selene greek mythology

Selene was a beautiful goddess with long, flowing . However, Selene was not one of them. (Also, the name of the Titan Goddess Phoebe and an epithet of Artemis.). [10] The Greek Stoic philosopher Chrysippus interpreted Selene and Men as, respectively, the female and male aspects of the same god. [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. The goddess had one temple that was also an oracle near Thalamae in Laconia. When Selene spied him sleeping in a cave, she immediately fell in love and asked Zeus to extend his sleep for all eternity. The name Selene is also quite popular in the English-speaking world. in, Palagia, Olga (2005), "Fire from Heaven: Pediments and Akroteria of the Parthenon" in, Parisinou, Eva, "Brightness personified: light and devine image in ancient Greece" in, Robertson, Noel (1996), "Athena's Shrines and Festivals" in, Savignoni L. 1899. 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 goddess Selene was the daughter of Titius Hyperion and Theia. [4] Here she is represented as a radiant goddess, wearing a crown and beautiful robes and riding a horse-drawn chariot across the night sky: From her immortal head a radiance is shown from heaven and embraces earth; and great is the beauty that ariseth from her shining light. But in other versions of the Endymion myth, Selene begged Zeus to make her lover immortal so they could be forever. Selene. Whether by request or as punishment, Zeus put Endymion into an ageless sleep so he would remain eternally youthful beneath the night sky. [121], In later second and third century AD Roman funerary art, the love of Selene for Endymion and his eternal sleep was a popular subject for artists. 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. The myth of Selene, the moon goddess, is no exception. [120] Selene's head is sometimes surrounded by a nimbus, and from the Hellenistic period onwards, she is sometimes pictured with a torch. 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. Other examples of lunar goddesses and gods are Selenes Roman equivalent Luna, the Mesopotamian Sin, the Egyptian god Khonsu, the Germanic Mani, the Japanese Shinto god Tsukuyomi, the Chinese Change, and the Hindu god Chandra. [25], Two other sources also mention her hair. The phases of the moonespecially the new moon and the full moonplayed a central role in the ancient Greeks understanding of time and agriculture. Her father was the Titan god of heavenly light, while her mother represented the blue color of the sky. Selene was one of the three children of Hyperion and Theia, two of the original twelve Titans. 1392). Were building the worlds most authoritative, online mythology resource, with engaging, accessible content that is both educational and compelling to read. According to Nonnus, Typhoeus battled Selene by chucking bulls at her, then violently rushing her. Worshiped as one of the important celestial lights of the heavens, Selene was also reputedly revered as a deity of agriculture and fertility. Although she counts as a goddess in her own right, Selene often gets associated with archer goddess, Artemis, who is also a moon goddess. Hypothesis to the scholia on Pindars Nemean Odes. "On Representations of Helios and of Selene", The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Sorabella, Jean, "A Roman Sarcophagus and Its Patron. Two of these were Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, and Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. Ceto - Goddess of the Water. 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.. Hill, D. E. "THE THESSALIAN TRICK." H. G. Evelyn-White; cf. This she shared with her siblings and other goddesses like Nyx. The three children have become much more well-known in general Greek literature than their parents, especially after the fall from grace of Hyperion, who stood by his brother Cronus in the latters war against Zeus and was banished to Tartarus for it. She drives her moon chariot across the heavens. She was often said to be the mother of the Horai, the personifications of the division of time and the seasons. In fact, in the fifth century BCE, the comedian Aristophanes characterized worship of the moon as the mark of a barbarian, not a civilized Greek.[33]. The first depictions of Selenes moon chariot goes back to the early 5th century BCE. Hurwit 2017, pp. Their daughter Eos was the first to appear each day. [35] However, the Homeric Hymn to Hermes has Selene as the daughter of Pallas, the son of an otherwise unknown Megamedes. [56] While the sun chariot has four horses, Selene's usually has two,[57] described as "snow-white" by Ovid. Selene is the goddess of the moon. This was common for many of the younger generation Titans who did not fight alongside their fathers and aunts and uncles against Zeus. This was the mythological explanation for the movement of the moon across the sky. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. Virgil, Georgics 3.391ff; Servius on Virgils Georgics 3.391 (citing the second-century BCE poet Nicander as the original source). 112114; Palagia 2005, Examples, among many others, include sarcophagi in the, This Epigenes has been tentatively identified with, Although usually the daughter of Hyperion and Theia, as in, Online version at Demonax | Hellenic Library, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, The American School of Classical Studies at Athens, "Kaguya Another Chapter for the Lunar Saga", Online version at Harvard University Press, Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae, Online version at the Perseus Digital Library, Online version at the Perseus Digital Library (Latin), Classical mythology in western art and literature, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Selene&oldid=1142206020, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Articles having different image on Wikidata and Wikipedia, Pages using sidebar with the child parameter, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Cohen, Beth, "Outline as a Special Technique in Black- and Red-figure Vase-painting", in. If youve ever wondered what role the moon played in ancient life, here is your chance to learn about how the Greeks viewed Selene, the personification of the moon. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Eventually, she became identified with Artemis, goddess of the wilderness, who was sometimes associated with the moon. Myth Early History Selene was the daughter of the titans, Hyperion and Theia, sister to Helios (the sun) and Eos (dawn). [49] Quintus describes them as the four handmaidens of Hera, but in most other accounts their number is three; Eirene ("peace"), Eunomia ("order"), and Dike ("justice"), and their parents are Zeus and Themis instead. Selene is the daughter of Titans Hyperion and Theia. [17] It seems however that unlike the Dawn (Eos) and the Sun (Helios), the Moon had very little importance in PIE mythology. Selene is often eclipsed by the popularity of Artemis as a lunar goddess, but as the personification of the moon itself she had a significant impact on the lives and views of the Greek people. [146], Her and her brother's worship is also attested in Gytheum, a town in Laconia near Sparta, via an inscription (C.I.G. [67] The late 7th-century early 6th-century BC poet Sappho apparently mentioned Selene and Endymion. [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. Cf. Homeric Hymn 32.313, trans. While her husbands team of horses usually consisted of four animals, Selenes chariot, like her light, was less powerful. According to Hesiods Theogony, Selene was born of Hyperion and Theia. Selene, the goddess of the moon, has two siblings: Eos, the goddess of the dawn, and Helios, the sun god. 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. [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. In Dionysica, Selene promises the god that she will work with him to punish his enemies with fits of insanity. In rarer traditions, she is the daughter of the Titan Pallas. What are Hades Powers that are Really Scary? 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. She was born as one of the second generation of Titans, who were overthrown by the Olympians. Altes Museum, Berlin, Germany. [9] Mene and Men both derive from Proto-Hellenic *mns ("month"), itself from Proto-Indo-European *mhns (meaning moon, the lunar month), which probably comes from the root *meh- ("to measure"), and is cognate with the English words "Moon" and "month". Eos represented the warm light that could be seen coming up above the horizon before the sun appeared in full. However, in the science fiction book The First Men on the Moon by H.G. Other tales said that the sleep put on Endymion was more of a punishment than a gift. 14)" in, Osborne, Robin, "Looking on Greek Style. Does the sculpted girl speak to women too?" [88], Ampelus was a very beautiful satyr youth, loved by the god Dionysus. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death Selenes role in this war was not only to fight against the giants. [144] And, according to a scholium on Theocritus, Pindar wrote that lovesick women would pray to Selene for help, as Euripides apparently had Phaedra, Selene's great-niece, do in his lost play Hippolytus Veiled. Their daughter Eos was the first to appear each day. Upon the head of Selene was normally found a crown that was representative of the spherical moon. The masculine form, Phoebus, was used in reference to either Apollo or. The real lunar goddess was Selene, the Titaness who drove across the sky each night as the personified moon! 1. ", Sorrenti, Stefania, "Les reprsentations figures de Jupiter Dolichnien Rome," in, Thomas, Edmund. Selene was the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. Although Zeus had taken many mortal lovers, the goddess of the moon had been abandoning her duties and could cause chaos if she continued. Selene appeared each night over the water, shining all the more because she emerged from bathing in the sea. Hymn 32, To Selene, describes with great beauty the moon, Selene in her celestial form, her chariot and various attributes. Selene, (Greek: Moon) Latin Luna, in Greek and Roman religion, the personification of the moon as a goddess. In post-classical times, Selene was often identified with Artemis, much as her brother, Helios, was identified with Apollo. Greek Gods / Helios. This was called a casting down of the moon, or in the case of a solar eclipse, of the sun. [93] Aelian states: "They say that the Lion of Nemea fell from the moon", and quotes Epimenides as saying:[94], For I am sprung from fair-tressed Selene the Moon, who in a fearful shudder shook off the savage lion in Nemea, and brought him forth at the bidding of Queen Hera. Together, they fittingly created three sources of celestial illumination. [64][65] Those who brought down the Moon were thought to bring ill fortune upon themselves, as evidenced by the proverb ("you are bringing down the Moon on yourself") said for those who caused self-inflicted evils; some witches supposedly avoided this fate by sacrificing their children or their eyeballs. [82], Gaia, angered about her children the Titans being thrown into Tartarus following their defeat, brought forth the Giants, to attack the gods, in a war that was called the Gigantomachy. Moon gods and goddesses have existed in all ancient pantheistic cultures for a very long time. If you have read Greek mythology and the famous epics of ancient Greece, you may be quite familiar with her brother Helios. Selene personified the moon and was one of the Greek goddesses of the night. 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. Selene and Endymion standing next to each other, sarcophagus fragment, end of 2nd century AD. A third version of the story had Endymion himself choose an ageless sleep as opposed to living a mortal life. [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". [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. Omissions? 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. Her fifty daughters with Endymion marked the fifty lunar months that passed between celebrations of the Olympiad. Goddess Selene is often portrayed in art and in myths generally, riding a chariot across the sky. In her Full Moon state, she is Panselene or . I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. Nyx is the goddess of the night and is thus associated with the new moon. The cave in Anatolia where Endymion was said to sleep became a holy place for Selene. Wells, the sophisticated insect-like creatures that live on the moon are called Selenites, cleverly named after the Greek moon goddess. These were the fifty daughters who were fathered by Endymion the fifty months represented the four-year cycle of the Olympiads. If you thought Artemis was the Greek goddess of the moon, you are only partially right. 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. [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 animals, however, were almost always shown as pure white regardless of their type. [27], In late accounts, Selene (like the moon itself) is often described as having horns. [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. Euripides, Phoenician Women 17576; Nonnus, Dionysiaca 44.191. 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). 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"). Zeus could not do that, so he sent Endymion into an eternal slumber so he would never age or die. [142] In Theocritus' second Idyll, a young girl invokes Selene in a love-spell. Selene is probably most famous for her love of Endymion, a handsome young man from Asia Minor (though some said that he was from Elis). Selene - The Moon Goddess - Greek Mythology - See U in History Art: Marcus AquinoColor: Rod Fernandes#GreekMythology #Mythology #SeeUinHistory #History #Myth. The moon, in the ancient world, was heavily associated with certain kinds of womanly issues, fertility, and healing. Quintus of Smyrna, Posthomerica 10.336ff; cf. There were still several goddesses who shared Selenes lunar domain, however. [127] Selene (along with Helios, Nyx and others) received an altar at the sanctuary of Demeter at Pergamon, possibly in connection with the Orphic mysteries. That leaves Artemis and Selene. She was also well known for her many affairs with men and her love that possibly . [31] Mesomedes of Crete calls her (glauk, "silvery grey"). [141], Selene played an important role in love magic. [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. Selene was the goddess of the moon. 1999, Mark P. O. Morford, Robert J. Lenardon, Classical Mythology, page 43, Balancing Arria is the union of Selene and Endymion. 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. Selene was one of the three children of Hyperionand Theia, two of the original twelve Titans. This is a relatively late text. "From the panteon of the gods to the Pantheon of Rome" in, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 02:32. Mitchell, Lucy M., "Sculptures of the Great Pergamon Altar" in The Century Magazine, 1883. Selene also has several other names. 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. 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. At that time, he did not wish for the sun to rise for three days and sent instructions to Selene via Hermes so it should be so. In her later identification with Artemis, Selene came to be called Phoebe or Cynthia. She drives her moon chariot across the heavens. Helios, the son of Hyperion and Theia, was their second child. These two goddesses have additional association with Hecate. Whatever his profession, the handsome young man frequently slept beneath the open sky. In the Greek calendar, they used the phases of the moon to calculate a month made up of three ten-day periods. The Homeric Hymn to Helios uses the same epithet ("bright-tressed"), used in the above Hymn to Selene (elsewhere translated as "rich-", "lovely-", or "well-tressed"),[26] while Epimenides uses the epithet ("lovely-haired"). While other goddesses were associated with the night in more general terms, Selene was believed to be the embodiment of the moon herself. Helios was one of the Titans, son of Hyperion and Theia and brother of Eos (the Dawn) and Selene (the Moon ). Selene herself most often wore a crown of gleaming silver, which matched her silver chariot. The Greek word Phoebe means bright and the word Cynthia means from Mount Cynthus which was said to be the birthplace of Artemis. In antiquity, Selene would also often be depicted either riding upon a bull, or upon a silvery chariot drawn by two winged horses. Selene was linked to Artemis as well as Hecate; all three were considered lunar goddesses. Though Selene had many consorts, the most famous of them was Endymion, a handsome young mortal. Lilaeon. 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. This might have had a role in the later identification of Selene with Hecate, who was, after all, the goddess of witchcraft and spells. In other versions, Endymion was actually taken to Mount Olympus. "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. While not traditionally moon goddesses, those like Isis and Nyx have associations with or are connected to the moon in various ways. [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). -Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 10. Corrections? She was the personification of the moon, but was also associated with lunar elements such as tides, months, and even lunacy. Selene featured in few myths, with the most famous ones being the tales that tell of her lovers: Zeus, Pan and the mortal Endymion. [63][66], Selene is best known for her affair with the beautiful mortal Endymion. And along with Selene, the moon moved as well. [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. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. The tale of Endymion and Selene is one that has resonated with people for millennia. The moon was also believed to bring the night dew that nourished the plants and to bring sleep and rest to humankind. Interestingly, this version of the myth does not involve Selene. 573 Bernab. [81], Philologist Max Mller's interpretation of solar mythology as it related to Selene and Endymion concluded that the myth was a narrativized version of linguistic terminology. The other gods, angered, sent him two lions to tear him apart. Homeric Hymn 4.99100. The moon was thought to influence people in other ways, as well. [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. The concept of Selene as the lunar goddess also made her an important goddess of childbirth and female fertility. 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. 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. 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