So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. 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. Here she is represented as a radiant goddess, wearing a crown and beautiful robes and riding a horse-drawn chariot across the night sky:įrom her immortal head a radiance is shown from heaven and embraces earth and great is the beauty that ariseth from her shining light. Perhaps the most colorful ancient description of Selene comes from Homeric Hymn 32 (the Homeric Hymn to Selene). Those that do exist are somewhat generic (like the previously mentioned epithets). Though Selene, as the moon, was undeniably important to the ancient Greeks, there are very few descriptions of her in literature. The Greeks (like many other ancient peoples) were notoriously terrified of eclipses, viewing them as signs of the gods’ displeasure. The phases of the moon-especially the new moon and the full moon-played a central role in the ancient Greeks’ understanding of time and agriculture.Īs the goddess that presided over the moon and its appearance in the sky, Selene was also connected with lunar eclipses. She was often associated with cycles of growth and agriculture, female menstruation, and mysterious diseases like epilepsy and demonic possession. In other words, Selene was the moon (similar to the Roman Luna or even the Norse Máni).Īs the moon, Selene occupied an important place in popular religion. But unlike other night goddesses-like Nyx, Hecate, and sometimes even Artemis-Selene represented the moon itself. Selene personified the moon and was one of the Greek goddesses of the night. Many of Selene’s epithets-including αἴγλη ( aíglē, “gleaming”), πασιφάη ( pasipháē, “all-shining”), and τανυσίπτερος ( tanysípteros, “long-winged”)-reflected her lunar qualities and other distinctive attributes.īut Selene was also called by many generic epithets that were used for other goddesses as well, including εὐπλοκάμος ( euplokámos, “she of the beautiful hair”), λευκωλένος ( leukōlénos, “white-armed”), γλαυκῶπις ( glaukôpis, “gray-eyed, bright-eyed,” an epithet most commonly associated with Athena), and κυανῶπις ( kyanôpis, “dark-eyed,” essentially the opposite of glaukôpis). Selene’s Roman counterpart was called Luna (from the Latin word meaning “moon”). Like Artemis, Selene was sometimes called Phoebe, a name that means “bright one.” 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. Selḗnē) was also the ancient Greek word meaning “moon.” The etymology is uncertain, but it appears to be related to the Greek word σέλας ( sélas, “light”) and the Proto-Indo-European word * l(o)uksneh₂- (“moon”), from which we also derive the Latin word for moon, luna. The name “Selene” (Greek Σελήνη, translit.
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