Ancient Greek Moon Goddesses - Supermoon
Thoughts: in Ancient Greece the Sun was represented as Male and hence the Moon as Female.
By Alexios Demos on May 8, 2020
May Supermoon | Goddess Selene | Athens, Greece | © Copyright 2021 Alexios Demos
In Ancient Greece, there were three goddesses associated with the moon & these were Artemis, Selene, and Hecate. In classical Greece, Artemis is generally fused with Selene (who had few temples dedicated to her),
“Selene’s name linguistically likely has roots in the Greek word “Σέλας - Selas” that translates to “Light”. ”
Oddly Aristotle (384-322 BC) believed that the full moon could cause insanity & epilepsy due to his observation of the Moon’s correlation with tides.
May Supermoon | Full Moon Progression 81.3% - 99.9% | Athens, Greece | © Copyright 2021 Alexios Demos
Ancient Greek Moon Goddesses - Supermoon
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I present to you the Rising May Full “Flower” Moon which marks the last Supermoon for 2020! As archaeological sites in Greece re-open after quarantine on May 18th I would like to post a current photograph and link it to Greek Mythology! In Ancient Greece, there were three goddesses associated with the moon & these were Artemis, Selene, and Hecate. In classical Greece, Artemis is generally fused with Selene (who had few temples dedicated to her), however, Selene is the only of the three that was viewed as the true embodiment of the moon itself as becomes evident by Roman times when she becomes the goddess Luna and her status is reaffirmed. All three deities as you may have noticed were female (girl power) as in ancient Greece the sun was represented as male and hence the moon female. Selene’s name linguistically likely has roots in the Greek word “Σέλας - Selas” that translates to “Light”. This was fitting as in myth similarly to Apollo, Selene; daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia drives her celestial chariot with two white horses up to the heavens to illuminate the night sky!
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The moon was fascinating to Greek philosophers as Anaxagoras (510-420 BC) claimed a groundbreaking view of the time that the moon & the sun were objects rather than gods which was clearly heretical 2,500 years ago and resulted in his exile from Athens! His extensive observation of the moon led him to believe that light was reflected upon the moon, from the sun a “burning rock” as he viewed it and claimed in his words, “it is the sun that puts brightness into the moon.” His true contribution to science is that his realization transforms this natural phenomenon into a geometric riddle which he solves to explain lunar phases and eclipses! To this day just like in the ancient world, we measure time in 30day months which are of course approximately the duration of a lunar cycle.
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Oddly Aristotle (384-322 BC) believed that the full moon could cause insanity & epilepsy (due to his observation of the Moon’s correlation with tides and the accurate belief that the brain is mostly composed of water, in fact, it is 75%). Aristotle's view that the full moon causes insanity in susceptible individuals, in fact, persisted through time and explains the origins of the modern-day word Lunacy – Luna (moon)! I don't know about you but I definitely feel different, a little crazier when it's a full moon! What are your thoughts?
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Equipment: Camera Body: Canon EOS 77D & Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L
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Shooting Times: (Waxing Gibbous Phase) (Image Above)
Moon Illumination 81.3% - 4/5/2020 - 23:30
Moon Illumination 90.0% - 5/5/2020 – 20:45
Moon Illumination 99.9% - 8/5/2020 - 02:15
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Shooting Times: (Waxing Gibbous Phase) (Image Below)
Moon Illumination 99.9% - 7/5/2020 - 21:15
Moon Illumination 99.9% - 7/5/2020 – 22:15
Moon Illumination 99.9% - 8/5/2020 - 02:15
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