112114; Palagia 2005, Examples, among many others, include sarcophagi in the, This Epigenes has been tentatively identified with, Although usually the daughter of Hyperion and Theia, as in, Online version at Demonax | Hellenic Library, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, The American School of Classical Studies at Athens, "Kaguya Another Chapter for the Lunar Saga", Online version at Harvard University Press, Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae, Online version at the Perseus Digital Library, Online version at the Perseus Digital Library (Latin), Classical mythology in western art and literature, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Selene&oldid=1142206020, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Articles having different image on Wikidata and Wikipedia, Pages using sidebar with the child parameter, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Cohen, Beth, "Outline as a Special Technique in Black- and Red-figure Vase-painting", in. Selene. Although Zeus had taken many mortal lovers, the goddess of the moon had been abandoning her duties and could cause chaos if she continued. Her brother, Helios, is the god of the sun, and her sister, Eos, is the goddess of the dawn. [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. Hill, D. E. "THE THESSALIAN TRICK." This was common for many of the younger generation Titans who did not fight alongside their fathers and aunts and uncles against Zeus. [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. [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"). Sometimes these were winged horses, although some later accounts had the chariot drawn by bulls. In many cases it rested on her brow or jutted out on either side of her head like a crown or horns. The fifty daughters of Selene and Endymion mark the fifty lunar months of the four year Olympiad Cycle. 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 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. 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. According to some, she bore fifty children while her lover slept and dreamed of her beauty. [95], Anaxagoras also reports that the Nemean lion was said to have fallen from the moon. Because Basileia's other brothers envied these offspring, and feared that Hyperion would try to seize power for himself, they conspired against him. See esp. "From the panteon of the gods to the Pantheon of Rome" in, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 02:32. Upon the head of Selene was normally found a crown that was representative of the spherical moon. Interestingly, this version of the myth does not involve Selene. The people of Sparta claimed that Ares had been nursed by a nymph called Thero. [10] The Greek Stoic philosopher Chrysippus interpreted Selene and Men as, respectively, the female and male aspects of the same god. Selene - The Moon Goddess - Greek Mythology - See U in History Art: Marcus AquinoColor: Rod Fernandes#GreekMythology #Mythology #SeeUinHistory #History #Myth. Perhaps the most colorful ancient description of Selene comes from Homeric Hymn 32 (the Homeric Hymn to Selene). As the moon, Selene occupied an important place in popular religion. [40][41] Furthermore, in Virgil's Aeneid, when Nisus calls upon Selene/the Moon, he addresses her as "daughter of Latona. The other gods, angered, sent him two lions to tear him apart. 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. Homeric Hymn 32.313, trans. 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. These were Eiar, Theros, Cheimon, and Phthinoporon, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. But on nights the moon could not be seen, there was a very good reason for her absence. Selene could still see her sleeping love whenever she pleased, but the pressures of time and mortality were taken off her. Deciphering the Role of Helios, the Sun God of Greek Mythology. She was worshipped at the new and full moons. [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). Kapach, Avi. This she shared with her siblings and other goddesses like Nyx. Chiswick House, London, UK. Athena, also spelled Athene, in Greek religion, the city protectress, goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason, identified by the Romans with Minerva. She was also well known for her many affairs with men and her love that possibly . 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. 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. She is pale, beautiful and indefinably alluring. In the most familiar account, Selene first saw the beautiful Endymion as he lay sleeping in a cave on Mount Latmus. The goddess Selene was the daughter of Titius Hyperion and Theia. [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. The name Selene is also quite popular in the English-speaking world. . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death 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. [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. There was an Athenian festival named the Pandia, held in honor of Zeus, which was perhaps celebrated on a full moon night. She was depicted as a woman riding sidesaddle on a horse or driving a chariot drawn by a pair of winged steeds. 13 In later times Selene was identified with Artemis, and the worship of the two became amalgamated. E.g., Thucydides, Histories 7.50.4; Tacitus, Annals 1.28.1ff. Greek months began with the first new moon and were organized into three ten-day weeks that roughly followed the progression of the lunar cycle. 10; Pisander, Fragmente der griechischen Historiker (FGrH) 16 frag. Instead, Zeus collected all the herbs for himself. Thus, Selene falling for Endymion was supposed to represent moonrise every night. In later eras, she became associated with madness as well. Selene is a Goddess in herself, but she is often associated with Artemis, the archer Goddess. Selene was written off and Artemis became the goddess of the moon, hunting, and animals. As the daughter of the Titan god of heavenly light, it is an apt name. Homeric Hymns 32.14ff, trans. Way). Plutarch, On Rivers 18, who describes how Hera and Selene created the Nemean Lion with a foam-filled chest and magical spells. Her brother Helios shone as the sun, while her sister Eos was the goddess of the dawn. [49] Quintus describes them as the four handmaidens of Hera, but in most other accounts their number is three; Eirene ("peace"), Eunomia ("order"), and Dike ("justice"), and their parents are Zeus and Themis instead. Selene and Endymion by Sebastiano Ricci (1713). Hesiod, Catalogue of Women frag. in, Palagia, Olga (2005), "Fire from Heaven: Pediments and Akroteria of the Parthenon" in, Parisinou, Eva, "Brightness personified: light and devine image in ancient Greece" in, Robertson, Noel (1996), "Athena's Shrines and Festivals" in, Savignoni L. 1899. The Titaness Selene was one of three siblings who brought light to the sky. 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. Selene leaving her chariot, Roman mosaic, Andalusia. 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. They put Hyperion to the sword, and drowned Helios in the river Eridanus. How Did Uranus get its Name as Per Greek Mythology? Selene, (Greek: Moon) Latin Luna, in Greek and Roman religion, the personification of the moon as a goddess. Omissions? [46], From Pausanias we hear that Selene was supposed to have had fifty daughters, by her lover Endymion, often assumed to represent the fifty lunar months of the Olympiad. These three lunar goddesses were all important to the Greeks in different ways but it was only Selene who was considered the moon incarnate herself. While her brother was clad in shining gold, her light was softer and more clear. Euripides, Phoenician Women 17576; Nonnus, Dionysiaca 44.191. Selene has a minor planet named after her, called 580 Selene. She was usually shown driving a chariot or riding sidesaddle on a horse, often with her brother beside her. GREEK VASE PAINTINGS GALLERY 1 (86 IMAGES) . [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. They included: The lunar goddesses sometimes worked together. [44] The 7th century BC Greek poet Alcman makes Ersa ("Dew") the daughter of Selene and Zeus. Selene and Endymion relief, Alessandro and Lancellotto Pusterla's gravestone, 16th century. In it, Selene is depicted as fighting alongside Helios and Eos, seated side-saddle on a horse. Endymion was, depending on the source, a prince in exile or a simple shepherd. 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. Around this time, Selene came to be identified with more important goddesses such as Artemis and Hecateidentifications that expanded her role in Greek religion. Modern audiences do not often think about Selenes cyclical nature, however. 245 M-W; Pherecydes, FHG 1 frag. Like Artemis, Selene was sometimes called Phoebe, a name that means bright one.. The myth of Selene claims that this goddess had several lovers, both divine and mortal. It did not take long for Zeus to notice something was amiss. Selene. Mythopedia, 7 Dec. 2022. https://mythopedia.com/topics/selene. According to Greek mythology, the moon goddess Selene was the daughter of two Titans (mythological giants) called Hyperion and Theia. 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. 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. 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. Selene goddess of the moon, Athenian red-figure kylix C5th B.C., Antikensammlung Berlin. [141], Selene played an important role in love magic. All Rights Reserved. [85][86] Selene gallops sidesaddle in advance, and wears a woolen undergarment and a mantle. She was the goddess of the dawn and brought new light to the world every morning. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Her fifty daughters with Endymion marked the fifty lunar months that passed between celebrations of the Olympiad. Robert S. P. Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden: Brill, 2009), 2:131819. [64][65] Those who brought down the Moon were thought to bring ill fortune upon themselves, as evidenced by the proverb ("you are bringing down the Moon on yourself") said for those who caused self-inflicted evils; some witches supposedly avoided this fate by sacrificing their children or their eyeballs. Lilaeon. After all, mythology is storytelling at its finest. The moon, in the ancient world, was heavily associated with certain kinds of womanly issues, fertility, and healing. [63] A famous example of that is Aglaonice of Thessaly, an ancient Greek astronomer, who was regarded as a sorceress for her (self-proclaimed) ability to make the Moon disappear from the sky ( : kathairen tn selnen). Antique pottery, busts, and a lunar disk from the Hellenistic period have been found with depictions of Selene on them. 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. It seems that Selene was not uninvolved in the twelve tasks of Heracles either. Two of these were Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, and Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. They were even called by their names, Phoebe and Phoebus respectively, in some sources. For other uses, see, Detail of Selene from a Roman sarcophagus, A winged Selene seems to be unique to this. [67] The late 7th-century early 6th-century BC poet Sappho apparently mentioned Selene and Endymion. What are Hades Powers that are Really Scary? In some versions, Zeus cursed Endymion because he fell in love with Queen Hera, wife of Zeus. 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 then turned Lilaeus into a mountain, Mt. 17th century bronze statue of Hercules and the Nemean Lion; possibly French. Secretive and shy, she enjoys flitting silently through the night with a pearl-white or silvery chariot. [98], According to Virgil, Selene also had a tryst with the god Pan, who seduced her with a "snowy bribe of wool". ), The name Selene (Greek , translit. 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. In Dionysica, Selene promises the god that she will work with him to punish his enemies with fits of insanity. Mason-Dixon Line The most important of Selenes symbols was her moon chariot. A third version of the story had Endymion himself choose an ageless sleep as opposed to living a mortal life. Selenes siblings and Selene herself carried on their fathers legacy by shining light from the heavens upon the earth. She announced the coming of her younger brother. It was also believed to influence many aspects of their personal lives and even the actions of the gods. 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. It is fascinating how the ancient Greeks saw the beautiful but solitary celestial body in the sky and proceeded to weave romantic tales about the goddess that was supposed to embody it. [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. In fact, there were several female deities who shared this domain. From her immortal head a radiance is shown from heaven and embraces earth; and great is the beauty that ariseth from her shining light. [63][66], Selene is best known for her affair with the beautiful mortal Endymion. She is dressed in the finest silk robes and travels in her silver moon chariot drawn by luminous steeds across the heavens. For the people of old, natural phenomena was an important part of their worship. [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. [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. In rarer traditions, she is the daughter of the Titan Pallas. While most of the Homeric Hymns were written in the seventh or sixth century BCE, the Homeric Hymn to Selene was probably composed no earlier than the fourth century BCE. Who was Vesta, the Goddess of the Hearth? Their daughter Eos was the first to appear each day. Cf. Several lovers are attributed to her in various myths, including Zeus, Pan, and the mortal Endymion. 527532; Shear, pp. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. [58] In some later accounts the chariot was drawn by oxen or bulls. There existed an oracular sanctuary for her in Laconia, near Thalamai. Selene was so enamored of the young man that she left the sky to see him more closely. [12] Also from Artemis, Selene was sometimes called "Cynthia", meaning "she of Mount Cynthus" (the birthplace of Artemis). Selene (Greek mythology) The goddess of the Moon. While there were many goddesses associated with the moon and lunar powers, Selene personified the moon and its light. As Luna, she had temples at Rome on the Aventine and Palatine hills. 1392). [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. In the Greek calendar, they used the phases of the moon to calculate a month made up of three ten-day periods. According to Nonnus, Typhoeus battled Selene by chucking bulls at her, then violently rushing her. 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. Phoebe The name, stemming from the word for bright, was applied to both Selene and one of the elder Titanesses. While other goddesses were associated with the night in more general terms, Selene was believed to be the embodiment of the moon herself. 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. 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. 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. [27], In late accounts, Selene (like the moon itself) is often described as having horns. The Theoi Project galleries contain more than 1,200 images of ancient Greek and Roman art. [31], Ampelus was a handsome young male satyr and the first love of the god Dionysus. However, Selene was not one of them. What Were the Hamadryads in Greek Mythology? The talkative Myia would sit with Endymion as he slept his eternal sleep, chattering endlesslyso much so that Endymion eventually woke up. 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. 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). Shining gold, her light was softer and more clear new and full moons, held in of! Mortal Endymion not often think about Selenes cyclical nature, however Selene then turned Lilaeus into a,... 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