Selene Research Paper

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Selene - Goddess of the Moon Selene, goddess of the moon, truly represented the moon itself to the Greeks. Although she counts as a goddess in her own right, Selene often gets associated with archer goddess, Artemis, who is also a moon goddess. These two goddesses have additional association with Hecate. According to GreekMythology.com, Selene is a Titan goddess. Titan gods and goddesses were actually the divine beings that preceded the Olympian gods and goddesses. The first of these divine beings emerged from the primordial and originally called Gaia mother and Uranus father. Titan Gods and Goddesses and Cross-Cultural Origins Among the first generation of the Titans were Phoebe, Themis, and Crius. Some of the stories about these gods and …show more content…

As such, she was revered as on of the most important deities for agriculture. Luna/ Selene was given a temple on Palatine Hill. A mystery cult revering Luna/ Selene rose up. This would support the assumption that the stories of goddesses like Luna/ Selene were part of ancient shamanistic rituals in daily life. These rituals started first in families and clans, according to the Met, and then were adopted by society itself until they were celebrated nationwide within the city-states of the ancient world. The Purpose of Mystery Cults Mystery cults in the ancient world have an air of secrecy to them. According to some scholars, these religious cults existed so that people could perform birth and death rituals. It should additionally be noted that Selene is also sometimes merges with Diana/ Artemis as the same goddesses. In this form, she then also becomes the goddesses of the hunt. However, even as the goddess of the hunt, she is ever and always still a moon goddess. Her Depiction According to the Theoi.com website, Selene (and her counterparts) are depicted in ancient art wearing a moon symbol (usually crescent.) While she is most often shown as riding horses, some portrayals have her driving an oxen team. When this happens, her crescent moon is formed from the bull’s

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