selene greek mythology

Selene is the goddess of the moon. 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. Selene was the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. The cave in Anatolia where Endymion was said to sleep became a holy place for Selene. Goddess Selene is often portrayed in art and in myths generally, riding a chariot across the sky. Selene and Endymion, in the mural above the stage of the Friedrich von Thiersch Saal in the Wiesbaden Kurhaus. Everything We Know About the Greek Goddess of Agriculture, Aphrodite Facts: Awesome Facts about the Goddess of, Interesting Facts about Athena: Greek Goddess of Knowledge. 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. The sky was dark at night and the sun more lethargic than usual. [31], Ampelus was a handsome young male satyr and the first love of the god Dionysus. Way). Hypothesis to the scholia on Pindars Nemean Odes. (Also, the name of the Titan Goddess Phoebe and an epithet of Artemis.). Selene appeared each night over the water, shining all the more because she emerged from bathing in the sea. [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. 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 altars to Selene were few and far between. [134], Selene was sometimes associated with childbirth, for it was believed that during the full moon women had the easiest labours; this helped in her identification with the goddess Artemis,[138] as well as other goddesses connected to women's labours. Lunacy takes its name from Selenes Roman counterpart, Luna. The legendary Greek poet, Museaus, a mortal, was also said to be the child of Selene from an unknown father. She announced the coming of her younger brother. Gaia, the primordial Titan goddess and grandmother to the Olympian gods and goddesses, was enraged when her children were defeated in the Titanomachy and imprisoned in Tartarus. This she shared with her siblings and other goddesses like Nyx. The counterpart to her brother, she traveled by night. Though Hesiod made the Nemean Lion the child of Echidna, other authors wrote that Selene gave birth to it or brought it up at Heras request. Selene was a Titan goddess in Greek mythology, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. Eventually, she became identified with Artemis, goddess of the wilderness, who was sometimes associated with the moon. 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.. It is of course a tale that began in Ancient Greece, but the story of Endymion is one taken up with vigour by Renaissance artists and the imagery of the Moon goddesses visiting the eternal sleeping mortal was often repeated. We knew of her that she was a goddess of the moon, but so was Artemis (Greek mythology) . Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. "[80], Lucian also records an otherwise unattested myth where a pretty young girl called Muia becomes Selene's rival for Endymion's affections; the chatty maiden would endlessly talk to him while he slept, causing him to wake up. [68] However, the first account of the story comes from the third-century BC Argonautica of Apollonius of Rhodes, which tells of Selene's "mad passion" and her visiting the "fair Endymion" in a cave on Mount Latmus:[69], And the Titanian goddess, the moon, rising from a far land, beheld her [Medea] as she fled distraught, and fiercely exulted over her, and thus spake to her own heart: 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. 2. Selene, the goddess of the moon, has two siblings: Eos, the goddess of the dawn, and Helios, the sun god. [28], Another version is known only from Lucian, a satirical writer from the second century CE. -Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 10. iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order A third version of the story had Endymion himself choose an ageless sleep as opposed to living a mortal life. As the goddess that presided over the moon and its appearance in the sky, Selene was also connected with lunar eclipses. Zeus could not do that, so he sent Endymion into an eternal slumber so he would never age or die. [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. [2], Selene was also called Mene. Perhaps the most colorful ancient description of Selene comes from Homeric Hymn 32 (the Homeric Hymn to Selene). Her brother, Helios, is the god of the sun, and her sister, Eos, is the goddess of the dawn. [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. [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. She fell madly in love with him and asked Zeus to let him stay asleep forever, remaining eternally young and beautiful (in some traditions, it was Endymion himself who requested this unending sleep). The Greeks recognized several goddesses as having a connection to the moon, but none was as closely associated with it as Selene. Selene was one of the three children of Hyperionand Theia, two of the original twelve Titans. 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. It seems that Selene was not uninvolved in the twelve tasks of Heracles either. Selene and Endymion relief, Alessandro and Lancellotto Pusterla's gravestone, 16th century. [117] Selene also appears on horseback as part of the Gigantomachy frieze of the Pergamon Altar. This was the mythological explanation for the movement of the moon across the sky. Attic red-figure kylix showing Selene riding the chariot of the moon, drawn by two winged horses. Wells, the sophisticated insect-like creatures that live on the moon are called Selenites, cleverly named after the Greek moon goddess. Only a handful of religious centers of Selene are known from the ancient world. Learn more about our mission. In rarer traditions, she is the daughter of the Titan Pallas. Seneca, Madness of Hercules 83; Hyginus, Fabulae 30; Aelian, On Animals 12.7 (citing Epimenides); etc. The name Selene is probably derived from the Greek selas, meaning "light".She was also called Mene, which means "month" referring to the lunar month which was calculated from the new moon to the dark moon and Phoebe, meaning "bright". According to the Homeric Hymn 32, Selene and Zeus together had a daughter named Pandia. This was known as the Gigantomachy. Selene was linked to Artemis as well as Hecate; all three were considered lunar goddesses. By all accounts, Selene seemed to have played a major role in this war. [10] The Greek Stoic philosopher Chrysippus interpreted Selene and Men as, respectively, the female and male aspects of the same god. There are three different ways you can cite this article. Both of these Goddesses are also associated with Hecate. Her lunar sphere or crescent was either a crown set upon her head or the fold of a raised, shining cloak. Occasionally Selenes chariot was pulled by oxen or bulls, again differentiating it from the faster vehicle of her brother. She walked as quietly as possible to avoid frightening Endymion as he slept. While Selene was known for pulling the moon across the sky in her silver . The brother and sister married each other and had three children: Eos (the goddess of the dawn), Helios (the sun god), and Selene (the moon goddess). Like every celestial goddess , there was a yin to Selene's yang; In this case, there were two yins. How Did Uranus get its Name as Per Greek Mythology? 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. Selene was said to have several consorts but the man that the goddess of the moon was most linked with was the mortal Endymion. For this the Greek gods were to be worshiped. Selene (Greek mythology) The goddess of the Moon. 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/. 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. The Greeks followed a lunar calendar, in which months were delineated by the cycles of the moon. Her appearance matched the night sky she drove through. Mene The personification of the months was sometimes an aspect of Selene and sometimes a separate goddess. Selenes siblings and Selene herself carried on their fathers legacy by shining light from the heavens upon the earth. According to the Catalogue of Women, Endymion was the son of Aethlius (a son of Zeus), and Zeus granted him the right to choose when he would die. Like her brother Helios, the Sun god, who drives his sun chariot across the sky each day, Selene is also said to drive a chariot across the heavens. This is at times accompanied by stars to depict the night sky, but the crescent moon was perhaps the most recognizable of Selenes symbols. 127 ff (trans. Selene detail from a sarcophagus, imperial period. She was often said to be the mother of the Horai, the personifications of the division of time and the seasons. In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Selene ( / slini /; Greek: pronounced [seln], meaning "Moon" [2]) is the personification of the Moon. This irritated Endymion, and enraged Selene, who transforms the girl into a fly (Ancient Greek: , romanized:mua). 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. Artemis has been commonly associated with Selene. The moon, in the ancient world, was heavily associated with certain kinds of womanly issues, fertility, and healing. [63][66], Selene is best known for her affair with the beautiful mortal Endymion. Selene The Greek God Selene is best known as the Titan Goddess of the moon. These were Eiar, Theros, Cheimon, and Phthinoporon, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. [108], In antiquity, artistic representations of Selene/Luna included sculptural reliefs, vase paintings, coins, and gems. Museum of Classical Archaeology Databases. [52] There are no mentions of Selene's chariot in either Homer or Hesiod,[53] but the Homeric Hymn to Selene, gives the following description: 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. [141], Selene played an important role in love magic. 3. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death 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.. [2] She was often associated with cycles of growth and agriculture, female menstruation, and mysterious diseases like epilepsy and demonic possession. Hurwit 2017, pp. Seeking vengeance, she instigated a war between her other children, the Giants, and the Olympian gods. [27], In late accounts, Selene (like the moon itself) is often described as having horns. 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. [88], Ampelus was a very beautiful satyr youth, loved by the god Dionysus. All Rights Reserved. Often when one god supplanted another in a particular domain, the stories that involved that god were changed to reflect this. ", Sorrenti, Stefania, "Les reprsentations figures de Jupiter Dolichnien Rome," in, Thomas, Edmund. [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". [34] She also had a sacred statue (which stood alongside one of her brother Helios) in the public market of Elis.[35]. Selene, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, was the personification of the moon. [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"). Names of the Goddess. Artemis is also a Goddess of the moon. Selene was not the only goddess the Greeks associated with 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). 13 In later times Selene was identified with Artemis, and the worship of the two became amalgamated. [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. Lastly, Selene was said to be the mother of the legendary Greek poet Musaeus,[50] with, according to Philochorus, the father being the legendary seer Eumolpus.[51]. [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". Same thing happened with Helius and Apollo. Along with presiding over dangerous sea creatures, Ceto produced her own set of frightening . On the other hand, her eyes and hair were believed to have been as dark as the night. 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"). Her request granted, Selene visited him regularly; some sources even reported that they had children together (see above).[27]. These two goddesses have additional association with Hecate. Her father was the Titan god of heavenly light, while her mother represented the blue color of the sky. Mene, a name that she was also commonly known by, meant the moon or the lunar month, from the root mens which meant month. This is an attribute that she shares with her Roman equivalent Luna, where the latin luna also means moon.. She was worshipped at the new and full moons. [25], Two other sources also mention her hair. 245 M-W; Pherecydes, FHG 1 frag. [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. Her chariot was made of shining silver, bringing soft, clear light each night. She was said to represent the full moon. Witchcraft has long been believed to have had a connection with the moon and it was no different in antiquity. Possible to avoid frightening Endymion as he slept to reflect this in art and in myths,... And healing to avoid frightening Endymion as he slept, Spring, Summer,,... And far between the moon are called Selenites, cleverly named after the Greek goddess... The chariot of the Horai, the stories that involved that god were changed to this! Explanation for the movement of the original twelve selene greek mythology head or the fold of a,... Was one of the three children of Hyperionand Theia, two other sources also her. 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