In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Selene (/sɪ

ˈliːniː/; Greek: Σελήνη pronounced [selɛ̌ ːnɛː] seh-LEH-neh, meaning "Moon")[2] is the goddess and
personification of the Moon. 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. She
drives her moon chariot across the heavens. Several lovers are attributed to her in various
myths, including Zeus, Pan, and the mortal Endymion. In post-classical times, Selene was often
identified with Artemis, much as her brother, Helios, was identified with Apollo.[3] Selene and
Artemis were also associated with Hecate and all three were regarded as moon and lunar
goddesses, but only Selene was regarded as the personification of the Moon itself.
Her equivalent in Roman religion and mythology is the goddess Luna.[4]

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Etymology and origins[edit]

Names[edit]

Detail of a sarcophagus depicting Endymion and

Selene, shown with her characteristic attributes of lunate crown, billowing veil (velificatio)
and heavenly chariot, from 3rd century AD, Roman Empire period. [5]

The name "Selene" is derived from the Greek noun selas (σέλας), meaning "light, brightness,
gleam".[6] In the Doric and Aeolic dialects, her name was also spelled Σελάνα (Selána)
and Σελάννα (Selánna) respectively.[2]
Selene was also called Mene.[7] The Greek word mene, meant the moon, and the lunar month.
[8]
The masculine form of mene (men) was also the name of the Phrygian moon-god Men.[9] Mene
and Men both derive from Proto-Hellenic *méns ("month"), itself from Proto-Indo-
European *mḗh₁n̥ s (meaning moon, the lunar month), which probably comes from the
root *meh₁- ("to measure"), and is cognate with the English words "Moon" and "month". [10] The
Greek Stoic philosopher Chrysippus interpreted Selene and Men as, respectively, the female and
male aspects of the same god.[11]
Although no clear attestation for Selene herself (or any prodecessor of hers) has been
discovered yet in Mycenaean Greek, the word for month 'men' has been found in Linear
B spelled as 𐀕𐀜 (me-no, from genitive form μηνός, mēnós).[12]
Just as Helios, from his identification with Apollo, is called Phoebus ("bright"), Selene, from her
identification with Artemis, is also called Phoebe (feminine form). [13] Also from Artemis, Selene
was sometimes called "Cynthia", meaning "she of Mount Cynthus" (the birthplace of Artemis).[14]
Origin[edit]
Selene, along with her brother, her sister and the sky-god Zeus, is one of the few Greek deities
of a clear Proto-Indo-European origin, although they were sidelined by later non-PIE newcomers
to the pantheon, as remaining on the sidelines became their primary function, to be the minor
deities the major ones were juxtaposed to, thus helping keep the Greek religion Greek. [15]
The original PIE moon deity has been reconstructed as *Meh₁not (from which 'Mene', Selene's
byname, is derived),[16] and it appears that it was a male god.[17] The Greek offshoot of this deity
however is female, as the ancient Greeks' gender view of the world was reflected in their
language. The ancient Greek language had three grammatical genders (masculine, feminine and
neuter), so when a god or a goddess personified an object or a concept, they inherited the
gender of the corresponding noun; selene, the Greek noun for 'Moon', is a feminine one
(whereas men is a masculine one), so the deity embodying it is also by necessity female. [18] In
PIE mythology, the Moon, which is a male figure, was seen as forming a pair–usually wedlock–
with the Sun, which is a female figure, and which in Greek mythology is recognized in the male
deity and Selene's brother Helios.[19] It seems however that unlike the Dawn (Eos) and the Sun
(Helios), the Moon had very little importance in PIE mythology.[17][20]
Although attempts have been made to connect Selene to Helen of Troy due to the similarity of
their names, in two early dedications to Helen from Laconia her name is spelled with
a digamma (Ancient Greek: Ϝελένα, romanized: Weléna), ruling out any possible connection
between them.[21] 'Helen' is more likely related to 'Helios' instead, and it seems that the two
figures stem from a common Proto-Indo-European ancestor, the Sun Maiden. [22][23]