She was the goddess of the dawn and brought new light to the world every morning. Together, they fittingly created three sources of celestial illumination. Every evening, Selene ushered in nightfall and then drove her chariot through the night before giving way to dawn. Her brother is Helios, the Sun and her sister is Eos, the Dawn. Magical Goddess of the Silvery Moon. Hyginus, preface to Fabulae. 500450 BCE. [104] Zeus agrees, urged by Selene's complaints and having long intended to deal with the philosophers himself. As punishment, he was either thrown out of Olympus or cast into an eternal sleep. 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. [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. Her request granted, Selene visited him regularly; some sources even reported that they had children together (see above).[27]. iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order [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. [27], In late accounts, Selene (like the moon itself) is often described as having horns. 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. 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. They brought night and day, shed light on the earth, were responsible for the turning of the months, and facilitated agriculture. Greek mythology has beautiful explanations for many natural phenomena. Hesiod, Catalogue of Women frag. 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). Does the sculpted girl speak to women too?" Ceto - Goddess of the Water. In other words, Selene was the moon (similar to the Roman Luna or even the Norse Mni). Also known as Mene, she is traditionally the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and sister of the sun god Helios and the dawn goddess Eos. The other gods, angered, sent him two lions to tear him apart. [33] The Homeric Hymn to Helios follows this tradition: "Hyperion wedded glorious Euryphassa, his own sister, who bare him lovely children, rosy-armed Eos and rich-tressed Selene and tireless Helios",[34] with Euryphassa ("widely shining") probably being an epithet of Theia. 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.. 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. His rites also brought a form of madness about in his followers, who often celebrated under the light of the moon. [88], Ampelus was a very beautiful satyr youth, loved by the god Dionysus. Well, go on, and steel thy heart, wise though thou be, to take up thy burden of pain, fraught with many sighs."[70]. In Greek literature, Eos is presented as a daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, the sister of the sun god Helios and the moon goddess Selene. This she shared with her siblings and other goddesses like Nyx. [17] It seems however that unlike the Dawn (Eos) and the Sun (Helios), the Moon had very little importance in PIE mythology. On the other hand, her eyes and hair were believed to have been as dark as the night. [76] The Roman playwright Seneca, has Selene abandoned the night sky for Endymion's sake having entrusted her "shining" moon chariot to her brother Helios to drive. Occasionally she asked her brother to take over her duties so she could spend more time on the ground with Endymion. [73] However, Apollodorus says that because of Endymion's "surpassing beauty, the Moon fell in love with him, and Zeus allowed him to choose what he would, and he chose to sleep for ever, remaining deathless and ageless". There are different versions of this story. However, her greatest love was a lowly mortal named Endymion. The most important of Selenes symbols was her moon chariot. [77] The Greek satirist Lucian's dialogue between Selene and the love goddess Aphrodite has the two goddesses commiserate about their love affairs with Endymion and Adonis, and suggests that Selene has fallen in love with Endymion while watching him sleep each night. There existed an oracular sanctuary for her in Laconia, near Thalamai. Helios, the son of Hyperion and Theia, was their second child. The crescent moon, full moon, and dark moon corresponded to the three states of being embodied by the Fates. In many paintings and sculptures, Selene is traditionally depicted with the crescent moon in her vicinity. While not traditionally moon goddesses, those like Isis and Nyx have associations with or are connected to the moon in various ways. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. [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. According to Nonnus, Typhoeus battled Selene by chucking bulls at her, then violently rushing her. 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. That the myths contained a considerable element of fiction was recognized by the more critical Greeks, such as the philosopher Plato in the 5th-4th century bce. 3. Kapach, Avi. Also known as Mene, she is traditionally the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and sister of the sun god Helios and the dawn goddess Eos. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Modern audiences do not often think about Selenes cyclical nature, however. [2], Selene was also called Mene. After all, mythology is storytelling at its finest. Together, they fittingly created three sources of celestial illumination. She was depicted as a woman riding sidesaddle on a horse or driving a chariot drawn by a pair of winged steeds. The animals, however, were almost always shown as pure white regardless of their type. But in other versions of the Endymion myth, Selene begged Zeus to make her lover immortal so they could be forever. 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. The Homeric Hymn 31 sings praises to all the children of Hyperion, referring to Eos as rosy armed Eos and to Helios as tireless Helios.. Learn more about our mission. Like Artemis, Selene was sometimes called Phoebe, a name that means bright one.. [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. Museum of Classical Archaeology Databases. Selene and Helios together were said to be the parents of the four Horae, the goddesses of the seasons. 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. In the most familiar account, Selene first saw the beautiful Endymion as he lay sleeping in a cave on Mount Latmus. 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 . [61], In antiquity, the lunar eclipse phenomena were thought to be caused by witches, particularly the ones from Thessaly, who brought the Moon/Selene down with spells and invocations of magic. [108], In antiquity, artistic representations of Selene/Luna included sculptural reliefs, vase paintings, coins, and gems. In Dionysica, Selene promises the god that she will work with him to punish his enemies with fits of insanity. [10] The Greek Stoic philosopher Chrysippus interpreted Selene and Men as, respectively, the female and male aspects of the same god. 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/. 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. The Greeks (like many other ancient peoples) were notoriously terrified of eclipses, viewing them as signs of the gods displeasure.[3]. Selene's Role She was the goddess of the moon, which she drove every night across the skies. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death Helios was one of the Titans, son of Hyperion and Theia and brother of Eos (the Dawn) and Selene (the Moon ). As the most important and visible features in the sky, the people of ancient Greece thought that Selene, goddess of the moon, and her brother Helios, god of the sun, were the ones responsible for the movement of the two celestial bodies across the sky. Selene and Endymion relief, Alessandro and Lancellotto Pusterla's gravestone, 16th century. [63][66], Selene is best known for her affair with the beautiful mortal Endymion. The fifty daughters of Selene and Endymion mark the fifty lunar months of the four year Olympiad Cycle. Selene is a Goddess in herself, but she is often associated with Artemis, the archer Goddess. 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. But while there, he committed some transgression (usually, he was said to have fallen in love with Zeus wife Hera). Greek mythology, body of stories concerning the gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks. Selene is the daughter of Titans Hyperion and Theia. 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. Selenes siblings and Selene herself carried on their fathers legacy by shining light from the heavens upon the earth. This was the mythological explanation for the movement of the moon across the sky. See esp. Selene was more than just a lunar goddess, she was the embodiment of the moon and its light. 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. 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