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In [[Greek mythology]], '''Selene''' (Σελήνη, "moon") was an ancient lunar deity and the daughter of the [[titans]] [[Hyperion]] and [[Theia]]. She was identified with the Roman moon goddess, '''Luna'''.
Like most moon deities, Selene plays a fairly large role in her pantheon. However, Selene was eventually largely supplanted by [[Artemis]], and Luna by [[Diana (mythology)|Diana]]. In the collection known as the [[Homeric hymns]], there is a ''Hymn to Selene'' (xxxii), paired with the hymn to Helios. Selene is described in [[Apollodorus]] 1.2.2; [[Hesiod]]'s ''[[Theogony]]'' 371; [[Nonnius]] 48.581; [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] 5.1.4; and [[Strabo]] 14.1.6, among others.
The etymology of ''Selene'' is uncertain, but if the word is of Greek origin, it is likely connected to the word ''selas'', meaning "light". (Karl Kerenyi (1951). ''The Gods of the Greeks'' (pp. 19, 197). The name is the root of ''selenology'', the study of the geology of the Moon. The chemical element selenium was also named after Selene.
