Who was Selene?
Selene was the second generation of Titan gods and was revered as the goddess of the moon. She was one of the extraordinary number of gods and goddesses worshipped by the Ancient Greeks. Like her brother Helios, she rode, across the heavens in her gleaming chariot that was drawn by two white horses. Selene was depicted as a beautiful woman bearing a torch in her hand and trailing stars behind her and with the crescent moon on her head. The Titans were the descendents of the first gods or divinities, called the primordial or primeval gods, who were born out of Chaos. The children of the Titans included the famous Olympian gods who included Zeus, Hera, Hestia, Hades and Poseidon and are shown on the Titans Family tree. The legend and myth about Selene, the goddess of the moon, and the Titans has been passed down through the ages and plays an important role in the history of the Ancient World of Greece and the study of the Greek classics. Facts about Selene
Selene features in the Creation myth of the ancient Greeks which are based on the idea that these supernatural beings resembled mortals but possessed great magical and mystic powers. Name: Selene Alternate Names: Roman counterpart Luna Role & Function: The function of Selene is described as being the goddess of the moon Status: A goddess in the second dynasty of Titans Gender: Female Name of Consorts: Endymion and Zeus Name of Father: Hyperion Name of Mother: Theia Names of Brothers: Helios Names of Sisters: Eos Names of Children: Pandeia, Ersa, and Nemeia by Zeus. The Menae by Endymion
Selene and Endymion
The great love of Selene was Endymion who was depicted as either the king of Elis and Olympia, the home of the Olympic Games (or as a shepherd - refer to the Myth of Endymion). Selene fell in love with Endymion, but the jealous Zeus cast Endymion into eternal sleep. However, but Selene visited him in the cave where he slept, and he fathered her 50 daughters (one for each lunar month between the Olympiads) and, according to some accounts, Narcissus - refer to the Myth of Echo and Narcissus. The Children of Selene
The children of Selene the moon goddess of dawn was associated with two lovers, Zeus and Endymion. Her children were Pandeia, Ersa, and Nemeia by Zeus and the Menae by Endymion - Pandeia was a goddess of youth who was sometimes associated with the brightness of the full moon
- Ersa was the goddess of the dew
- Nemeia was the goddess of the town of Nemea
- The Menae were the 50 goddesses of the lunar months and the phases of the moon
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