Endymion was, depending on the source, a prince in exile or a simple shepherd. The goddess Selene was the daughter of Titius Hyperion and Theia. [32], The usual account of Selene's origin is given by Hesiod in his Theogony, where the sun-god Hyperion espoused his sister Theia, who gave birth to "great Helios and clear Selene and Eos who shines upon all that are on earth and upon the deathless Gods who live in the wide heaven". 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. In another story she was loved by Pan. A womans fertility was said to be influenced by the cycles of the moon, a belief that gave English the word menses, and under Selenes influence women were said to have an easier time in childbirth than they did during the day. Privacy. Often when one god supplanted another in a particular domain, the stories that involved that god were changed to reflect this. Artemis has been commonly associated with Selene. 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.. 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. 7 (all cited in the scholia on Apollonius of Rhodes Argonautica 4.57); Sappho, frag. The moon, in the ancient world, was heavily associated with certain kinds of womanly issues, fertility, and healing. Orphism, Cosmogony, and Genealogy (Mus. Those that do exist are somewhat generic (like the previously mentioned epithets). The people of Sparta claimed that Ares had been nursed by a nymph called Thero. [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. Greek mythology has beautiful explanations for many natural phenomena. Her lunar sphere or crescent was either a crown set upon her head or the fold of a raised, shining cloak. Instead, Zeus collected all the herbs for himself. However, hers might not be a name that is quite as well-known. Her grandparents are Gaia, (Mother Earth) and Uranus (Father Sky). However, in the science fiction book The First Men on the Moon by H.G. 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. Altes Museum, Berlin, Germany. [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. Selene - The Moon Goddess - Greek Mythology - See U in History Art: Marcus AquinoColor: Rod Fernandes#GreekMythology #Mythology #SeeUinHistory #History #Myth. [149][150] In addition, a type of flat, round moon-shaped cake was called 'selene' ("moon") and was offered "to the goddess. The altars to Selene were few and far between. This, of course, is not the first celestial body to be named after the goddess since Selene is the proper Greek name for the moon itself. Like every celestial goddess , there was a yin to Selene's yang; In this case, there were two yins. Several lovers are attributed to her in various myths, including Zeus, Pan, and the mortal Endymion. The Origin of Hotdogs, The History of Boracay Island in The Philippines. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. [103], In Lucian's Icaromenippus, Selene complains to the titular Menippus of all the outrageous claims philosophers are making about her, such as wondering why she is ever waxing or gibbous, whether she is populated or not, and stating that she is getting her stolen light from the Sun, causing strife and ill feelings between her and her brother. Her list of powers are unmatched, as far as lunar goddesses go. The poem describes the radiant light that shines from her head and calls her bright Selene. The moon goddess is described as white armed goddess and bright tressed queen and the poem celebrates her loveliness. [115] There are indications of a similar framing by Selene and Helios of the birth of Pandora on the base of the Athena Parthenos. Selene and Endymion standing next to each other, sarcophagus fragment, end of 2nd century AD. Festivals and feasts were determined by the lunar calendar, giving Selene as Mene an important role in the worship of all the gods and goddesses. Helios was married to Perse, but he had quite a few extramarital affairs, and a number of children . There are a few different versions of the myth. In some cases, it is debated whether she indeed was the mother. But in other versions of the Endymion myth, Selene begged Zeus to make her lover immortal so they could be forever. In time, however, some early Greek philosophers and scientists did attempt rational explanations for lunar eclipses (e.g., Democritus, frag. 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. [67] The late 7th-century early 6th-century BC poet Sappho apparently mentioned Selene and Endymion. [118], Selene is commonly depicted with a crescent moon, often accompanied by stars; sometimes, instead of a crescent, a lunar disc is used. Did a Lion-Headed Monster Exist in Greek Mythology. [37] Other accounts give still other parents for Selene: Euripides has Selene as the daughter of Helios (rather than sister),[38] while an Aeschylus fragment possibly has Selene as the daughter of Leto,[39] as does a scholium on Euripides's play The Phoenician Women which adds Zeus as the father. Selene, the goddess of the moon, was the youngest of the three siblings. This was the mythological explanation for the movement of the moon across the sky. . Both Theocritus in his second Idyll and Pindar write about how young women would pray to or invoke spells in the name of the moon goddess for help with their love lives. Modern audiences do not often think about Selenes cyclical nature, however. Selene leaving her chariot, Roman mosaic, Andalusia. Thou wouldst say far off that this was milk indeed, which is a well-spring of white water: if thou draw a little nigher, lo, the stream is fringed as though with ice, for white stone rims it round. Greek Mythology >> Galleries GALLERIES. 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. If your web page requires an HTML link, please insert this code: . 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 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. All of these qualities bound Selene to the natural phenomena of time and seasons and the rejuvenation of nature as well, even apart from her ability to shed light. Selene is the goddess of the moon. 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"). Selene featured in few myths, with the most famous ones being the tales that tell of her lovers: Zeus, Pan and the mortal Endymion. Selene, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, was the personification of the moon. Her brother, Helios, is the god of the sun, and her sister, Eos, is the goddess of the dawn. But in the case of her daughters with Endymion, it is widely known that Selene gave birth to the fifty daughters known as the Menai. The Story of Selene. In Greek mythology, Ceto was a goddess of the water. [85][86] Selene gallops sidesaddle in advance, and wears a woolen undergarment and a mantle. In rarer traditions, she is the daughter of the Titan Pallas. Selene then turned Lilaeus into a mountain, Mt. [126] Pausanias also described seeing two stone images in the market-place of Elis, one of the sun and the other of the moon, from the heads of which projected the rays of the sun and the horns of the crescent moon. Mene The personification of the months was sometimes an aspect of Selene and sometimes a separate goddess. 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. The most important of Selenes symbols was her moon chariot. She was descended . Were building the worlds most authoritative, online mythology resource, with engaging, accessible content that is both educational and compelling to read. She was often said to be the mother of the Horai, the personifications of the division of time and the seasons. 260 M-W; Epimenides, FHG 4 frag. H. G. Evelyn-White; cf. 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. 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. To cite this article in an academic-style article or paper, use: Rittika Dhar, "Selene: The Titan and Greek Goddess of the Moon", History Cooperative, September 20, 2022, https://historycooperative.org/selene-greek-goddess-of-the-moon/. See esp. The ancient Greeks believed that a lunar eclipse was the work of a witch, particularly the witches of Thessaly. "[42], According to the Homeric Hymn to Selene, the goddess bore Zeus a daughter, Pandia ("All-brightness"),[43] "exceeding lovely amongst the deathless gods". There are a number of stories about the moon goddess Selene in Greek mythology, in association with the other Greek gods, especially Zeus. [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. 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. Is the Mother of Castor and Pollux a Goddess? This she shared with her siblings and other goddesses like Nyx. [31] Mesomedes of Crete calls her (glauk, "silvery grey"). [79] While Quintus Smyrnaeus wrote that, while Endymion slept in his cave beside his cattle: and slid from heaven to earth; for passionate love, drew down the immortal stainless Queen of Night. 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). Selenes siblings and Selene herself carried on their fathers legacy by shining light from the heavens upon the earth. Selene personified the moon and was one of the Greek goddesses of the night. The air, unlit before, glows with the light of her golden crown, and her rays beam clear, whensoever bright Selene having bathed her lovely body in the waters of Ocean, and donned her far-gleaming raiment, and yoked her strong-necked, shining team, drives on her long-maned horses at full speed, at eventime in the mid-month: then her great orbit is full and then her beams shine brightest as she increases. [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. 200 (cited in the scholia on Aristophanes Frogs 1033); Orphica frag. Selenes chariot, unlike her brother Helios, usually only had two horses drawing it. Homeric Hymn 32.313, trans. This story seems to have made its way into Roman mythology as well since many of the greatest Roman scholars, from Cicero to Seneca, have written about it. The name of the moon goddess is surrounded by accounts of the consorts she had and their children. In many paintings and sculptures, Selene is traditionally depicted with the crescent moon in her vicinity. 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. When Selene spied him sleeping in a cave, she immediately fell in love and asked Zeus to extend his sleep for all eternity. Most famous classical poets describe her beauty as so intriguing that gods and mortals alike could not resist her godly charms. Greek mythology, body of stories concerning the gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks. Selene was so enamored of the young man that she left the sky to see him more closely. Zeus heard of that, and ordered Selene as well as her siblings Helios (Sun) and Eos (Dawn) not to shine, and harvested all of that plant for himself. [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"). Though Selene, as the moon, was undeniably important to the ancient Greeks, there are very few descriptions of her in literature. 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. Who was Vesta, the Goddess of the Hearth? In later times, Selene was often associated with Artemis in the same way that her brother Helios was associated with Artemis brother Apollo. Selene had an altar at Pergamon, at the sanctuary of Demeter, the goddess of spring. Selene was the Greek goddess of the moon. Selene does not appear in modern adaptations of Greek myths, since she is not exactly one of the major Greek gods like Zeus or Aphrodite. [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. 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/. Moon, was the work of a witch, particularly the witches of Thessaly please this. Selene gallops sidesaddle in advance, and wears a woolen undergarment and a sign to mortal Men Pollux goddess... 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