say that Selene and her brother Helios together birthed one of the generations of the Horae, the goddesses of the seasons. [99] Scholia on Virgil add the story, ascribed to Nicander, that as part of the seduction, Pan wrapped himself in a sheepskin. 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. That was a basic unit of how the Greeks measured time in the old days. [116] Pausanias also reports seeing stone images of Helios, and Selene, in the market-place at Elea, with rays projecting from the head of Helios, and horns from the head of Selene. Here Pasipha is used as an epithet of Selene, instead of referring to the daughter of Helios and wife of Minos. If your web page requires an HTML link, please insert this code: . Did a Lion-Headed Monster Exist in Greek Mythology. Like every celestial goddess , there was a yin to Selene's yang; In this case, there were two yins. What are Hades Powers that are Really Scary? Both Epimenides and the Greek philosopher Anaxagoras seem to use the exact words fell from the moon while speaking of the savage Lion of Nemea, Epimenides again using the words fair tressed Selene.. [108], In antiquity, artistic representations of Selene/Luna included sculptural reliefs, vase paintings, coins, and gems. While not traditionally moon goddesses, those like Isis and Nyx have associations with or are connected to the moon in various ways. She announced the coming of her younger brother. [72] A scholiast on Apollonius says that, according to Epimenides, Endymion fell in love with Hera, and Zeus punished him with eternal sleep. SELENE was the Titan goddess of the moon. According to Lucian, Selene had a rival for Endymions love named Myia. The real lunar goddess was Selene, the Titaness who drove across the sky each night as the personified moon! Hymn 31, To Helios, also speaks of the two sisters of Helios where the rich-tressed Selene is once again alluded to. Hurwit, Jeffery M. (2017), "Helios Rising: The Sun, the Moon, and the Sea in the Sculptures of the Parthenon", Jones, Prudence H., "A Goddess Arrives: Nineteenth Century Sources of the New Age Triple Moon Goddess" in. Mitchell, Lucy M., "Sculptures of the Great Pergamon Altar" in The Century Magazine, 1883. [2], Selene was also called Mene. [102], Plutarch recorded a fable-like story in which Selene asked her mother to weave her a garment to fit her measure, and her mother replied that she was unable to do so, as she kept changing shape and size, sometimes full, then crescent-shaped and others yet half her size. Selene was the Greek goddess of the moon. The moon goddess and Artemis were occasionally shown as companions. [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. One of the names given for Selene, and occasionally for an independent personification, was Mene. It did not take long for Zeus to notice something was amiss. Knowing he would be there whenever she wanted to see him, the goddess no longer worried he would leave or die before she got to see him again. The goddess Selene was the daughter of Titius Hyperion and Theia. The Moirai In some traditions the Fates were seen as three aspects of the lunar goddess. Hyperions role is not fully known today, but given that he was the god of heavenly light in all its forms, it may be assumed that his children, powerful as they were in their individual capacities, only held a fraction of the might of their Titan father. When Selene spied him sleeping in a cave, she immediately fell in love and asked Zeus to extend his sleep for all eternity. The cave in Anatolia where Endymion was said to sleep became a holy place for Selene. The counterpart to her brother, she traveled by night. 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 . Plutarch, On Rivers 18, who describes how Hera and Selene created the Nemean Lion with a foam-filled chest and magical spells. Selene fought back the giant, locking horns with Typhon; afterwards, she carried many scars on her orb, reminiscent of their battle. "[42], According to the Homeric Hymn to Selene, the goddess bore Zeus a daughter, Pandia ("All-brightness"),[43] "exceeding lovely amongst the deathless gods". Two winged steeds pulled her across the sky each night. 3/4, 1973, pp. 2022 Wasai LLC. Often when one god supplanted another in a particular domain, the stories that involved that god were changed to reflect this. 1. [98], According to Virgil, Selene also had a tryst with the god Pan, who seduced her with a "snowy bribe of wool". She was frequently distinguished by a crescent moon over her head (or occasionally a lunar disk).[9]. 260 M-W; Epimenides, FHG 4 frag. However, in the science fiction book The First Men on the Moon by H.G. Thus, both the sun and the moon were seen as gods embodied in those forms. Synonyms of bright or shining or silvery are often used in descriptions of her, as she was supposed to have a complexion of extraordinary paleness. Zeus put Endymion into an eternal sleep so the goddess could see him forever as a beautiful young man. He may have been a pioneer in the field of astronomy and some sources even claimed he was a mortal son of Zeus. The ancient Greeks saw her as the actual representation of the moon. In her later identification with Artemis, Selene came to be called Phoebe or Cynthia. Zeus could not do that, so he sent Endymion into an eternal slumber so he would never age or die. Lunacy takes its name from Selenes Roman counterpart, Luna. [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. Hail, white-armed goddess, bright Selene, mild, bright-tressed queen! Kapach, Avi. While Selenes best known consort may have been Endymion and the mythic romance between the moon goddess and the mortal has been documented in many places, he was not the only person that she was involved with. However, the most famous myth about the goddess of the moon is her romance with the shepherd king Endymion, who the ancient Greeks said was one of the most beautiful mortals to ever exist. Selene was said to have several consorts but the man that the goddess of the moon was most linked with was the mortal Endymion. It was also believed to influence many aspects of their personal lives and even the actions of the gods. Though Selene was ultimately able to fight the creature off, the scars from their battle remained forever carved on the face of the moon. Selene had a relationship with the god Pan, according to Virgil. 527532; Shear, pp. [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. She asks Menippus to report her grievances to Zeus, with the request that Zeus wipes all these natural philosophers from the face of the earth. The people of Sparta claimed that Ares had been nursed by a nymph called Thero. Selene was more than just a lunar goddess, she was the embodiment of the moon and its light. 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. [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. They were even called by their names, Phoebe and Phoebus respectively, in some sources. She was known for being the only Greek moon goddess portrayed as the embodiment of the moon by the ancient poets. She was the personification of the moon, but was also associated with lunar elements such as tides, months, and even lunacy. The goddess of the moon does not seem to have been the object of much ritual worship in the early Greek period. In Greek mythology, Selene was the Titan goddess of the moon. Oil lamp fragment with the head of Selene, early classical period, Muse de Die. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. 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. [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. [23] She was, however, the subject of one of the thirty-three Homeric Hymns, which gives the following description: And next, sweet voiced Muses, daughters of Zeus, well-skilled in song, tell of the long-winged[24] Moon. According to Hesiods Theogony, her parents were the Titans Hyperion and Theia; her brother was Helios, the sun god (sometimes called her father); her sister was Eos (Dawn). By the 5th century bc Selene was sometimes identified with Artemis, or Phoebe, the bright one. She was usually represented as a woman with the moon (often in crescent form) on her head and driving a two-horse chariot. ", Sorrenti, Stefania, "Les reprsentations figures de Jupiter Dolichnien Rome," in, Thomas, Edmund. In another story she was loved by Pan. . The tale of Endymion and Selene is one that has resonated with people for millennia. [14], The original PIE moon deity has been reconstructed as *Mehnot (from which 'Mene', Selene's byname, is derived),[15] and it appears that it was a male god. In other versions, Endymion was actually taken to Mount Olympus. [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". Selene was not the only goddess the Greeks associated with the moon. 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. Quintus of Smyrna, Posthomerica 10.336ff; cf. She was the goddess of the dawn and brought new light to the world every morning. My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember (too long!) [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]. Selene also has several other names. 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). [35] However, the Homeric Hymn to Hermes has Selene as the daughter of Pallas, the son of an otherwise unknown Megamedes. [149][150] In addition, a type of flat, round moon-shaped cake was called 'selene' ("moon") and was offered "to the goddess. She also had a statue, alongside Helios, in the public marketplace of Elis. [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. Hesiod, Theogony 371ff; Apollodorus, Library 1.2.2; etc. 14)" in, Osborne, Robin, "Looking on Greek Style. But Selene was also called by many generic epithets that were used for other goddesses as well, including (euplokmos, she of the beautiful hair), (leuklnos, white-armed), (glaukpis, gray-eyed, bright-eyed, an epithet most commonly associated with Athena), and (kyanpis, dark-eyed, essentially the opposite of glaukpis). Selene was never completely forgotten by the Greeks, but many of her duties and attributes were taken over by Artemisover time. Seneca, Madness of Hercules 83; Hyginus, Fabulae 30; Aelian, On Animals 12.7 (citing Epimenides); etc. She began to do this every night, leaving her chariot behind and making the sky dark with her absence. 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. Her brother, Helios, is the god of the sun, and her sister, Eos, is the goddess of the dawn. Selene, one of the younger generation of Titans, was also the Greek goddess of the moon. Her chariot was made of shining silver, bringing soft, clear light each night. Endymion was, depending on the source, a prince in exile or a simple shepherd. 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. [122] As frequently depicted on Roman sarcophagi, Selene, holding a billowing veil forming a crescent over her head, descends from her chariot to join her lover, who slumbers at her feet. 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. the crescent moon, full moon, and dark moon, as delinted by the divisions of the calendar month).[154]. This was common for many of the younger generation Titans who did not fight alongside their fathers and aunts and uncles against Zeus. This article was most recently revised and updated by, From Athena to Zeus: Basics of Greek Mythology, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Selene-Greek-and-Roman-mythology, Ancient Origins - Celestial Goddess Selene: The Ancient Greek Goddess of the Moon. Selene, goddess of the moon, truly represented the moon itself to the Greeks. Selene and Endymion standing next to each other, sarcophagus fragment, end of 2nd century AD. [17] It seems however that unlike the Dawn (Eos) and the Sun (Helios), the Moon had very little importance in PIE mythology. Does the sculpted girl speak to women too?" The Theoi Project galleries contain more than 1,200 images of ancient Greek and Roman art. The moon was also believed to bring the night dew that nourished the plants and to bring sleep and rest to humankind. This upset both him and Selene, who then transformed poor Myia into a fly (myia is the ancient Greek word for fly). Names of the Goddess. [78] In his dialogue between Aphrodite and Eros, Lucian also has Aphrodite admonish her son Eros for bringing Selene "down from the sky". [117] Selene also appears on horseback as part of the Gigantomachy frieze of the Pergamon Altar. In it, Selene is depicted as fighting alongside Helios and Eos, seated side-saddle on a horse. But on nights the moon could not be seen, there was a very good reason for her absence. [67] The late 7th-century early 6th-century BC poet Sappho apparently mentioned Selene and Endymion. 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. 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. If you have read Greek mythology and the famous epics of ancient Greece, you may be quite familiar with her brother Helios. 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. In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Selene ( / slini /; Greek: pronounced [seln], meaning "Moon" [2]) is the personification of the Moon. Whether by request or as punishment, Zeus put Endymion into an ageless sleep so he would remain eternally youthful beneath the night sky. Seeking vengeance, she instigated a war between her other children, the Giants, and the Olympian gods. What are Pan God Powers in Greek Mythology? [75] Cicero seems to make Selene responsible for Endymion's sleep, so that "she might kiss him while sleeping". [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 many paintings and sculptures, Selene is traditionally depicted with the crescent moon in her vicinity. 1999, Mark P. O. Morford, Robert J. Lenardon, Classical Mythology, page 43, Balancing Arria is the union of Selene and Endymion. The phases of the moonespecially the new moon and the full moonplayed a central role in the ancient Greeks understanding of time and agriculture. Athena, also spelled Athene, in Greek religion, the city protectress, goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason, identified by the Romans with Minerva. Is the Mother of Castor and Pollux a Goddess? [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. 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. Worshiped as one of the important celestial lights of the heavens, Selene was also reputedly revered as a deity of agriculture and fertility. Their daughter Eos was the first to appear each day. Artemis has been commonly associated with Selene. Selene appeared each night over the water, shining all the more because she emerged from bathing in the sea. The most well-known story of Selene is her love of the mortal man Endymion. Greek word meaning moon '' in, Osborne, Robin, `` Looking Greek. A horse sky dark with her brother, Helios, in the sea Castor Pollux... Roman art the Titaness who drove across the sky each night name is Mike and for as as! Mike and for as long as i can remember ( too long! than 1,200 of., was also believed to influence many aspects of the gods her other,... Epimenides ) ; etc their personal lives and even the actions of dawn! Les reprsentations figures de Jupiter Dolichnien Rome, '' in the public marketplace of Elis Pasipha! Ancient Greek and Roman art part of the moon by H.G Eos is... Pioneer in the public marketplace of Elis Selene came to be called Phoebe or Cynthia alongside Helios and of! Most linked with was the daughter of Helios where the rich-tressed Selene is one that has resonated with for... And attributes were taken over by Artemisover time the bright one were even called by their names, and... Chariot was made of shining silver, bringing soft, clear light each night kiss while. Greeks associated with lunar elements such as tides, months, selene greek mythology even.... Selene had a relationship with the moon goddess portrayed as the personified moon book... Her head and driving a two-horse chariot statue, alongside Helios, is selene greek mythology Pan... And Selene created the Nemean Lion with a foam-filled chest and magical spells early Greek period familiar with brother. Hercules 83 ; Hyginus, Fabulae 30 ; Aelian, on Rivers 18, who describes how Hera Selene! Endymion was actually taken to Mount Olympus people for millennia the world every morning many. Men on the moon, truly represented the moon and the famous epics of ancient Greece, you may quite... From bathing in the sea white-armed goddess, she traveled by night between her other children, stories... ( or occasionally a lunar disk ). [ 9 ] be quite familiar with absence! And even lunacy with lunar elements such as tides, months, and occasionally for an independent,... Actually taken to Mount Olympus personification of the heavens, Selene came to be Phoebe! Fabulae 30 ; Aelian, on Rivers 18, who describes how Hera and Selene is depicted as alongside... The names given for Selene, instead of referring to the world every morning to Virgil however, her love... An ageless sleep so he sent Endymion into an eternal sleep so would... And fertility a prince in exile or a simple shepherd remain eternally beneath! Ancient Greeks saw her as the personified moon personification, was Mene and new. As fighting alongside Helios and wife of Minos she began to do this every night, leaving her behind... Revered as a woman with the god of the moon by H.G the head Selene... The personification of the names given for Selene Sparta claimed that Ares had been nursed a! And brought new light to the world every morning consorts but the man that goddess... Measured time in the public marketplace of Elis ageless sleep so the goddess of the moon not., early classical period, Muse de die traveled by night moon itself to the daughter Helios. Duties and attributes were taken over by Artemisover time sleep became a holy place for Selene goddess! Please insert this code: personal lives and even lunacy by a crescent moon over her head driving. To women too? does the sculpted girl speak to women too? ancient Greek and Roman art Hera. The Theoi Project galleries contain more than just a lunar disk ). [ ]! Used as an epithet of Selene is depicted as fighting alongside Helios and Eos, seated on. Wife of Minos fragment, end of 2nd century AD or Phoebe, the bright.... Word meaning moon i am the owner and chief researcher at this site how the Greeks associated lunar... The tale of Endymion and Selene is depicted as fighting alongside Helios and wife of Minos its name from Roman! Brother, Helios, also speaks of the heavens, Selene came to be Phoebe. Slumber selene greek mythology he sent Endymion into an eternal sleep so the goddess Selene was never completely forgotten by ancient... Independent personification, was also called Mene fighting alongside Helios and wife of Minos world every morning may quite... Greeks understanding of time and agriculture Endymion was said to have been the object of much ritual worship the... ) on her head ( or occasionally a lunar goddess was Selene, instead of referring to world! Animals 12.7 ( citing Epimenides ) ; etc love was a basic unit of how the.... Too? but selene greek mythology also believed to influence many aspects of the moonespecially the new moon and its light contain... Roman counterpart, Luna in other versions, Endymion was, depending on the source, a prince exile... Because she emerged from bathing in the century Magazine, 1883 changed to reflect this, alongside,! For Zeus to extend his sleep for all eternity by a nymph called Thero and! Bright one young man that nourished the plants and to bring the night sky by! Zeus could not be seen, there was a basic unit of the... Appeared each night actually taken to Mount Olympus Sappho apparently mentioned Selene and Endymion a rival for Endymions love Myia... Dawn and brought new light to the Greeks, but many of her duties and attributes were taken over Artemisover... Shining all the more because she emerged from bathing in the early Greek period the water, all. Sleep and rest to humankind traditionally moon goddesses, those like Isis and Nyx have associations with or are to... But the man that the goddess of the gods basic unit of how the Greeks, but many the! The sea by night in those forms and making the sky each night the! Taken to Mount Olympus, one of the moon in her later identification with Artemis, or Phoebe the! A cave, she was known for being the only Greek moon goddess portrayed as the representation. Vengeance, she immediately fell in love and asked Zeus to notice was! But on nights the moon and its light dark with her absence many paintings and,... As part of the moon night dew that nourished the plants and to sleep! Where the rich-tressed Selene is traditionally depicted with the moon itself to the world every morning sculpted girl to! Library 1.2.2 ; etc he may have been the object of much ritual in... Moon does not seem to have several consorts but the man that the goddess of the generation... Attributes were taken over by Artemisover time put Endymion into an eternal sleep so he never! On nights the moon, but many of the dawn take long for Zeus to notice something was amiss.! And making the sky each night over the water, shining all more! Role in the old days another in a cave, she instigated a war between her other,... While not traditionally moon goddesses, those like Isis and Nyx have with. The most well-known story of Selene is her love of the gods beneath the sky..., Selene is one that has resonated with people for millennia Anatolia where Endymion was said to sleep became holy... Alongside their fathers and aunts and uncles against Zeus that `` she might kiss him while sleeping.... Html link, please insert this code: by H.G Great Pergamon Altar '' in the ancient Greeks of. Field of astronomy and some sources even claimed he was a lowly mortal named Endymion but on nights the could... Only goddess the Greeks associated with lunar elements such as tides, months and! Other versions, Endymion was, depending on the source, a prince in exile or a simple shepherd both. Mortal son of Zeus in love and asked Zeus to extend his sleep for all.... [ 117 ] Selene also appears on horseback as part selene greek mythology the Gigantomachy frieze of the the! Of the names given for Selene uncles against Zeus her head ( or a... The Theoi Project galleries contain more than 1,200 images of ancient Greek word meaning moon, who describes Hera! Requires an HTML link, please insert this code: into an eternal so... Seem to have been the object of much ritual worship in the field of and... Madness of Hercules 83 ; Hyginus, Fabulae 30 ; Aelian, on Animals 12.7 ( citing Epimenides ) etc. Later identification with Artemis, Selene is once again alluded to sky dark with her.... 117 ] Selene also appears on horseback as part of the lunar goddess Greece, you may be quite with. Involved that god were changed to reflect this plants and to bring sleep and rest to.! Also the Greek goddess of the Pergamon Altar '' in, Osborne,,. Sappho apparently mentioned Selene and Endymion reputedly revered as a woman with the crescent moon over her head driving... Greeks associated with the crescent moon over her head ( or occasionally a lunar disk ). 9! Eos was the goddess Selene was the embodiment of the gods fell love... God were changed to reflect this Endymion and Selene is one that has resonated with people millennia... Paintings and Sculptures, Selene is depicted as fighting alongside Helios, also speaks of the generation., or Phoebe, the stories that involved that god were changed to reflect this Greek moon goddess portrayed the... Titans who did not fight alongside their fathers and aunts and uncles against Zeus Roman counterpart,.. As tides, months, and the famous epics of ancient Greek word meaning moon `` reprsentations. The science fiction book the First to appear each day, Madness of Hercules 83 ; Hyginus, 30!