Ohayo minna! Good morning everyone! I'm Ami-sensei and I hope you all brought your notebooks and pens today because we will be studying classical mythology! Actually, mythology within Sailormoon, but either way, it's still educational...Anyways listen carefully and have fun!* Note from the editor: This may take awhile to load and I apologize greatly for that...however, I will try to separate this into two pages in the future^^; *
Selene-the goddess of the moon
Selene was the goddess of the moon and the daughter of Hyperion and Theia. Her twin brother is Helios. When night fell, she rose from the ocean with her chariot drawn by two white horses. She fell in love with a mortal youth named Endymion whom she put under an eternal sleep. She could then gaze upon for eternity. She was patron of magicians and is potrayed wearing a veil and cresent around her head. She is the Greek equivalent to Luna. Selene's Sailormoon characterization is Sailor Moon/Princess Serenity.
Luna-another moon goddess: Luna is the personified goddess of the moon. Later identified with Diana. She is the Roman equivalent of Selene and was more readily recognized in mythology than Selene and she was worshipped more than her counter part. Her Sailormoon characterization is of course, Luna, Sailor Moon's cat, shown shown right in her human form.
Artemis-Greek goddess of the moon & the hunt: Artemis is the goddess of virgins, the hunt and the moon. She turned the hunter Actaeon into a stag when he saw her bathing and so, was torn apart by his own hounds. Her Roman name is Diana but can also be called Cynthia, which refers to her birthplace, Mount Cynthus. She is the twin sister of Apollo and daughter to Leto and Zeus. In Sailormoon, Artemis is the (male) guardian cat of Sailor Venus, who is shown at left in human form.
Diana-Roman goddess of the moon & the hunt: Diana is the Roman goddess of the moon, the hunt, nature and childbirth. She is associated with the Greek Artemis and is one of the four different goddesses of that symolized the moon. In Sailormoon she is Chibi-usa's guardian cat as well as Luna and Artemis's kitten. Like her parents she also has a human form, which is what she would look like on her home planet of Mau.
Endymion was a shepherd boy and mortal lover to Selene, the moon goddess. She begged Zeus to put him into eternal sleep so as to embrace him forever. Zeus agreed and put him to sleep. Together they had 50 daughters. In Sailormoon, Endymion is Tuxedo Kamen/Prince Endymion and is in love with Sailormoon's equivalent to Selene.
Mercury was the god of trade and commerce. He is the Roman equivalent to Hermes. As a baby, he gained intelligence very quickly and could speak and cause mischief. He is the one responsible for the creation of the lyre (a small harp). In Sailormoon, Sailor Mercury shows the trait of intelligence from the god. You may also notice that in SuperS, her weapon is a harp.
Mars was the Roman god of war. He was very cruel and unrelenting and reveled in the sight of bloodshed. Among his companions were his sister Eris, the goddess of strife, his sons Phobos and Deimos and Enyo, the goddes of war. In Sailormoon, Sailor Mars portrays the god. In Greek mythology, he is refered to as Ares. Although she isn't very cruel of violent,she does have a knack for arguing. Also, she is accompanied by two crows (who are aliens from the planet Coronis) named Phobos and Deimos.
Jupiter was the ruler of all gods on Mount Olympus, their sacred home. He was the son of Cronus (Saturn) and Rhea. He dethroned his father and assumed leadership. He is brother to Hades (Pluto), Poseidon (Neptune), Hera (Juno) and Hestia (Vesta). In Greek mythology, he is refered to as Zeus. In Sailormoon, Jupiter is personified as Sailor Jupiter. They share the same element of lightning.
Venus was the Roman goddess of love and beauty, but was originally a goddess of gardens and vineyards. Aphrodite is her Greek name. She is the daughter of Zeus but some say she was born from the water, riding a clam ( as in Boticelli's The Birth of Venus) and had many lovers. In Sailormoon, Sailor Venus is the equivalent and some of her powers incidently, employ love and hearts.
Uranus was the personification of the sky in both Greek and Roman mythologies. He was the husband of Gaia (the earth). Their children consist of the Titans, the Cyclopes and the Hecantonchires. He was jealous of the future power of his children and threw them into the underworld. With the help of Gaia, Cronus dethroned his father. In Sailormoon, Sailor Uranus is the portrayed equivalent and uses powers that concern the sky and the earth.
Neptune was the god of the sea in Roman mythology. He was rather violent and could split the ground open with his trident and cause earthquakes and tidal waves that could sink ships. When he was in a calm mood he would instill calmness to the seas with his arms. He has only one son called Triton. He is the son of Cronus and Rhea and brother to Jupiter, Pluto, Juno and Vesta. In Sailormoon, the god's equivalent is Sailor Neptune. His Greek counterpart is Poseidon. Her powers have to do with the ocean and you will also notice that in the manga, her palace is called Triton palace.
Pluto or Hades was the god of the dead and the underworld, which is also refered to as Hades. Mortals who enter have little chance of returning, thus Pluto was seen as pitiless and cold. In Sailormooon, Sailor Pluto is the god's equivalent. Other than the fact that her fuku and name are dark, I couldn't find any other connections.
Saturn was the Roman god of agriculture and husband to the goddess Ops. In Greek mythology, he was known as Cronus. He was the father of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera and Hestia. He was the youngest of the twelve Titans and is the husband to his sister, Rhea and son of Uranus and Gaia. Zeus dethroned him and became ruler of the gods. In Sailormoon, Sailor Saturn is the equivalent. Other than the fact that she wields a glaive (equivalent to the god Saturn's scythe), I cannot find any other similarities. Anybody wanna help me out?
Left to right=Vesta, Juno, Pallas, Ceres
Vesta-the goddess of the hearth: Vesta was the Roman goddess of the hearth and home. She is one of the original five Olympian gods. She is sister to Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto and Juno and daughter of Cronus and Rhea. In Greek mythology, she is called Hestia. In the Sailormoon anime, she is one of the Amazoness Quartet, Vesves. In the manga, the Amazoness Quartet become Asteroid Senshi, Chibi-usa's protectors. She is Sailor Vesta.
Juno-the queen of the gods: Juno was the Queen of the gods. She was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, wife to Jupiter (her brother) and mother to Mars, Vulcan (Hephaestus) and Juventes (Hebe). She is the protector of females and childbirth and she is also called Hera in Greek mythology. In the Sailormoon anime she is Junjun of the Amazoness Quartet and later turned into Sailor Juno in the manga.
Pallas-a Titan: Pallas was one of the Titans. He was the son of Cronus and Rhea and the father of Zelus, Nike, Cratos and Bia and occasionally (?) Eos. He was a dear friend of Athena. She accidentally killed him so in his honour she united their names into one, hence Pallas Athena. In the Sailormoon anime the god's equivalent was Parapara of the Amazoness Quartet. In the manga she was then transfomed into Sailor Pallas.
Ceres-the goddess of the agriculture: Ceres was the Roman goddess of agriculture and maternal love. Also called Demeter (in Greek), she is the daughter of Cronus and the mother of Persephone. In the Sailormoon anime, she was Cerecere of the Amazoness Quartet and then in the manga she was transformed into Sailor Ceres.
Mnemosyne was the goddess and personification of memory. She was the daughter to Gaia and Uranus. She was the mother of the nine Muses by Zeus, her nephew. The Sailormoon equivalent is Sailor Mnemosyne. She only appears in the manga and the senshi of the planet Mnemosyne and the guardian of the river of memory. She is the twin sister of Sailor Lethe. Lethe is a river in Hades, ruled by the god of sleep, Hypnos. By drinking its waters induces forgetfulness. The Sailormoon equivalent is Sailor Lethe. She only appears in the manga. She is the senshi of the planet Lethe and the guardian of the river of forgetfulness. She also the twin sister of Mnemosyne.
Phobos is the personification of fear and terror. He was considered one of Ares' (Mars) sons. Deimos is Phobos' brother and is also the personification of fear. He is also one of Ares' sons and accompanied him in battle. In the Sailormoon manga and anime, Phobos and Deimos are Sailor Mars' two female pet crows. In the manga, however they are later revealed to be aliens from the planet Coronis.
