Selene
Selene was the Titaness who drove the silver chariot of the moon across the night sky — she loved the mortal Endymion and visited him each night as he slept eternally.
The Myth of Selene
Selene drove her silver chariot drawn by two white horses across the night sky, sister of Helios and Eos, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. She fell in love with the beautiful shepherd Endymion and asked Zeus to grant him eternal sleep so he would never age or die. Each night she descended to his cave, and they had fifty daughters. Selene also bore the Nemean Lion (in some accounts), which Heracles strangled during his first labour. Pan once lured her into the woods of Arcadia by hiding in a white fleece. She was honoured at Athens and Corinth, and her light guided travellers through the darkness. In later tradition, Selene merged with Artemis and Hecate as three aspects of the moon goddess.
Parents
Hyperion and Theia
Symbols
Fun Fact
The element selenium (Se) is named after Selene — discovered alongside tellurium (named for the Earth), pairing Moon and Earth on the periodic table.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Selene
⚡ godTitaness of the moon
The Titaness who personified the moon, driving her silver chariot across the night sky. She fell in love with the mortal Endymion and visited him nightly as he slept.
Selene
🏔 titanTitan goddess of the moon
The Titan goddess who drove the silver chariot of the moon across the night sky, daughter of Hyperion and Theia.
Luna
⚡ godMoon, night, cycles
Roman goddess of the moon, equivalent to the Greek Selene
Goddess of the Moon
💭 conceptMoon, night sky, lunar cycles
Selene drives her silver chariot across the night sky, illuminating the world with reflected light.
Endymion
🗡 heroShepherd loved by the Moon
Endymion was a beautiful shepherd whom the moon goddess Selene loved so deeply that she asked Zeus to grant him eternal sleep — so she could gaze upon him forever.
Diana
⚡ godHunt, moon, wilderness, crossroads
Roman goddess of the hunt, the moon, and wild places, identified with the Greek Artemis
Helios
⚡ godTitan who drove the sun chariot daily
Helios was the Titan god who drove the chariot of the sun across the sky each day — seeing everything that happened on earth from his vantage point above.
Helios
⚡ godTitan god of the sun
The Titan who drove the sun chariot across the sky each day, providing light to the world. Helios saw everything that happened under the sun.
Hecate
⚡ godGoddess of crossroads, magic, and the moon
A powerful Titan goddess associated with crossroads, doorways, magic, witchcraft, and the night. Hecate was one of the few Titans honored by Zeus after the Titanomachy.
Achelois
🐉 creatureMoon, healing
Minor moon goddess or epithet meaning she who washes away pain, associated with lunar healing rites
Artemis
⚡ godGoddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon, childbirth
Twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the hunt. Artemis roamed the wild forests with her band of nymphs, fiercely protecting her virginity and the natural world.
Callisto
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
A moon of Jupiter named after Callisto, the nymph companion of Artemis who was transformed into a bear and placed among the stars as the constellation Ursa Major