The goddess of the moon does not seem to have been the object of much ritual worship in the early Greek period. Though Selene almost never appears in modern adaptations of Greek mythology, she is nonetheless present in pop culture as the personification of the moon. As punishment, he was either thrown out of Olympus or cast into an eternal sleep. The great English Romantic poet John Keats wrote a poem about the mortal, entitled Endymion, with some of the most famous opening lines in the English language. Goddess Selene is often portrayed in art and in myths generally, riding a chariot across the sky. [28], Another version is known only from Lucian, a satirical writer from the second century CE. Sometimes these were winged horses, although some later accounts had the chariot drawn by bulls. ", Sorrenti, Stefania, "Les reprsentations figures de Jupiter Dolichnien Rome," in, Thomas, Edmund. Selene, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, was the personification of the moon. According to Hesiods Theogony, Selene was born of Hyperion and Theia. Though Selene had many consorts, the most famous of them was Endymion, a handsome young mortal. [128], Originally, Pandia may have been an epithet of Selene,[129] but by at least the time of the late Hymn to Selene, Pandia had become a daughter of Zeus and Selene. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The Greek word Phoebe means bright and the word Cynthia means from Mount Cynthus which was said to be the birthplace of Artemis. Most famous classical poets describe her beauty as so intriguing that gods and mortals alike could not resist her godly charms. She is the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and sister of the sun-god Helios, and Eos, goddess of the dawn. The lunar goddess was also important for her influence over female fertility cycles and childbirth. They were even called by their names, Phoebe and Phoebus respectively, in some sources. It was only later, when Selene began to be conflated with other lunar goddesses, that she was openly worshiped. In later times, Selene was often associated with Artemis in the same way that her brother Helios was associated with Artemis brother Apollo. The cave in Anatolia where Endymion was said to sleep became a holy place for Selene. In this case, the story of Selene embracing Endymion, or Moon embraces Diver, refers to the sun setting and the moon rising. Indeed, the Greek comic playwright Aristophanes said in the 5th century BCE that the worship of the moon was a sign of barbarian communities and not to be emulated by the Greeks. 14)" in, Osborne, Robin, "Looking on Greek Style. Whenever the moon could not be seen in the night sky, it was because Selene had paused to take in Endymions beauty once again. Selene has a minor planet named after her, called 580 Selene. Hyginus, preface to Fabulae. Her chariot was made of shining silver, bringing soft, clear light each night. Selene was a beautiful goddess with long, flowing . Several lovers are attributed to her in various myths, including Zeus, Pan, and the mortal Endymion. Homeric Hymn 4.99100. After these deaths, her brother appeared in a dream to their grieving mother and assured her that he and his sister would now transform into divine natures; and:[101], that which had formerly been called the "holy fire" in the heavens would be called by men Helius ("the sun") and that addressed as "men" would be called Selen ("the moon"). Her request granted, Selene visited him regularly; some sources even reported that they had children together (see above).[27]. [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. [108], In antiquity, artistic representations of Selene/Luna included sculptural reliefs, vase paintings, coins, and gems. There are three different ways you can cite this article. He may have been a pioneer in the field of astronomy and some sources even claimed he was a mortal son of Zeus. Both Epimenides and the Greek philosopher Anaxagoras seem to use the exact words fell from the moon while speaking of the savage Lion of Nemea, Epimenides again using the words fair tressed Selene.. Her brother is Helios, the Sun and her sister is Eos, the Dawn. As the most important and visible features in the sky, the people of ancient Greece thought that Selene, goddess of the moon, and her brother Helios, god of the sun, were the ones responsible for the movement of the two celestial bodies across the sky. But on nights the moon could not be seen, there was a very good reason for her absence. Selene. Mythopedia, 7 Dec. 2022. https://mythopedia.com/topics/selene. The altars to Selene were few and far between. Hymn 31, To Helios, also speaks of the two sisters of Helios where the rich-tressed Selene is once again alluded to. But in the case of her daughters with Endymion, it is widely known that Selene gave birth to the fifty daughters known as the Menai. Kapach, Avi. In this aspect she was closely associated with Dionysus. However, Selene was not one of them. Several lovers are attributed to her in various myths, including Zeus, Pan, and the mortal Endymion. Lunacy takes its name from Selenes Roman counterpart, Luna. But the Greek cult of Selene grew more and more prevalent towards the end of the Hellenistic period (32331 BCE). There are a number of stories about the moon goddess Selene in Greek mythology, in association with the other Greek gods, especially Zeus. Updates? In memory of the beautiful Endymion, the fly still grudges all sleepers their rest and annoys them. The ancient Greeks saw her as the actual representation of the moon. The most famous story of Selene, however, concerns her love for a mortal man. Robert S. P. Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden: Brill, 2009), 2:131819. In the Homeric Hymn to Selene, she bears the beautiful Pandeic to Zeus, while Alcman says they are the parents of Herse, the dew. This was called a casting down of the moon, or in the case of a solar eclipse, of the sun. [2] She was often associated with cycles of growth and agriculture, female menstruation, and mysterious diseases like epilepsy and demonic possession. He soon discovered the source of Selenes distraction. H. G. Evelyn-White. In her later identification with Artemis, Selene came to be called Phoebe or Cynthia. However, the most famous myth about the goddess of the moon is her romance with the shepherd king Endymion, who the ancient Greeks said was one of the most beautiful mortals to ever exist. Occasionally Selenes chariot was pulled by oxen or bulls, again differentiating it from the faster vehicle of her brother. These two goddesses have additional association with Hecate. According to early Greek myths, Selene used to be a Titan goddess of the moon and Artemis used to be a goddess of hunting and animals. As the goddess of the division of the months, Selene was a goddess of time. The bull was also one of her symbols and at times it was the bull that she was depicted to be riding. Like most of the Titans, Selene was rarely worshipped in the ancient world. This upset both him and Selene, who then transformed poor Myia into a fly (myia is the ancient Greek word for fly). It is of course a tale that began in Ancient Greece, but the story of Endymion is one taken up with vigour by Renaissance artists and the imagery of the Moon goddesses visiting the eternal sleeping mortal was often repeated. Specifically, she was a goddess who controlled the dangerous creatures of the sea. [112], Selene was often paired with her brother Helios. The tale of Endymion and Selene is one that has resonated with people for millennia. Occasionally she asked her brother to take over her duties so she could spend more time on the ground with Endymion. Greek mythology, body of stories concerning the gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks. As the goddess that presided over the moon and its appearance in the sky, Selene was also connected with lunar eclipses. Only a handful of religious centers of Selene are known from the ancient world. Selene was not the only lunar goddess of the Greeks. Selene personified the moon and was one of the Greek goddesses of the night. The ancient Greeks believed that a lunar eclipse was the work of a witch, particularly the witches of Thessaly. This story seems to have made its way into Roman mythology as well since many of the greatest Roman scholars, from Cicero to Seneca, have written about it. Selenes role in this war was not only to fight against the giants. The goddess had one temple that was also an oracle near Thalamae in Laconia. Let's take a closer look at her story. [142] In Theocritus' second Idyll, a young girl invokes Selene in a love-spell. Selene was written off and Artemis became the goddess of the moon, hunting, and animals. 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. [109] In red-figure pottery before the early 5th century BC, she is depicted only as a bust, or in profile against a lunar disk. While we often think little of the moon today, in the ancient Greek world the moons cyclical movement through the sky played a central role in their concept of time. In the more familiar tradition, however, the Horae were the daughters of Zeus and Themis, and there were only three of them (even their names are completely different: Eirene, Eunomia, and Dike). The goddess of the hunt became associated with the moon and lunar cycles. The first mention of the moon goddess in Greek mythology was probably in the Homeric Hymns. 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. Privacy. Did a Lion-Headed Monster Exist in Greek Mythology. [116] Pausanias also reports seeing stone images of Helios, and Selene, in the market-place at Elea, with rays projecting from the head of Helios, and horns from the head of Selene. [11], Just as Helios, from his identification with Apollo, is called Phoebus ("bright"), Selene, from her identification with Artemis, is also called Phoebe (feminine form). [33] The Homeric Hymn to Helios follows this tradition: "Hyperion wedded glorious Euryphassa, his own sister, who bare him lovely children, rosy-armed Eos and rich-tressed Selene and tireless Helios",[34] with Euryphassa ("widely shining") probably being an epithet of Theia. Selene - or Luna as the Romans called her - is the goddess of the moon, driving a horse-drawn chariot across the night sky. In other versions, Endymion was actually taken to Mount Olympus. However, hers might not be a name that is quite as well-known. In her Full Moon state, she is Panselene or . 527532; Shear, pp. Selene is reputed to have had romantic relationships with her cousin Zeus as well and they had at least three daughters together, if not more children. Her name was spelt differently in the different dialects of the Greeks but the meaning was the same. [32], The usual account of Selene's origin is given by Hesiod in his Theogony, where the sun-god Hyperion espoused his sister Theia, who gave birth to "great Helios and clear Selene and Eos who shines upon all that are on earth and upon the deathless Gods who live in the wide heaven". Nonnus, Dionysiaca 12.1ff (who names Helios as the father of the Horae but does not name the mother). The Greek word for the moon was also the word used to delineate the months. What Were the Hamadryads in Greek Mythology? Watched over by nymphs and visited often by the goddess, it was marked by glowing moonstones and pure white rock. [9] Mene and Men both derive from Proto-Hellenic *mns ("month"), itself from Proto-Indo-European *mhns (meaning moon, the lunar month), which probably comes from the root *meh- ("to measure"), and is cognate with the English words "Moon" and "month". [78] In his dialogue between Aphrodite and Eros, Lucian also has Aphrodite admonish her son Eros for bringing Selene "down from the sky". [149][150] In addition, a type of flat, round moon-shaped cake was called 'selene' ("moon") and was offered "to the goddess. [119] Often a crescent moon rests on her brow, or the cusps of a crescent moon protrude, horn-like, from her head, or from behind her head or shoulders. Described by Pausanias, it contained statues of Pasipha and Helios. Museum of Classical Archaeology Databases. In other words, Selene was the moon (similar to the Roman Luna or even the Norse Mni). Their daughter Eos was the first to appear each day. [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]. The counterpart to her brother, she traveled by night. In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Selene (/slini/; Greek: pronounced[seln], meaning "Moon"[2]) is the personification of the Moon. Though Selene had many consorts, the most famous of them was Endymion, a handsome young mortal. 2. The bull panicked, threw Ampelus and gored him to death. Greek Gods / Helios. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Greek Mythology >> Galleries GALLERIES. Selene featured in few myths, with the most famous ones being the tales that tell of her lovers: Zeus, Pan and the mortal Endymion. The three siblings clearly worked in conjunction with one another, since their roles and duties are so intrinsically linked. That haunted cave [on Mount Latmos] of fair-haired Nymphai (Nymphs) where, as Endymion slept beside his kine, divine Selene watched him from on high, and slid from heaven to earth; for passionate love drew down the immortal stainless queen of night. Selene visited the sleeping Endymion where he lay alone in a cave everyday and had fifty daughters with him, the Menai, the personification of the Greek lunar months. The name of the moon goddess is surrounded by accounts of the consorts she had and their children. This eventually led to the identification of Selene with Artemis, also associated with fertility and the moon in various ways. That was a basic unit of how the Greeks measured time in the old days. See esp. She walked as quietly as possible to avoid frightening Endymion as he slept. Seln) was also the ancient Greek word meaning moon. The etymology is uncertain, but it appears to be related to the Greek word (slas, light) and the Proto-Indo-European word *l(o)uksneh- (moon), from which we also derive the Latin word for moon, luna. Who was Vesta, the Goddess of the Hearth? "[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. There are a few different versions of the myth. Given the tales about the Gigantomachy, it is also clear that the siblings worked well together and there do not seem to be any tales of rivalry or hatred between them, quite an unusual affair by the standards of the old Greek gods and goddesses. Many of these old communities followed the lunar calendar and that made the moon a center of their faith and worship in many ways. My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember (too long!) Eos represented the warm light that could be seen coming up above the horizon before the sun appeared in full. [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. She was often said to be the mother of the Horai, the personifications of the division of time and the seasons. 245 M-W; Pherecydes, FHG 1 frag. The fifty daughters of Selene and Endymion mark the fifty lunar months of the four year Olympiad Cycle. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. In post-classical times, Selene was often identified with Artemis, much as her brother, Helios, was identified with Apollo. Their daughter Eos was the first to appear each day. Selene is the goddess of the moon. For the people of old, natural phenomena was an important part of their worship. 200 (cited in the scholia on Aristophanes Frogs 1033); Orphica frag. Moon gods and goddesses have existed in all ancient pantheistic cultures for a very long time. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. Selene and Endymion by Sebastiano Ricci (1713). After all, mythology is storytelling at its finest. [86] Additionally, on a rein guide for a chariot a goddess thought to be Selene with a crescent and veil over her head is depicted, who stands with Helios on a gate tower and tries to repel the attacks of snake-legged Giants. Corrections? There are different versions of this story. These three lunar goddesses were all important to the Greeks in different ways but it was only Selene who was considered the moon incarnate herself. However, in the science fiction book The First Men on the Moon by H.G. Pandia Usually said to be the daughter of Selene and Zeus, Pandia was also sometimes given as another name for Selene herself. In many paintings and sculptures, Selene is traditionally depicted with the crescent moon in her vicinity. fr. Both Theocritus in his second Idyll and Pindar write about how young women would pray to or invoke spells in the name of the moon goddess for help with their love lives. [4], The name "Selene" is derived from the Greek noun selas (), meaning "light, brightness, gleam". This claim has been takenby Plutarch at first, and subsequently by modern astronomersto mean that she could predict the time and general area where an eclipse of the Moon would occur. Selene, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, was the personification of the moon. Although in most myths, the Horae appear to be triads born of Zeus and Themis, in this particular incarnation they were the daughters of Selene and Helios. Selene the moon goddess was a minor figure in ancient Greek mythology. Although Endymion slept for eternity, many sources said Selene continued to see him. From her immortal head a radiance is shown from heaven and embraces earth; and great is the beauty that ariseth from her shining light. Selene, the moon goddess, was reputed to have had many children by various fathers. Most of the important Greek gods and goddesses had temple sites of their own. [127] Selene (along with Helios, Nyx and others) received an altar at the sanctuary of Demeter at Pergamon, possibly in connection with the Orphic mysteries. "[2][150][151], The ancient Greeks called Monday "day of the Moon" ( ) after her. She was depicted as a woman riding sidesaddle on a horse or driving a chariot drawn by a pair of winged steeds. Selene was represented on the pedestal of the throne of Zeus at Olympia, riding on a horse or a mule; 12 and at Elis there was a statue of her with two horns. [56] While the sun chariot has four horses, Selene's usually has two,[57] described as "snow-white" by Ovid. Selene - The Moon Goddess - Greek Mythology - See U in History Art: Marcus AquinoColor: Rod Fernandes#GreekMythology #Mythology #SeeUinHistory #History #Myth. Thus, both the sun and the moon were seen as gods embodied in those forms. Secretive and shy, she enjoys flitting silently through the night with a pearl-white or silvery chariot. She is often linked with Endymion, whom she loved and whom Zeus cast into eternal sleep in a cave on Mount Latmus; there, Selene visited him and became the mother of 50 daughters. With Zeus she is the mother of Pandeia goddess of dew. Many of Selenes epithetsincluding (agl, gleaming), (pasiph, all-shining), and (tanyspteros, long-winged)reflected her lunar qualities and other distinctive attributes. To cite this article in an academic-style article or paper, use: Rittika Dhar, "Selene: The Titan and Greek Goddess of the Moon", History Cooperative, September 20, 2022, https://historycooperative.org/selene-greek-goddess-of-the-moon/. Selene was so enamored of the young man that she left the sky to see him more closely. Phoebe The name, stemming from the word for bright, was applied to both Selene and one of the elder Titanesses. Selene was more than just a lunar goddess, she was the embodiment of the moon and its light. Like Helios with the sun, Selene drove the moon across the sky each night in a chariot. [97] Hyginus says that Selene had "nourished" the lion in a "two-mouthed cave". But unlike other night goddesseslike Nyx, Hecate, and sometimes even ArtemisSelene represented the moon itself. As the embodiment of the moon, Selene and the movement of her chariot across the night sky was important for the Greeks to measure time. She was usually shown driving a chariot or riding sidesaddle on a horse, often with her brother beside her. [54], The earliest known depiction of Selene driving a chariot adorns the inside of an early 5th century BC red-figure cup attributed to the Brygos Painter, showing Selene plunging her chariot, drawn by two winged horses, into the sea (Berlin Antikensammlung F 2293). She began to do this every night, leaving her chariot behind and making the sky dark with her absence. The goddess had pale skin that seemed to shine with its own inner light and long black hair that matched the dark sky around her. But Selene was also called by many generic epithets that were used for other goddesses as well, including (euplokmos, she of the beautiful hair), (leuklnos, white-armed), (glaukpis, gray-eyed, bright-eyed, an epithet most commonly associated with Athena), and (kyanpis, dark-eyed, essentially the opposite of glaukpis). The chemical element Selenium was named after Selene by Jns Jacob Berzelius, because of the element's similarity to the element tellurium, named for the Earth (Tellus).[156][157]. The name Selene is also quite popular in the English-speaking world. Although she counts as a goddess in her own right, Selene often gets associated with archer goddess, Artemis, who is also a moon goddess. Who were Zeus' Lovers? Some nymphs in Greek mythology were famous, but others were only known in a certain time Apollo: The God of Music, Poetry, and Light, Hecate Greek Goddess of Witchcraft : The Complete Guide. [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. The crescent moon, full moon, and dark moon corresponded to the three states of being embodied by the Fates. [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. Helios, the son of Hyperion and Theia, was their second child. Accessed March 1, 2023. Hill, D. E. "THE THESSALIAN TRICK." Pandia (or Pandia Selene) may have personified the full moon,[130] and an Athenian festival, called the Pandia, usually considered to be a festival for Zeus,[131] was perhaps celebrated on the full moon and may have been associated with Selene. [59] Though the moon chariot is often described as being silver,[60] for Pindar it was golden. According to Lucian, Selene had a rival for Endymions love named Myia. Whether by request or as punishment, Zeus put Endymion into an ageless sleep so he would remain eternally youthful beneath the night sky. Selene leaving her chariot, Roman mosaic, Andalusia. The talkative Myia would sit with Endymion as he slept his eternal sleep, chattering endlesslyso much so that Endymion eventually woke up. Selene was one of the three children of Hyperion and Theia, two of the original twelve Titans. At night he drove below the edge of the world in the west, circling below Gaia to reappear on the eastern horizon by morning. Selene goddess of the moon, Athenian red-figure kylix C5th B.C., Antikensammlung Berlin. [158] HMS Selene (P254), a 1944 British submarine and Ghia Selene, a concept car from the Ghia design studio from 1959, also bore her name. 1. Like every celestial goddess , there was a yin to Selene's yang; In this case, there were two yins. Divine Selene watched over the earth from the sky for three days and the night lingered so that day would not dawn. Pan, the god of the wild, supposedly seduced Selene while dressed in a sheepskin. 1999, Mark P. O. Morford, Robert J. Lenardon, Classical Mythology, page 43, Balancing Arria is the union of Selene and Endymion. [10] The Greek Stoic philosopher Chrysippus interpreted Selene and Men as, respectively, the female and male aspects of the same god. [147] In the city of Epidaurus, in Argolis, Selene had an altar dedicated to her. Attic red-figure kylix showing Selene riding the chariot of the moon, drawn by two winged horses. Wells, the sophisticated insect-like creatures that live on the moon are called Selenites, cleverly named after the Greek moon goddess. Zeus put Endymion into an eternal sleep so the goddess could see him forever as a beautiful young man. [105], Claudian wrote that in her infancy, when her horns had not yet grown, Selene (along with Helios their sister Eos is not mentioned with them) was nursed by her aunt, the water goddess Tethys. [134], Selene was sometimes associated with childbirth, for it was believed that during the full moon women had the easiest labours; this helped in her identification with the goddess Artemis,[138] as well as other goddesses connected to women's labours. According to Hesiods Theogony, her parents were the Titans Hyperion and Theia; her brother was Helios, the sun god (sometimes called her father); her sister was Eos (Dawn). Hypothesis to the scholia on Pindars Nemean Odes. Hesiod, Theogony 371ff; Apollodorus, Library 1.2.2; etc. [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. Her list of powers are unmatched, as far as lunar goddesses go. Often when one god supplanted another in a particular domain, the stories that involved that god were changed to reflect this. [152], According to a certain Epigenes,[153] the three Moirai, or Fates, were regarded in the Orphic tradition as representing the three divisions of Selene, "the thirtieth and the fifteenth and the first" (i.e. Chiswick House, London, UK. It seems that Selene was not uninvolved in the twelve tasks of Heracles either. The name Selene is probably derived from the Greek selas, meaning "light".She was also called Mene, which means "month" referring to the lunar month which was calculated from the new moon to the dark moon and Phoebe, meaning "bright". 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. As the moon, Selene occupied an important place in popular religion. [102], Plutarch recorded a fable-like story in which Selene asked her mother to weave her a garment to fit her measure, and her mother replied that she was unable to do so, as she kept changing shape and size, sometimes full, then crescent-shaped and others yet half her size. Selene was the goddess of the moon. Attributes to the Byrgos Painter, ca. 3 (cited in the scholia on Apollonius of Rhodes Argonautica 4.57). Selene's Role She was the goddess of the moon, which she drove every night across the skies. [25], Two other sources also mention her hair. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [114] From Pausanias, we learn that Selene and Helios also framed the birth of Aphrodite on the base of the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. Indeed, it reflects the fascinating way the Greeks observed the . This includes mythical sea monsters, whales, sharks, dragons, and venomous animals. Nonnus describes how, as Ampelus was riding a bull, he made the mistake of comparing himself to Selene. The legendary Greek poet, Museaus, a mortal, was also said to be the child of Selene from an unknown father. 127 ff (trans. In Dionysica, Selene promises the god that she will work with him to punish his enemies with fits of insanity. [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. [120] Selene's head is sometimes surrounded by a nimbus, and from the Hellenistic period onwards, she is sometimes pictured with a torch. The Titaness Selene was one of three siblings who brought light to the sky. Is the Mother of Castor and Pollux a Goddess? 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"). Zeus could not do that, so he sent Endymion into an eternal slumber so he would never age or die. In some later accounts, she is known as the Horned Selene, perhaps due to the crescent moon upon the crown of her head. [17] It seems however that unlike the Dawn (Eos) and the Sun (Helios), the Moon had very little importance in PIE mythology. 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