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"). In fact, there were several female deities who shared this domain. 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. 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. Thus, Selene falling for Endymion was supposed to represent moonrise every night. 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. The Greeks recognized several goddesses as having a connection to the moon, but none was as closely associated with it as Selene. This irritated Endymion, and enraged Selene, who transforms the girl into a fly (Ancient Greek: , romanized:mua). Selene and Endymion, fresco on ceiling by Giuseppe Antonio Orelli, circa 1730-1770, Palazzo Riva. Helius, Selene, Eos, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Nike, Boreas, Zephyrus, Astra) GREEK VASE PAINTINGS GALLERY 8 (83 IMAGES) [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. Her lunar sphere or crescent was either a crown set upon her head or the fold of a raised, shining cloak. Selene is a Titan goddess. 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. Artemis is also a Goddess of the moon. Selene fought back the giant, locking horns with Typhon; afterwards, she carried many scars on her orb, reminiscent of their battle. In post-classical times, Selene was often identified with Artemis, much as her brother, Helios, was identified with Apollo. ", Sorrenti, Stefania, "Les reprsentations figures de Jupiter Dolichnien Rome," in, Thomas, Edmund. Her name is linked with those of various other goddesses, such as Artemis and Hecate, who are also associated with the moon. The counterpart to her brother, she traveled by night. Plato, Republic 2.364e; Philochorus, Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum (FHG) 1 frag. [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). If you thought Artemis was the Greek goddess of the moon, you are only partially right. This was known as the Gigantomachy. Multiple sources say that she had a hand in the creation of the Nemean Lion, whether that was only Selene working on her own or in conjunction with Hera. Deciphering the Role of Helios, the Sun God of Greek Mythology. 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. . [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. Seneca, Madness of Hercules 83; Hyginus, Fabulae 30; Aelian, On Animals 12.7 (citing Epimenides); etc. [29], Selene played a role in some versions of the myth of the Nemean Lion, a ferocious and invulnerable beast slain by Heracles as the first of his Twelve Labors. Rheinisches Museum Fr Philologie, vol. She began to do this every night, leaving her chariot behind and making the sky dark with her absence. The Moirai In some traditions the Fates were seen as three aspects of the lunar goddess. 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. [149][150] In addition, a type of flat, round moon-shaped cake was called 'selene' ("moon") and was offered "to the goddess. Because the Greek endyein meant "to dive," the name Endymion ("Diver") at first simply described the process of the setting sun "diving" into the sea. Selene is a Goddess in herself, but she is often associated with Artemis, the archer Goddess. [106], According to pseudo-Plutarch, Lilaeus was an Indian shepherd who only worshipped Selene among the gods and performed her rituals and mysteries at night. 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. [10] The Greek Stoic philosopher Chrysippus interpreted Selene and Men as, respectively, the female and male aspects of the same god. Like every celestial goddess , there was a yin to Selene's yang; In this case, there were two yins. [88], Ampelus was a very beautiful satyr youth, loved by the god Dionysus. Different sources vary as to whether the chariot was golden or silver, but a silver chariot would seem to fit better with the goddess of the moon. While her brother was clad in shining gold, her light was softer and more clear. Who were Zeus' Lovers? fr. [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. Helios was married to Perse, but he had quite a few extramarital affairs, and a number of children . And now thou thyself too hast part in a like mad passion; and some god of affliction has given thee Jason to be thy grievous woe. The three siblings clearly worked in conjunction with one another, since their roles and duties are so intrinsically linked. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Her list of powers are unmatched, as far as lunar goddesses go. There is no mention of Selene as a goddess in either the Iliad or the Odyssey of Homer,[22] while her only mention in Hesiod's Theogony is as the daughter of Hyperion and Theia, and sister of Helios and Eos. Zeus put Endymion into an eternal sleep so the goddess could see him forever as a beautiful young man. Names of the Goddess. Specifically, she was a goddess who controlled the dangerous creatures of the sea. Quintus of Smyrna, Posthomerica 10.336ff; cf. 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. Even if he were sleeping, he would not be parted from the goddess he loved by death. [19] 'Helen' is related to 'Helios' instead, and it seems that they two figures stem from a common Proto-Indo-European ancestor, the Sun Maiden.[20][21]. He may have been a pioneer in the field of astronomy and some sources even claimed he was a mortal son of Zeus. Updates? Orphism, Cosmogony, and Genealogy (Mus. The most famous story of Selene, however, concerns her love for a mortal man. [32], Selene was rarely worshipped, at least in earlier periods of ancient Greek history. 3. Both of these Goddesses are also associated with Hecate. A third version of the story had Endymion himself choose an ageless sleep as opposed to living a mortal life. This was the mythological explanation for the movement of the moon across the sky. [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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death The tale of Endymion and Selene is one that has resonated with people for millennia. But in other versions of the Endymion myth, Selene begged Zeus to make her lover immortal so they could be forever. Goddess Selene is often portrayed in art and in myths generally, riding a chariot across the sky. The talkative Myia would sit with Endymion as he slept his eternal sleep, chattering endlesslyso much so that Endymion eventually woke up. In the Homeric Hymn to Selene, she bears the beautiful Pandeic to Zeus, while Alcman says they are the parents of Herse, the dew. 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 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. Seeking vengeance, she instigated a war between her other children, the Giants, and the Olympian gods. E.g., Thucydides, Histories 7.50.4; Tacitus, Annals 1.28.1ff. 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. In memory of the beautiful Endymion, the fly still grudges all sleepers their rest and annoys them. She drives her moon chariot across the heavens. [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. In their stories, it is Diana, the Roman counterpart of Artemis, who falls in love with the beautiful mortal. The phases of the moonespecially the new moon and the full moonplayed a central role in the ancient Greeks understanding of time and agriculture. As the goddess of the division of the months, Selene was a goddess of time. [2] She was often associated with cycles of growth and agriculture, female menstruation, and mysterious diseases like epilepsy and demonic possession. Occasionally Selenes chariot was pulled by oxen or bulls, again differentiating it from the faster vehicle of her brother. Because Basileia's other brothers envied these offspring, and feared that Hyperion would try to seize power for himself, they conspired against him. This is a relatively late text. "[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. [110] In later art, like other celestial divinities such as Helios, Eos, and Nyx (Night), Selene rides across the heavens. Occasionally she asked her brother to take over her duties so she could spend more time on the ground with Endymion. [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. Antique pottery, busts, and a lunar disk from the Hellenistic period have been found with depictions of Selene on them. 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