Selene
Selene is a Greek goddess of the moon, Selene is a winged, silvery woman who presides over night skies, sailing along in her chariot pulled by shining, winged white horses, cows or bulls (whose horns represent the crescent moon). Sometimes she sits astride a bull, horse or mule.
In contemporary Witchcraft, Selene is one aspect of the Triple Goddess, along with Diana (Artemis) and Hecate. Selene’s role in Greek mythology is minor. She is the daughter of Theia and Hyperion. In some myths she is the daughter of Theia and Helios, the sun god, and is the sister of Phoebus Apollo, who succeeded Helios as the sun deity. Other names for Selene are Phoebe and mene, the latter of which refers to her changing shape during the course of the lunar month.
The Greeks worshiped Selene at new and full moons, believing her to influence the fecundity of all life forms on earth. During the Hellenistic era, Selene (the moon) was the destination of the souls of the dead. The most significant myth of Selene is that of her fascination with her lover, Endymion, a magnificent youth who is a king, hunter or shepherd.
In the version recorded by Theocritus, a 3rd-century poet, Endymion falls asleep on mount Latmus and is observed by Selene, who falls in love with his beauty. She comes down from the sky and kisses him, bewitching him into immortal, deathless sleep so that she can visit him night after night into eternity. In other versions, Endymion wakes and is equally enchanted with Selene.
He begs Zeus to grant him immortality so that he can continue to love Selene, and Zeus does so on the condition that Endymion remain asleep forever. As an aspect of the Triple Goddess, Selene presides over the full moon, a seven-day period that lasts from three days before fullness to three days after, when certain kinds of Magic are at their greatest strength. It is Selene’s aspect that is invoked in the DrAwIng Down the moon ritual. Witches sometimes call upon her in magic related to finding solutions to problems.
SOURCE:
The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca – written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – Copyright © 1989, 1999, 2008 by Visionary Living, Inc.