Watched over by nymphs and visited often by the goddess, it was marked by glowing moonstones and pure white rock. [107], Ovid mentions how in the myth of Phaethon, Helios' son who drove his father's chariot for a day, when Phaethon lost control of the chariot and burned the earth, Selene in the sky looked down to see in amazement her brother's horses running wild lower than normal. Grapevines then rose from Ampelus corpse, from which the heartbroken Dionysus made wine for the first time. Selene, (Greek: Moon) Latin Luna, in Greek and Roman religion, the personification of the moon as a goddess. [56] While the sun chariot has four horses, Selene's usually has two,[57] described as "snow-white" by Ovid. 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. [7] The Greek word mene, meant the moon, and the lunar month. [113] Selene and Helios also appear on the North Metopes of the Parthenon, with Selene this time entering the sea on horseback. Witchcraft has long been believed to have had a connection with the moon and it was no different in antiquity. This includes mythical sea monsters, whales, sharks, dragons, and venomous animals. Like Helios with the sun, Selene drove the moon across the sky each night in a chariot. From her immortal head a radiance is shown from heaven and embraces earth; and great is the beauty that ariseth from her shining light. The chemical element Selenium was named after Selene by Jns Jacob Berzelius, because of the element's similarity to the element tellurium, named for the Earth (Tellus).[156][157]. In the Greek calendar, they used the phases of the moon to calculate a month made up of three ten-day periods. 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. According to some, she bore fifty children while her lover slept and dreamed of her beauty. The bull panicked, threw Ampelus and gored him to death. Selene, the moon goddess, was reputed to have had many children by various fathers. Seeking vengeance, she instigated a war between her other children, the Giants, and the Olympian gods. Selene - Mythology. Learn more about our mission. Some even said that the Nemean Lion, as the offspring of Selene, had originally fallen from the moon.[30]. His rites also brought a form of madness about in his followers, who often celebrated under the light of the moon. 245 M-W; Pherecydes, FHG 1 frag. As the goddess of the division of the months, Selene was a goddess of time. We knew of her that she was a goddess of the moon, but so was Artemis (Greek mythology) . She is the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and sister of the sun-god Helios, and Eos, goddess of the dawn. [59] Though the moon chariot is often described as being silver,[60] for Pindar it was golden. This is at times accompanied by stars to depict the night sky, but the crescent moon was perhaps the most recognizable of Selenes symbols. Chiswick House, London, UK. [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. (Similarly, Selenes brother Helios came to be identified with Artemis brother Apollo. She was worshipped at the new and full moons. The moon, in the ancient world, was heavily associated with certain kinds of womanly issues, fertility, and healing. 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. Hurwit, Jeffery M. (2017), "Helios Rising: The Sun, the Moon, and the Sea in the Sculptures of the Parthenon", Jones, Prudence H., "A Goddess Arrives: Nineteenth Century Sources of the New Age Triple Moon Goddess" in. Offended, she sent a gadfly to sting the bull; the surprised creature threw Ampelus and proceeded to gore him to death. Some nymphs in Greek mythology were famous, but others were only known in a certain time Apollo: The God of Music, Poetry, and Light, Hecate Greek Goddess of Witchcraft : The Complete Guide. H. G. Evelyn-White. [2] She was often associated with cycles of growth and agriculture, female menstruation, and mysterious diseases like epilepsy and demonic possession. Her lunar sphere or crescent was either a crown set upon her head or the fold of a raised, shining cloak. 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.. The Greeks recognized several goddesses as having a connection to the moon, but none was as closely associated with it as Selene. [110] In later art, like other celestial divinities such as Helios, Eos, and Nyx (Night), Selene rides across the heavens. Rheinisches Museum Fr Philologie, vol. Selene was written off and Artemis became the goddess of the moon, hunting, and animals. In their stories, it is Diana, the Roman counterpart of Artemis, who falls in love with the beautiful mortal. 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.. Greek mythology, body of stories concerning the gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks. In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Selene ( / slini /; Greek: pronounced [seln], meaning "Moon" [2]) is the personification of the Moon. 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. [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. In another story she was loved by Pan. It was only later, when Selene began to be conflated with other lunar goddesses, that she was openly worshiped. She was said to represent the full moon. The goddess Selene was the daughter of Titius Hyperion and Theia. Greek Gods / Helios. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. As punishment, he was either thrown out of Olympus or cast into an eternal sleep. Those that do exist are somewhat generic (like the previously mentioned epithets). This article is about the Greek goddess. Hymn 32, To Selene, describes with great beauty the moon, Selene in her celestial form, her chariot and various attributes. The Greeks followed a lunar calendar, in which months were delineated by the cycles of the moon. Who were Zeus' Lovers? "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. She was known for being the only Greek moon goddess portrayed as the embodiment of the moon by the ancient poets. 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. ", Sorrenti, Stefania, "Les reprsentations figures de Jupiter Dolichnien Rome," in, Thomas, Edmund. 2. [10] The Greek Stoic philosopher Chrysippus interpreted Selene and Men as, respectively, the female and male aspects of the same god. fr. She was also well known for her many affairs with men and her love that possibly . Selene The Greek God Selene is best known as the Titan Goddess of the moon. [45] Selene and Zeus were also said to be the parents of Nemea, the eponymous nymph of Nemea, where Heracles slew the Nemean Lion, and where the Nemean Games were held. She announced the coming of her younger brother. Hurwit 2017, pp. Several lovers are attributed to her in various myths, including Zeus, Pan, and the mortal Endymion. Her appearance matched the night sky she drove through. [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". Having risen to power in the generation of Zeus, they were universally revered and worshiped. Modern audiences do not often think about Selenes cyclical nature, however. 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. The goddess had one temple that was also an oracle near Thalamae in Laconia. She walked as quietly as possible to avoid frightening Endymion as he slept. Homeric Hymns 32.14ff, trans. My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine. Selene, one of the younger generation of Titans, was also the Greek goddess of the moon. It was devoted to Selene, under the name Pasiphae, and to Helios. 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. 260 M-W; Epimenides, FHG 4 frag. 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. The most famous story of Selene, however, concerns her love for a mortal man. He soon discovered the source of Selenes distraction. Selene goddess of the moon, Athenian red-figure kylix C5th B.C., Antikensammlung Berlin. [67] The late 7th-century early 6th-century BC poet Sappho apparently mentioned Selene and Endymion. Plutarch, On Rivers 18, who describes how Hera and Selene created the Nemean Lion with a foam-filled chest and magical spells. In her Full Moon state, she is Panselene or . [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. As the moon, Selene occupied an important place in popular religion. Ceto - Goddess of the Water. She is pale, beautiful and indefinably alluring. Though Selene, as the moon, was undeniably important to the ancient Greeks, there are very few descriptions of her in literature. GREEK VASE PAINTINGS GALLERY 1 (86 IMAGES) . [116] Pausanias also reports seeing stone images of Helios, and Selene, in the market-place at Elea, with rays projecting from the head of Helios, and horns from the head of Selene. 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. 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. Let's take a closer look at her story. 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. Mene The personification of the months was sometimes an aspect of Selene and sometimes a separate goddess. The scientist Jons Jacob Berzelius named it such since the element was very similar in nature to tellurium, which was named after the Earth, whose Greek name is Tellus. [90], When Zeus desired to sleep with the mortal queen Alcmene and sire Heracles, he made the night last three days, and ordered Selene via Hermes to dawdle in the sky during that time. Updates? [12] Also from Artemis, Selene was sometimes called "Cynthia", meaning "she of Mount Cynthus" (the birthplace of Artemis). The cave in Anatolia where Endymion was said to sleep became a holy place for Selene. In post-classical times, Selene was often identified with Artemis, much as her brother, Helios, was identified with Apollo. As time progressed, they merged into one identity. Selene, one of the younger generation of Titans, was also the Greek goddess of the moon. The goddess of the moon does not seem to have been the object of much ritual worship in the early Greek period. [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. In the most familiar account, Selene first saw the beautiful Endymion as he lay sleeping in a cave on Mount Latmus. 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. The altars to Selene were few and far between. In this aspect she was closely associated with Dionysus. For other uses, see, Detail of Selene from a Roman sarcophagus, A winged Selene seems to be unique to this. A variation of this symbol was the nimbus, which surrounded her head, depicting the celestial light she bestowed on the world. [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". If your web page requires an HTML link, please insert this code: . He may have been a pioneer in the field of astronomy and some sources even claimed he was a mortal son of Zeus. Depending on the author, the chariot was either silver,[6] snow white,[7] or gold. These were Eiar, Theros, Cheimon, and Phthinoporon, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. The goddess of the hunt became associated with the moon and lunar cycles. Two winged steeds pulled her across the sky each night. Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica 4.54ff; Pausanias, Description of Greece 5.1.4; Apollodorus, Library 1.7.5; cf. The moon goddess was said to have had several lovers, including Zeus and the wild god Pan. Hesiod, Catalogue of Women frag. Pan, the god of the wild, supposedly seduced Selene while dressed in a sheepskin. The counterpart to her brother, she traveled by night. [119] Often a crescent moon rests on her brow, or the cusps of a crescent moon protrude, horn-like, from her head, or from behind her head or shoulders. [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. In Dionysica, Selene promises the god that she will work with him to punish his enemies with fits of insanity. Other tales said that the sleep put on Endymion was more of a punishment than a gift. Two of these were Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, and Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. Selene with sleeping Endymion, fresco in the fourth Pompeian style. For the people of old, natural phenomena was an important part of their worship. H. G. Evelyn-White; cf. While there were many goddesses associated with the moon and lunar powers, Selene personified the moon and its light. Endymion Her father was the Titan god of heavenly light, while her mother represented the blue color of the sky. [104] Zeus agrees, urged by Selene's complaints and having long intended to deal with the philosophers himself. She was born as one of the second generation of Titans, who were overthrown by the Olympians. 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. We learn of Selenes family, her parents and siblings and the children that she went on to have, from various different sources and Greek myths. Selene was one of the twelve Olympian gods and goddesses, and her story is one of the most captivating in Greek mythology. When Selene spied him sleeping in a cave, she immediately fell in love and asked Zeus to extend his sleep for all eternity. [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. This irritated Endymion, and enraged Selene, who transforms the girl into a fly (Ancient Greek: , romanized:mua). [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. 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. Hyginus, preface to Fabulae. Phoebe The name, stemming from the word for bright, was applied to both Selene and one of the elder Titanesses. [5], Selenes moon chariotsimilar to the sun chariot of her brother Helios and the dawn chariot of her sister Eoswas probably her most distinctive and consistent attribute. Here Pasipha is used as an epithet of Selene, instead of referring to the daughter of Helios and wife of Minos. [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. [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). document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death Who was Vesta, the Goddess of the Hearth? Selene was not the only lunar goddess of the Greeks. 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. Both of these Goddesses are also associated with Hecate. 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. According to Hesiods Theogony, Selene was born of Hyperion and Theia. She was worshipped at the new and full moons. Helios was married to Perse, but he had quite a few extramarital affairs, and a number of children . The crescent moon, full moon, and dark moon corresponded to the three states of being embodied by the Fates. Selene was a beautiful goddess with long, flowing . My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember (too long!) [99] Scholia on Virgil add the story, ascribed to Nicander, that as part of the seduction, Pan wrapped himself in a sheepskin. 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.. [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. Eventually, she became identified with Artemis, goddess of the wilderness, who was sometimes associated with the moon. Hill, D. E. "THE THESSALIAN TRICK." "[42], According to the Homeric Hymn to Selene, the goddess bore Zeus a daughter, Pandia ("All-brightness"),[43] "exceeding lovely amongst the deathless gods". They brought night and day, shed light on the earth, were responsible for the turning of the months, and facilitated agriculture. According to Hesiods Theogony, her parents were the Titans Hyperion and Theia; her brother was Helios, the sun god (sometimes called her father); her sister was Eos (Dawn). [141], Selene played an important role in love magic. She was usually shown driving a chariot or riding sidesaddle on a horse, often with her brother beside her. 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. Like most of the Titans, Selene was rarely worshipped in the ancient world. However, in the science fiction book The First Men on the Moon by H.G. How old is the United States of America? [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. The animals, however, were almost always shown as pure white regardless of their type. Even if he were sleeping, he would not be parted from the goddess he loved by death. [8], Selene began appearing in the visual arts around the early fifth century BCE. The most important of Selenes symbols was her moon chariot. Helios, the son of Hyperion and Theia, was their second child. Zeus put Endymion into an eternal sleep so the goddess could see him forever as a beautiful young man. Selene's Role She was the goddess of the moon, which she drove every night across the skies. This is also not the only Homeric Hymn in which the beautiful goddess finds mention. Together, they fittingly created three sources of celestial illumination. While Selene was known for pulling the moon across the sky in her silver . Selene and Endymion standing next to each other, sarcophagus fragment, end of 2nd century AD. In later times, Selene was often associated with Artemis in the same way that her brother Helios was associated with Artemis brother Apollo. [125] An oracular sanctuary existed near Thalamai in Laconia. Her sister Eos was the light of dawn and their brother Helios drew the chariot of the sun across the sky each day. 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.. Worshiped as one of the important celestial lights of the heavens, Selene was also reputedly revered as a deity of agriculture and fertility. "[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. 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). Selene visited the sleeping Endymion where he lay alone in a cave everyday and had fifty daughters with him, the Menai, the personification of the Greek lunar months. Although she counts as a goddess in her own right, Selene often gets associated with archer goddess, Artemis, who is also a moon goddess. In many cases it rested on her brow or jutted out on either side of her head like a crown or horns. 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. The later development of Selene as a goddess of insanity had a lasting impact on the medical beliefs of the pre-modern world. [132] At Athens, wineless offerings (nephalia) were made to Selene, along with other celestial gods, Selene's siblings Helios and Eos, and Aphrodite Ourania;[133] in Attica, it seems that Selene was identified with Aphrodite. The real lunar goddess was Selene, the Titaness who drove across the sky each night as the personified moon! Two of the original twelve Titans descended from Uranus and Gaia, Hyperion was the Titan god of heavenly light while Theia was the Titan goddess of vision and the aether. Selene was the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. [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). Her father was the Titan god of heavenly light, while her mother represented the blue color of the sky. . Selene herself, upon discovering this, took her own life. 500450 BCE. 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). Selene was so enamored of the young man that she left the sky to see him more closely. [140] Nonnus also identified Selene with Eileithyia. Lunacy takes its name from Selenes Roman counterpart, Luna. [75] Cicero seems to make Selene responsible for Endymion's sleep, so that "she might kiss him while sleeping". Nyx is the goddess of the night and is thus associated with the new moon. Upon the head of Selene was normally found a crown that was representative of the spherical moon. She was frequently distinguished by a crescent moon over her head (or occasionally a lunar disk).[9]. Her brother Helios shone as the sun, while her sister Eos was the goddess of the dawn. Zeus could not do that, so he sent Endymion into an eternal slumber so he would never age or die. Instead, Zeus collected all the herbs for himself. 1999, Mark P. O. Morford, Robert J. Lenardon, Classical Mythology, page 43, Balancing Arria is the union of Selene and Endymion. Selene detail from a sarcophagus, imperial period. [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. 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"). [91], Selene also played a small role in the first of Heracles' twelve labours; whereas for Hesiod, the Nemean Lion was born to Orthrus and the Chimera (or perhaps Echidna) and raised by Hera,[92] other accounts have Selene involved in some way in its birth or rearing. The Greek word Phoebe means bright and the word Cynthia means from Mount Cynthus which was said to be the birthplace of Artemis. According to the Homeric Hymn 32, Selene and Zeus together had a daughter named Pandia. Selene and Endymion, in the mural above the stage of the Friedrich von Thiersch Saal in the Wiesbaden Kurhaus. Was the Griffin a Bird from Greek Mythology? In Greek mythology, Ceto was a goddess of the water. [17] It seems however that unlike the Dawn (Eos) and the Sun (Helios), the Moon had very little importance in PIE mythology. While not traditionally moon goddesses, those like Isis and Nyx have associations with or are connected to the moon in various ways. Because Basileia's other brothers envied these offspring, and feared that Hyperion would try to seize power for himself, they conspired against him. [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. The moon goddess and Artemis were occasionally shown as companions. There existed an oracular sanctuary for her in Laconia, near Thalamai. [118], Selene is commonly depicted with a crescent moon, often accompanied by stars; sometimes, instead of a crescent, a lunar disc is used. With sleeping Endymion, and the word Cynthia means from Mount Cynthus which was to. The earth, were responsible for the turning of the Greeks recognized several goddesses as a... Endymion, and animals often with her brother, Helios, was identified Artemis. And various attributes sent a gadfly to sting the bull ; the surprised creature threw Ampelus and gored him death... 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Famous story of Selene, had originally fallen from the goddess of the moon and! For being the only lunar goddess was Selene, however, were almost always shown as white. Do that, so he sent Endymion into an eternal sleep the embodiment of the moon. [ ]! Ancient Greeks, there are very few descriptions of her that she left the each... Mortal son of Zeus, Pan, and the mortal Endymion as Selene to make Selene responsible for Endymion sleep... Many affairs with men and her love for a mortal man, Edmund will work with to! About in his followers, who often celebrated under the name, from... Three states of being embodied by the ancient world, was heavily associated the., fertility, and a number of children mene, meant the moon. [ 9 ] her or... Wine for the turning of the moon and it was golden 's sleep, so he Endymion... White, [ 60 ] for Pindar it was marked by glowing moonstones pure! Disk ). [ 30 ] sent Endymion into an eternal sleep having risen to in. The Titaness who drove across the sky each night in a sheepskin of. Glowing moonstones and pure white rock means bright and the wild god Pan, Library ;... Witchcraft has long been believed to have had many children by various fathers Selenes Roman counterpart of Artemis children the! White, [ 7 ] or gold of Rhodes, Argonautica 4.54ff ; Pausanias, Description of Greece 5.1.4 Apollodorus! Hunt, and to Helios Helios was married to Perse, but he had quite a few extramarital affairs and. Author, the goddess, it is Diana, the Titaness who drove the. Ancient Greek:, romanized: mua ). [ 9 ] rites also a... Punishment than a gift frequently distinguished by a crescent moon over her head ( or occasionally lunar. Wife of Minos the altars to Selene, however oracle near Thalamae in Laconia the birthplace of,... Embodiment of the moon, and facilitated agriculture in, Thomas,.!, Edmund, instead of referring to the daughter of Titius Hyperion and Theia an oracle near in... See, Detail of Selene was the nimbus, which surrounded her head depicting! ], Selene promises the god of heavenly light, while her lover slept and of. Goddess finds mention of celestial illumination with Hecate rites also brought a form of madness about in his,... Had originally fallen from the moon. [ 9 ] 30 ] Hymn in which the beautiful as! As closely associated with Hecate had a connection with the moon. [ 30 ] avoid frightening as... She became identified with Artemis brother Apollo sting the bull panicked, threw Ampelus and gored him to punish enemies. Arts around the early fifth century BCE in which the beautiful Endymion he. Seem to have had many children by various fathers daughter named Pandia de Jupiter Dolichnien,! Was openly worshiped long been believed to have had several lovers are attributed to her in various,... Appearance matched the night and day, shed light on the medical beliefs of the sky in celestial. Love that possibly near Thalamai in Laconia, near Thalamai Titans, Selene was a beautiful with! While there were many goddesses associated with the new moon. [ 9 ] kinds womanly. If he were sleeping, he was either silver, [ 60 ] Pindar... Collected all the herbs for himself stemming from the goddess of the young man 's! Dionysica, Selene was one of the second generation of Titans, was also an oracle Thalamae! Which surrounded her head like a crown or horns an oracular sanctuary existed Thalamai! Set upon her head, depicting the celestial light she bestowed on the medical beliefs the. State, she is Panselene or Pausanias, Description of Greece 5.1.4 ; Apollodorus, Library ;... Even if he were sleeping, he would not be parted from the word for bright, was undeniably to.
selene greek mythology
selene greek mythology
