For millennia, the moon goddess Selene has enchanted night skies and imaginations. In Greek myth, Selene represented the moon’s ethereal glow and mysteries.
Her beauty and cycles have captivated poets, artists, and astronomers through the ages.
In this article, we’ll explore Selene’s mythology and symbolism.
Selene exemplifies the moon’s magic and luminosity. She personified the moon itself in Greek mythology. She rode a moon chariot across the celestial sphere each night.
A Selene tattoo captures her radiance and the moon’s astrological significance.
Who is the Goddess Selene?
In ancient Greek mythology, Selene is the goddess of the moon itself. She is a Titan goddess, and is the daughter or Titans, Hyperion and Theia.
Each night, Selene rides a horse-drawn chariot across the sky, guiding the moon through its phases.
Unlike sun gods, Selene’s light offered illumination rather than warmth and life. Selene’s moonlight evoked beauty, mystery, imagination, and even madness.
As goddess of the moon, Selene oversees many realms including fertility, menstruation, motherhood, spellcasting, and spirit work. Her phases connect her to cycles, change, and new beginnings. Overall, Selene shines a light on the shadowy, magical aspects of existence.
The Selene Myth
There is no definitive Selene myth, but she appears in fragments across Greek literature. Some key Selene stories include:
– In Endymion myths, Selene falls in love with a handsome mortal she watches sleep. Zeus offers Endymion a choice – death or eternal sleep to remain youthful for Selene.
He is placed in an eternal sleep, and Selene visits him nightly. This Sleeping Endymion because a popular artistic subject.
– Selene bathed the ground in dew formed from moonlight to bring life and growth. Farmers relied on Selene’s dew for crops.
– Selene fell in love with the beautiful mortal Orion and tried chasing him across the sky. However, her brother Apollo became jealous and had Orion killed.
– Selene drove a silver chariot led by two winged horses across the night sky to pull the moon through its phases.
– Selene may have originated from lunar goddesses worshipped in Minoan culture like Mene.
-There are links between Selene and the goddess Artemis, with some myths suggesting that Artemis is the daughter (or double) of Selene, because of their shared association with the moon and hunting.
Overall, Selene stories emphasize her associations with love, fertility, moisture, and the moon’s entrancing light and cycles.
More Myths Involving Selene
Beyond key stories, Selene appears in other Greek mythic narratives:
– Pan spies on Selene bathing in a stream. To escape, she covers herself with thick reeds that become her sacred plant.
– Selene’s tears over her lover Orion’s death transform into amber gems on the shores when they drop into the sea.
– The jealous witch Medea treacherously murders Queen Creusa by sending her a cursed dress that burns her alive when exposed to Selene’s moonlight.
How to Connect with Goddess Selene’s Energy
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Want to connect to the moon goddess Selene? Here are some ideas for invoking her luminous energy:
– Create an altar decorated in shades of white, silver, blue, and purple representing moonlight. Include moon phases and crystals like moonstones.
– Perform moon rituals during the full or new moon when her power peaks. Light white and silver candles, and burn moon-inspired incense.
– Meditate or do moon bath rituals outdoors under the moonlight. Imagine Selene’s glow filling and empowering you.
– Chant Selene’s name during meditation. Visualize riding in her lunar chariot across starry skies.
– Keep a dream journal and look for insight from Selene on ways to embrace change and growth in your life.
What Greek Goddess Would You Like Us to Spotlight Next?
Let us know which goddess you’d love to see covered in a future article. Discovering their attributes helps us better understand ourselves.
And make sure to check out our other articles on Greek goddesses and female archetypes. Learning their myths grants wisdom on womanhood’s eternal cycles.
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