Selune

Our Lady of Silver, Moonmaiden, The Night White Lady

Selûne

Description

Selûne is the goddess of the moon, and holds the portfolios of the moon, stars, navigation, navigators, wanderers, questers, seekers, and non-evil lycanthropes. Hers was the moon's mysterious power, the heavenly force that governed the world's tides and a mother's reproductive cycles, caused lycanthropes to shift form, and drew one to the brink of madness, and back again. She was also ever changing, aging but ageless. If watched over time, her appearance seemed to grow to full radiance or to age and fade away, in keeping with the waxing or waning of the moon.

Rituals and Beliefs

Selûne and her teachings of compassion and guidance were appealing to all folk who lived their lives by the moonlit night sky, and hence her faithful were a very diverse group. She was followed by those who were lost and those who were questing. Sailors and navigators often prayed to the Night White Lady to protect them. Others who labored by night at honest work prayed to her for similar reasons. Some sought her for protection in the dark or from the dark forces of Shar. Meanwhile, the church's philosophy of self-reliance and finding one's path made her popular with all kinds of mavericks, eccentrics, and outsiders, such as adventurers and outcasts.
Many rituals revered a woman's role as a teacher and role model, both in the home and in society. Milk, a sacred fluid, was a vital holy substance in ceremonies. Rituals often involved offerings of milk or wine and dancing, and were performed as personal matters. Followers of the Moonmaiden would often set bowls of milk outside on nights when the moon was full. Clerics prayed for their spells at night while facing the moon, if it was out and visible.
During the full moon, a female cleric would perform morning ceremonies to make herself receptive to special insights, intuition, and visions. This was in the belief that the moon subtly influenced the cycles of the female body, and thus she felt closest to Selûne during the full moon.

Her Clerics

With the faith of Selûne promoting equality and understanding for all, and with her wide assortment of worshipers, her priesthood were just as diverse and eclectic. Nevertheless, the great majority of members were women, and the senior ranks were dominated by female humans. There were also a scattered few lycanthropes, both natural and afflicted, but all of good heart. They all worshiped Selûne in their own personal ways, but whatever their differences they were friendly to one another and cooperated in relative but boisterous peace. However, with such variety, they could divide into many different factions; the order of silver ladies was established to better accommodate them.

Selûne

A representation of Selûne

SELÛNE

(Greater Deity)

Gender: Feminine
Regions:

• Hyboria
• Great Desert
• Fertile Crescent

Representations: Eyes surrounded by seven stars
Sphere of Power: Knowledge, Life, Twilight
Can Be Worshipped with Other Gods: Yes