Greek Gods And Goddesses

Selene, our moon goddess: Beautiful, Caring, and Powerful
In Greek mythology, Selene (Greek Σελήνη) was an archaic lunar deity and the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. In Roman mythology, the moon goddess is called Luna, Latin for "moon".

The etymology of Selene is uncertain, but if the word is of Greek origin, it is likely connected to the word selas (σέλας), meaning "brightness".In modern times, Selene is the root of selenology.

Apollonius of Rhodes refers to Selene, "daughter of Titan", who "madly" loved a mortal, the handsome hunter or shepherd—or, in the version Pausanias knew, a king— of Elis, named Endymion, from Asia Minor. In other Greek references to the myth, he was so handsome that Selene asked Zeus to grant him eternal sleep so that he would stay forever young and thus would never leave her: her asking permission of Zeus reveals itself as an Olympian transformation of an older myth: Cicero (Tusculanae Disputationes) recognized that the moon goddess had acted autonomously. Alternatively, Endymion made the decision to live forever in sleep. Every night, Selene slipped down behind Mount Latmus near Miletus to visit him.[ Selene had fifty daughters, the Menae, by Endymion, including Naxos, the nymph of Naxos Island. The sanctuary of Endymion at Heracleia under Latmus on the southern slope of Latmus still exists as a horseshoe-shaped chamber with an entrance hall and pillared forecourt.

Though the story of Endymion is the best-known one today, the Homeric hymn to Selene (xxxii) tells that Selene also bore to Zeus a daughter, Pandia ("utterly shining"), goddess of the full moon. According to some sources, the Nemean Lion was her offspring as well. According to Virgil she also had a brief tryst with Pan, who seduced her by wrapping himself in a sheepskinand gave her the yoke of white oxen that drew the chariot in which she is represented in sculptured reliefs, with her windblown veil above her head like the arching canopy of sky. In the Homeric hymn, her chariot is drawn by long-maned horseslovers

Depictions
In post-Renaissance art, Selene is generally depicted as a beautiful woman with a pale face and long, lustrous, black hair; riding a silver chariot pulled by either a yoke of oxen, a pair of horses, or a pair of serpentine dragons. Often, she has been shown riding a horse or bull, wearing robes and a half-moon on her head and carrying a torch.(she is also viewed,sometimes,with silver eyes)

Representation
Selene is one third of the goddesses that make up the triple goddess symbol:

In Greek mythology, there are many goddesses associated with the moon. These include Selene, the personification of the moon itself, Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, and Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft.

Together, Artemis, Selene and Hecate embody the phases of the moon. Many depictions of Selene show her wearing a crescent moon, and one of Hecate's symbols includes the dark circle of the new moon.


 * The Maiden - waxing moon - Artemis, represents the huntress on earthArtemis - Selene - HecateAdded by Simplyme
 * The Mother - full moon - Selene, represents the moon in the heavens
 * The Crone - waning moon - Hecate, represents the underworld

Symbols
Selene's main symbol was the crescent. Animals that were associated with her were the Greek kyon (κύων, dog in Ancient Greek), the bull (& the cow), as well as the cock. These animals were Selene's followers during the night and the morning twilights. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Selene&oldid=464385948"
 * Theoi.com: Selene Passages from Greek texts, in translation

Abilities
She presumably had the same powers that Artemis has over the moon, but more advanced due to her being the very first lunar deity on top of being the moon incarnate (unlike Artemis who is just another moon (light) goddess). Selene may have had powers over childbirth and night. That last one outing itself in umbrakinesis which could be used to render herself invisible and bend shadows to her will. Selene also may have had hydro- and chronokinetic abilities due to her being the titaness of the moon (which influences the tides) and month respectively as well as the power to both induce and cure lunacy. Furthermore, like her brother Helios (and perhaps Eos), she problably was an impeccable archer.