Mene (Ancient Greek: Μήνη, romanized: Mḗnē, lit. '"moon, month"', pronounced [mɛ̌ːnɛː]), in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, is an epithet of Selene, the Greek lunar goddess as a goddess presiding over the months.[1]

Etymology

The Greek word μήνη (mēnē) means both the Moon and the lunar month.[2] It represents the feminine form of the older masculine noun μήν (mēn), which in turn derives from the oblique stem of the Indo-European word *meh₁nōt ("moon; month").[3] The name of the Phrygian moon-god Men derives from the same word.[4] Further cognates include "Moon" and "Máni."

William Smith writes of Mene as "a goddess presiding over the months".[5] Apostolos Athanassakis and Benjamin Wolkow speculate that Selene's name, which is derived from the word σέλας (selas, "light") and thus means "luminous one", might have originally developed as a euphemism, before becoming the Moon and its goddess's proper name.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Hard, p. 46; Oxford Classical Dictionary, s.v. Selene; Smith, s.v. Selene.
  2. ^ Athanassakis and Wolkow, pp. 90, on lines 1–2, 91, on line 5; Kerényi, p. 197
  3. ^ Beekes 2009, p. 945.
  4. ^ Oxford Classical Dictionary, s.v. Selene; Kerényi, p. 197.
  5. ^ Smith, s.v. "Mene"

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