selene greek mythology

Hurwit 2017, pp. Indeed, it reflects the fascinating way the Greeks observed the . Though Selene, as the moon, was undeniably important to the ancient Greeks, there are very few descriptions of her in literature. [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. 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. [146], Her and her brother's worship is also attested in Gytheum, a town in Laconia near Sparta, via an inscription (C.I.G. "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. [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. Their daughter Eos was the first to appear each day. [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. 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). 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. 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. 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. The moon goddess was said to have had several lovers, including Zeus and the wild god Pan. Surviving descriptions of Selene's physical appearance and character, apart from those which would apply to the moon itself, are scant. Euripides, Phoenician Women 17576; Nonnus, Dionysiaca 44.191. 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. If your web page requires an HTML link, please insert this code: . Depending on the author, the chariot was either silver,[6] snow white,[7] or gold. Her lunar sphere or crescent was either a crown set upon her head or the fold of a raised, shining cloak. The first depictions of Selenes moon chariot goes back to the early 5th century BCE. In ancient Greek mythology, Selene, is the Titan goddess of the moon and is said to drive her glowing chariot powered by beautiful white horses across the sky each night. Her appearance matched the night sky she drove through. Her list of powers are unmatched, as far as lunar goddesses go. She was often said to be the mother of the Horai, the personifications of the division of time and the seasons. She was depicted as a woman riding sidesaddle on a horse or driving a chariot drawn by a pair of winged steeds. [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. At night he drove below the edge of the world in the west, circling below Gaia to reappear on the eastern horizon by morning. In later eras, she became associated with madness as well. [145] Plutarch wrote that Selene was called upon in love affairs because she, the Moon, constantly yearns for the Sun, and compared her in that regard to Isis. 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. 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. [95], Anaxagoras also reports that the Nemean lion was said to have fallen from the moon. Selenes siblings and Selene herself carried on their fathers legacy by shining light from the heavens upon the earth. She was known for being the only Greek moon goddess portrayed as the embodiment of the moon by the ancient poets. Several lovers are attributed to her in various myths, including Zeus, Pan, and the mortal Endymion. [97] Hyginus says that Selene had "nourished" the lion in a "two-mouthed cave". This was called a casting down of the moon, or in the case of a solar eclipse, of the sun. Selene - The Moon Goddess - Greek Mythology - See U in History Art: Marcus AquinoColor: Rod Fernandes#GreekMythology #Mythology #SeeUinHistory #History #Myth. Selene then turned Lilaeus into a mountain, Mt. [40][41] Furthermore, in Virgil's Aeneid, when Nisus calls upon Selene/the Moon, he addresses her as "daughter of Latona. . In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Selene (/slini/; Greek: pronounced[seln], meaning "Moon"[2]) is the personification of the Moon. Grapevines then rose from Ampelus corpse, from which the heartbroken Dionysus made wine for the first time. 3/4, 1973, pp. Selene saw him as she passed overhead and fell deeply in love. Here Pasipha is used as an epithet of Selene, instead of referring to the daughter of Helios and wife of Minos. [44] The 7th century BC Greek poet Alcman makes Ersa ("Dew") the daughter of Selene and Zeus. 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. 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. Some even said that the Nemean Lion, as the offspring of Selene, had originally fallen from the moon.[30]. She is dressed in the finest silk robes and travels in her silver moon chariot drawn by luminous steeds across the heavens. She was the personification of the moon, but was also associated with lunar elements such as tides, months, and even lunacy. This article is about the Greek goddess. Hymn 31, To Helios, also speaks of the two sisters of Helios where the rich-tressed Selene is once again alluded to. [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. Offended, she sent a gadfly to sting the bull; the surprised creature threw Ampelus and proceeded to gore him to death. Selene was not the only lunar goddess of the Greeks. 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. One of the names given for Selene, and occasionally for an independent personification, was Mene. In this case, the story of Selene embracing Endymion, or Moon embraces Diver, refers to the sun setting and the moon rising. [31] Mesomedes of Crete calls her (glauk, "silvery grey"). Sometimes these were winged horses, although some later accounts had the chariot drawn by bulls. The name of the moon goddess is surrounded by accounts of the consorts she had and their children. Selene with sleeping Endymion, fresco in the fourth Pompeian style. 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. The myth of Selene, the moon goddess, is no exception. 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. She is pale, beautiful and indefinably alluring. How Did Uranus get its Name as Per Greek Mythology? Artemis is also a Goddess of the moon. Corrections? Zeus had enough sympathy for Selene to not kill Endymion outright, but he put the human man in an enchanted sleep on Mount Latmus in the East so Selene would have no further reason to descend to earth each night. Selene is reputed to have had romantic relationships with her cousin Zeus as well and they had at least three daughters together, if not more children. 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. What are Hades Powers that are Really Scary? (Similarly, Selenes brother Helios came to be identified with Artemis brother Apollo. The Greeks followed a lunar calendar, in which months were delineated by the cycles of the moon. [55] The geographer Pausanias, reports seeing a relief of Selene driving a single horse, as it seemed to him, or as some said, a mule, on the pedestal of the Statue of Zeus at Olympia (c. 435 BC). Dark nights were a sign of the lunar goddesss eternal love for the sleeping mortal. [84] Selene's participation in the battle is evidenced by her inclusion in the Gigantomachy frieze of the Pergamon Altar, fighting against Giants next to her siblings Helios and Eos and her mother Theia in the southern frieze. [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. Homeric Hymn 32.313, trans. She was unique, however, in her relationship with the orb itself. Hesiod, Theogony 371ff; Apollodorus, Library 1.2.2; etc. The phases of the moonespecially the new moon and the full moonplayed a central role in the ancient Greeks understanding of time and agriculture. Selene had a relationship with the god Pan, according to Virgil. Selene, the goddess of the moon, was the youngest of the three siblings. Sometimes this develops in later worship as they are identified with other deities or gods. Thus, Selene falling for Endymion was supposed to represent moonrise every night. Hill, D. E. "THE THESSALIAN TRICK." Other tales said that the sleep put on Endymion was more of a punishment than a gift. [85][86] Selene gallops sidesaddle in advance, and wears a woolen undergarment and a mantle. This she shared with her siblings and other goddesses like Nyx. Eos represented the warm light that could be seen coming up above the horizon before the sun appeared in full. Selene could still see her sleeping love whenever she pleased, but the pressures of time and mortality were taken off her. Selene was so enamored of the young man that she left the sky to see him more closely. [16][18], Although attempts have been made to connect Selene to Helene due to the similarity of their names, in two early dedications to Helen from Laconia her name is spelled with a digamma (Ancient Greek: , romanized:Welna), ruling out any possible connection between them. The Greeks recognized several goddesses as having a connection to the moon, but none was as closely associated with it as Selene. [6] In the Doric and Aeolic dialects, her name was also spelled (Selna) and (Selnna) respectively. [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. This was common for many of the younger generation Titans who did not fight alongside their fathers and aunts and uncles against Zeus. Selene herself most often wore a crown of gleaming silver, which matched her silver chariot. Chiswick House, London, UK. Selene, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, was the personification of the moon. The crescent moon, full moon, and dark moon corresponded to the three states of being embodied by the Fates. 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. Privacy. Because Basileia's other brothers envied these offspring, and feared that Hyperion would try to seize power for himself, they conspired against him. Selene, (Greek: Moon) Latin Luna, in Greek and Roman religion, the personification of the moon as a goddess. [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. Hesiod, Catalogue of Women frag. Lunacy takes its name from Selenes Roman counterpart, Luna. 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. 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. In some cases, it is debated whether she indeed was the mother. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 3. Watched over by nymphs and visited often by the goddess, it was marked by glowing moonstones and pure white rock. Modern audiences do not often think about Selenes cyclical nature, however. There existed an oracular sanctuary for her in Laconia, near Thalamai. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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. Goddess Selene is often portrayed in art and in myths generally, riding a chariot across the sky. Her brother Helios shone as the sun, while her sister Eos was the goddess of the dawn. 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). "On Representations of Helios and of Selene", The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Sorabella, Jean, "A Roman Sarcophagus and Its Patron. Selene was one of the three children of Hyperion and Theia, two of the original twelve Titans. Endymion 2. Her name was spelt differently in the different dialects of the Greeks but the meaning was the same. Who were Zeus' Lovers? Lilaeon. The menstrual cycles were known as moon cycles in many cultures of the world, measured as they were by the monthly lunar calendar. Selene (Greek mythology) The goddess of the Moon. Nonnus, Dionysiaca 12.1ff (who names Helios as the father of the Horae but does not name the mother). Hesiod, Catalogue of Women frag. While there were many goddesses associated with the moon and lunar powers, Selene personified the moon and its light. The Greek word for the moon was also the word used to delineate the months. It was only later, when Selene began to be conflated with other lunar goddesses, that she was openly worshiped. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. Mitchell, Lucy M., "Sculptures of the Great Pergamon Altar" in The Century Magazine, 1883. But unlike other night goddesseslike Nyx, Hecate, and sometimes even ArtemisSelene represented the moon itself. Though Selene almost never appears in modern adaptations of Greek mythology, she is nonetheless present in pop culture as the personification of the moon. Selene, one of the younger generation of Titans, was also the Greek goddess of the moon. Athena, also spelled Athene, in Greek religion, the city protectress, goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason, identified by the Romans with Minerva. That was a basic unit of how the Greeks measured time in the old days. Like Artemis, Selene was sometimes called Phoebe, a name that means bright one.. If you thought Artemis was the Greek goddess of the moon, you are only partially right. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. Even now, this moon goddess of the ancient world has not quite gone out of our lives and her presence can be felt in small but subtle reminders. Robert S. P. Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden: Brill, 2009), 2:131819. Two winged steeds pulled her across the sky each night. 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. Upon the head of Selene was normally found a crown that was representative of the spherical moon. the crescent moon, full moon, and dark moon, as delinted by the divisions of the calendar month).[154]. [72] A scholiast on Apollonius says that, according to Epimenides, Endymion fell in love with Hera, and Zeus punished him with eternal sleep. 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. Witchcraft has long been believed to have had a connection with the moon and it was no different in antiquity. Selene detail from a sarcophagus, imperial period. [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. Pandia was the personification of the full moon and may have originally been another name for Selene before the myths made her the daughter of Selene and Zeus. 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. This eventually led to the identification of Selene with Artemis, also associated with fertility and the moon in various ways. Her brother Helios shone as the sun, while her sister Eos was the goddess of the dawn. Selene was one of the three children of Hyperionand Theia, two of the original twelve Titans. 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. Selene also has a chemical element named after her, Selenium. He may have been a pioneer in the field of astronomy and some sources even claimed he was a mortal son of Zeus. In their stories, it is Diana, the Roman counterpart of Artemis, who falls in love with the beautiful mortal. While her brother was clad in shining gold, her light was softer and more clear. [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. While we often think little of the moon today, in the ancient Greek world the moons cyclical movement through the sky played a central role in their concept of time. Their daughter Eos was the first to appear each day. [10] The Greek Stoic philosopher Chrysippus interpreted Selene and Men as, respectively, the female and male aspects of the same god. 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. Interestingly, this version of the myth does not involve Selene. In some versions, Zeus cursed Endymion because he fell in love with Queen Hera, wife of Zeus. Was the Griffin a Bird from Greek Mythology? Selene was the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. But on nights the moon could not be seen, there was a very good reason for her absence. Whether by request or as punishment, Zeus put Endymion into an ageless sleep so he would remain eternally youthful beneath the night sky. 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/. In Greek, the name Endymion means one who dives and Max Muller thought that the myth was a symbolic representation of how the sun set by diving into the sea and then the moon arose. Greek Mythology >> Galleries GALLERIES. 527532; Shear, pp. 80; Acusilaus, FHG 1 frag. "[42], According to the Homeric Hymn to Selene, the goddess bore Zeus a daughter, Pandia ("All-brightness"),[43] "exceeding lovely amongst the deathless gods". [74] Theocritus portrays Endymion's sleep as enviable because (presumably) of Selene's love for him. She was said to represent the full moon. 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. 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. Museum of Classical Archaeology Databases. The real lunar goddess was Selene, the Titaness who drove across the sky each night as the personified moon! [32], Selene was rarely worshipped, at least in earlier periods of ancient Greek history. [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 Lucian, Selene had a rival for Endymions love named Myia. 14 In works of art, however, the two divinities are usually distinguished; the face of Selene, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, was the personification of the moon. [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). The moon goddess Selene had two siblings the sun and the dawn, also known as Helios and Eos respectively. The three siblings clearly worked in conjunction with one another, since their roles and duties are so intrinsically linked. [158] HMS Selene (P254), a 1944 British submarine and Ghia Selene, a concept car from the Ghia design studio from 1959, also bore her name. During the night, Selene would drive her chariot with the moon across the sky. [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").
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