The Immortal Gazette: Selene – The Moon Goddess
The moonlight filtered softly through the windows, casting a silvery glow upon the gathering in the room. Alice and Loki were sitting together again, this time with a peaceful calmness between them, the atmosphere light as they shared a quiet conversation. Rumplestiltskin entered, his presence like a shadow that slipped into the glow of the firelight.
"Ah, the night is full of tales," he said, his grin widening as he approached the chair. "And tonight, we speak of a goddess, one who watches over us from above with the cold beauty of the moon itself. Let us delve into the tale of Selene, the Moon Goddess."
Loki, seemingly intrigued by the shift in topic, raised an eyebrow. "A goddess, huh? This ought to be interesting. Moonlight, stars, divine power… tell us, Rumple."
Alice leaned back, her tone playful as usual. "This sounds like one of those ‘mysterious, untouchable’ kind of goddesses, huh? You know, the kind with all the answers but no actual fun."
Rumplestiltskin chuckled darkly. "Well, Alice, if you must know, Selene was both mysterious and untouchable—but she wasn’t without her own complications. You see, Selene was one of the ancient deities of the Greek pantheon, and she was no ordinary goddess. She was the personification of the moon itself, a celestial force who guided the night and watched over the earth with quiet grace."
Alice, intrigued despite her teasing tone, tilted her head. "So, she’s the one who makes the moon rise and set every night, right? Like, literally the source of all moonlight?"
"Exactly," Rumplestiltskin replied. "She was the embodiment of the moon in all its phases—its waxing, waning, and full brilliance. When the moon rose in the night sky, it was said to be her driving chariot, drawn by two magnificent horses. She watched over mortals, controlling the night, bringing dreams, and guiding the tides with her influence."
Loki smirked, clearly enjoying the gravity of the tale. "A goddess with a chariot and horses? Nice touch. But tell me, Rumple—was she the sort of goddess who just stared down at the world from up high, or did she get her hands dirty in the mortal realm?"
Rumplestiltskin leaned back, eyes narrowing slightly. "Ah, Loki, she wasn’t one to stay entirely distant. While Selene did remain mostly in the heavens, observing from her moonlit throne, there were… complications. She had a bit of a reputation for getting involved in the lives of mortals. Selene had many lovers over the centuries, but the most famous—and tragic—was her affair with the mortal shepherd Endymion."
Loki’s expression flickered with amusement. "A mortal shepherd, huh? Let me guess, he was some kind of perfect specimen, right?"
"Indeed," Rumplestiltskin replied, his voice growing a touch more somber. "Endymion was not only strikingly handsome, but he was also a man of great virtue. He caught the eye of Selene one fateful night, and she became so infatuated with him that she descended from her celestial chariot to be with him. But there was a catch—Selene was a goddess, and Endymion was but a mortal man."
Alice snorted softly. "Figures. A perfect romance setup—goddess meets mortal, only to face all the divine consequences, right?"
Rumplestiltskin nodded grimly. "Precisely. Selene's love for Endymion was so deep that she asked Zeus to grant him eternal sleep so that he would never age or die, allowing her to be with him forever. But the sleep was not one of peace. Endymion remained in a perpetual slumber, untouched by time, his beauty never fading, but trapped in a dreamless state. Selene would visit him each night, gazing upon him from her lunar throne, and she would cry over her lost love, forever separated by the cruel boundaries of immortality."
Loki tilted his head thoughtfully. "So, the goddess is stuck alone in the heavens, and the mortal is stuck in eternal sleep. A true love story gone sideways."
Rumplestiltskin continued, his voice softening with the tragedy of it all. "It’s a cruel fate, isn’t it? Selene, in her loneliness, was bound to the sky, unable to truly live with her lover. Their love could not flourish in the way it should have, and yet she continued to watch over him, her eternal affection growing more painful by the night. And even in this tragedy, the moon itself was marked by their love—every phase of the moon representing her longing for him, her sadness, and the beauty of her unfulfilled love."
Alice, for once, seemed genuinely reflective, her usual sarcasm muted. "That’s… deep. Poor Selene, though. Immortal, but alone."
Rumplestiltskin smiled cryptically. "Indeed. But her influence over the night continued—her role as the moon goddess didn’t end with her sorrow. She still controlled the tides, still governed the night, still watched over the world. Her beauty and power were unmatched, and her essence remained timeless, even if her heart was broken."
Loki, still a bit amused but also intrigued, glanced at Alice. "So, she was this immortal goddess, capable of anything, and yet, the one thing she wanted—the one thing that would’ve truly made her happy—was just out of her reach."
Rumplestiltskin leaned in, eyes gleaming with knowledge. "And that, Loki, is the ultimate lesson of Selene. Even the gods, with all their power, are bound by the limitations of time, fate, and love. No matter how vast their domain, no matter how much they can shape the world, some things remain beyond their control. For Selene, it was her love for Endymion—a love that was never meant to be."
Alice, in her typical fashion, broke the somber tone with a grin. "Well, at least she still had the moon, huh? That’s pretty poetic. I’ll give her that."
Rumplestiltskin smiled knowingly. "Indeed. She found solace in her duty, even as she bore the weight of her unfulfilled love. And so, she remains, a symbol of both beauty and sorrow, her moon forever shining, a reminder that even the gods are not immune to the heartache of love."
The room fell silent for a moment, the fire crackling in the background as the weight of Selene’s tale lingered in the air. Loki leaned back, his smile fading into a thoughtful expression, while Alice stared into the flames, her playful demeanor momentarily softened by the tragic story they had just heard.
"Ah, the moon goddess," Rumplestiltskin said, a final note of sadness in his voice. "A divine reminder that even the stars themselves can be lonely."
Alice shook her head and grinned. "Well, I guess even immortals have their problems. Still, I’d take the moon over that lonely, dark void of nothingness any day."
And with that, they sat in silence, the moonlight shining down upon them as the tale of Selene, the Moon Goddess, wrapped its sorrowful arms around them, reminding them of the delicate balance between immortality, love, and the heartache that can come with both.
🖋️✨📜🖤
