Selene. Goddess of the moon in Greek mythology.
Selene captivated the hearts of ancient poets authors and orators becoming as much a symbol of the glorious night as the proverbial light in the darkness.
Selene was the original and principal moon goddess in early ancient Greek mythology. She was considered by the ancient Greeks to be the physical personification of the moon not merely the symbol or emblem of it.
Selene was considered the all-seeing eye of the night because the moon would always be visible in the night sky and no one could run from it.
She also had the power to give sleep to mortals by allowing them to have a period of the day with no sun. Selene represents constant change. As the moon would go through different phases each month Selene personified life’s constant changes.
Another power that Selene possessed was the ability to allow mortals to dream while they slept. She would often visit mortals in their sleep and give them an answer to a question they may have been asking.
Unlike most major Greek goddesses Selene did not have temple sites of her own. As a moon goddess she could be seen from almost everywhere.
As time passed and the Archaic Period of Greece became the Early Classical Selene slowly came to be replaced by the younger Greek goddess Artemis. It was not long before Artemis took over the role of moon goddess and though Selene was never forgotten by the Classical Period (fifth to fourth century BCE) she was frequently interchanged with Artemis until she passed into the old generation of usurped Titans.