Selenity and the Stars
Several millennia ago, many powerful creatures roamed the universe, looking for a place to rule in happiness and prosperity. They were the great Greek and Roman gods, and they truly were all-powerful. They were immortal and gifted with the knowledge of using their spirit energy to perform powerful magic.
These gods had been searching for what seemed like an eternity, but finally found a place to settle down. It was a small planet, one which we now call Earth. The planet Earth had salty, royal blue oceans, vibrant emerald plants, and a variety of wildlife. The gods found that the simple planet suited their needs. Every god was given a specific task and given a title. All they needed were rulers to keep balance between the supreme beings, and so, the King and Queen were appointed.
Life seemed to be going very well, everyone was happy and there was plenty to do, but something was missing. One of the gods came up with the idea of creating lesser individuals to honor them, and the idea blossomed. Each god was to fashion a prototype and take it to the court so that one may be chosen.
The chosen model was the result of collaboration between Prometheus, the titan god, and Athena, goddess of crafting and wisdom. Prometheus molded small figurines from wet clay and Athena breathed life into the clay. The figures were similar to the gods in structure, although diminutive in comparison and lacking of any spirit energy. They were named humans, after the Latin phrase, homo hominus, meaning ‘appertaining to man’.
The humans gradually grew accustomed to life on earth. A large part of their day-to-day was honoring the gods; they were very busy not to offend them and preferred to build them shrines and pray to them. The gods thrived on the attention and were very pleased by their decision.
The gods were honored by status, therefore; the King's sister was a very important figure. The King of the gods, Zeus, was also the god of the sky; his sister was Selene, the titan goddess of the moon. On one occasion, Selene spilled sparkling stardust into a pool of moonlight, and a young goddess emerged with a blinding flash. Selene named her Selenity and brought her before Zeus. Zeus gave Selenity the title of goddess of the soul and of purity. Selene took care of her as one would a daughter. Together they took on the role of goddesses of the moon. Their job was to ride the moon across the night sky; it was quite a simple task as the moon and the Earth hung close to each other, connected by a thin, icy bridge.
Selenity was gifted with incredible beauty which rivaled even Aphrodite’s; she had long, silvery-blonde hair, fragile skin of a pale rose colour, and striking aquamarine eyes. Selenity’s appearance contrasted greatly with the somber looks that were common to the gods and she stood out amongst the crowd. Selenity was sought after by many, but rejected all of her suitors. One of her talents as goddess of the soul was the ability to sense true intentions; she knew that she was seen as a prize to be won, not loved. Selenity longed for someone to love her, but knew it would not be so. She had gone to the oracle and had received news that it was forbidden for her to be with her soul mate. Selenity was devastated at the thought and began to draw into herself; her previously silky hair stiffened to a coarse texture, her eyes were constantly glossed with unshed tears, and her skin became translucent from her grief.
One night, as Selenity and Selene swept the silvery moon off the midnight canvas of the sky, Selenity's wandering gaze fell upon a young man. Her mother had warned her not to fall for a human since going against the Great Law was punishable as treason; the mere thought had always seemed ridiculous but now she found herself captivated by the mortal. The young man had a tall frame, dark ebony locks, lean muscles, and stunning sapphire eyes. He was known to his people as Endymion.
Over the course of the years, Selenity fell deeply in love with Endymion, and had no doubt that this was her soul mate. She looked forward to every night when she would be able to watch Endymion as he slept. Alas, now she understood the oracle, they never could be together. She was a goddess, and he a mere human.
She knew however, that she had to see him. He was her love, her soul, her other half. Selenity came up with a plan and put it into motion the next day. She used her powers to disguise her soul in a faux mortal body. Each day, as her mother slept, she would conceal her godly aura and steal down to the mortal world. There, the disguise would shimmer over her, leaving her a bubbly blonde with hair like spun gold, indigo-coloured eyes, and long, willowy limbs.
Going by the name Selena, she’d casually bumped into him in the market. Endymion, as polite as he was, helped her up and invited her to dinner from which she’d gracefully declined seeing as she could only eat ambrosia, the food of the gods. They ended up walking in fields of flowers, and became great friends. They continued to meet regularly and gradually, he fell in love with her as well. Selenity’s condition had greatly improved and she was more beautiful than she had ever been. This attracted many young gods, asking for her hand. Of course, she denied them all.
After a while of these scandalous meetings, Selenity began to confide in her friend Nemesis; telling her all about her precious Endymion. However, Selenity was too trusting and blinded by her love to realize what she had done. Nemesis was the goddess of jealous acts and revenge, and snidely informed Zeus of Selenity’s situation. When Selenity found out, she fled to Endymion, to be with him in her last moments.
She came to him in haste, looking about with fear in her eyes. Endymion drew her to his chest as comfort and she threw herself into his embrace, sobbing into his chest.
“Selena, my dear, what's wrong?” The concern in his voice was plain to hear and she looked up at him with tearful eyes.
“Endymion, I love you, but a force greater than you could ever imagine is drawing us apart.”
There was a clash of thunder, and dark clouds rolled in at an unnatural speed; lighting streaked across the sky as a great thundering voice was heard from the heavens. Endymion tried to tug Selenity under a tent to take cover from the storm but she stood her ground, accepting her fate.
“Daughter of the moon goddess, you have been charged for consorting with mortals. Come forth and receive your punishment.”
Whispers were heard all around as Endymion drew Selenity even closer to him and she pleaded for his forgiveness.
“Forgive me, my love for not telling you.”
All she received was a strange look from her beloved before a blinding light came forth. The light pushed Selenity and Endymion apart, shocking them when they reached for the other.
When the light dispersed, a tall man stood in the clearing. He had gray eyes and firm skin; he wore a golden toga. In one hand, he held a large, golden spear, shaped like a lightning bolt. His calculating eyes spotted Selenity and narrowed as he waved his free hand in an intricate movement. Selenity, who had reclaimed her spot by Endymion’s side, was wrenched from his embrace by strong winds. She was set down on her knees before the man and he looked down at her with a mixture of pity and disappointment in his eyes.
She glared up at him, uttering two small words, “Hello, Zeus.”
“Go ahead; show your true form, daughter of my sister. Show your lover who you truly are.” His cruel statement made her eyes widen in surprise as she looked back at the man in question, seeing him step back in fear.
She hung her head in defeat and stood to her feet. With a flash of opaque mist, she appeared in her true form. Her golden hair turned silvery and her clothes morphed into decorative silver robes, she bowed stiffly to Zeus and turned to Endymion.
Gazing at him with her beautiful, mourning eyes, she spoke, her voice ringing true, “I am Selenity, goddess of purity and the soul. I am the daughter of Selene, original goddess of the moon.”
A pointed look from Zeus prompted her to continue, “I, Selenity, daughter of Selene, formally recognize my rightful punishment for the treacherous deeds I have committed. I admit to associating with humans and accept that it was not in my right to do so without divine acknowledgement, whatever the occasion may be.” Her eyes flashed dangerously, “I am not remorseful for my actions and would follow the same path given the chance. Endymion is my soul mate; fate will bring us together.”
Endymion’s eyes widened and pooled with love and acceptance and she sagged in relief. Zeus, however, wasn't as accepting. His eyes narrowed and crashed his spear to the ground, forcing the moon to come out of hiding.
The moonlight shone around her form as she received the punishment she had wrought unto herself. Selenity’s last whispered words were heard softly, a mere whisper on the wind.
“I will find you once again; I promise you that we will be together again, if not in this life, then in the next.”
Then she gave a small smile and disappeared completely, melting into the gleaming pool of moonlight.
Zeus’s eyes flashed once and he spoke in a grave voice, “It is done. The path of destiny has been sealed, and Selenity confined to the moon for eternity. Let fate do as destiny commands.”
He swept his imperious gaze over the locals, nodded once to Endymion and in a clash of thunder, was gone.
Selenity appeared on the barren moon, and looked around, feeling lonely for the very first time. It was in this moment that Selenity realized she would no longer have any communication with anyone else; she wouldn’t even get to say goodbye to her mother! Out of the purity of her soul, she took a deep breath and completed the last phase of her punishment, letting out her own magic; enveloping the moon in a heavy haze and sending it into outer space, far from Earth. And ever since that day, the silver moon has hung high in the sky.
Only then, when the severity of her situation had finally caught up to her did Selenity allow her tears to fall. And fall they did, twinkling, crystalline teardrops, speeding towards the Earth, and as fast as they were falling, Selenity's magic caught them, and they hung, suspended in midair. Ever since then, humans have looked up every night, to see the silver moon surrounded by her teardrops, her stars, as they hung, suspended in midair.