I find that one of the most interesting things about Sailor Moon is the mythology it's based on. In this section you will find legends, poems, and my interpitations of legends, all having at least some connection to Sailor Moon. BTW, the word "Anima" has to do with female principle, any connection to "Anime"?

The majority of this stuff is taken from "Mythology" by Edith Hamilton and "Signs and Symbols" by someone or other...

In my mythology book, there isn't a lot on the Moon, perhaps a page or so in total. A paragraph from "Mythology" by Edith Hamilton:

"As Phoebus was the Sun, she was the Moon, called Phoebe and Selene (Luna in Latin). Neither name originally belonged to her. Phoebe was a Titan, one of the older gods. So too was Selene-- a moon-goddess, indeed, but not conected with Apollo. She was the sister of Helios, the sun-god with whom Apollo was confused."

Selene is mentioned again, about 100 pages later, in the legend about her and Endymion. (See Darien's section.)

In "signs and symbols", the moon is mentioned several times. In one place, it is associated with a mother, in another, silver. There was a painting of a kingdom on the moon on another page, it looked remarkably similar to the Moon Kingdom. There was a sea next to the palace, if it was the Sea of Tranquility or the Sea of Serenity, I don't know. (FYI, there actually is a Sea of Serenity, a tad smaller than the S.O.T., it is situated North-East of the Sea of Tranquility.) The only notable difference between the 2 palaces was that this one had a table in front of it, and no flower gardens. The caption states that the moon, night sky, sea, and flowers are "all of the feminen realm."

Elsewhere was a paragraph or 2 on the scepter. And I quote: "Originally a magical symbol, the Scepter signifies the King's responsability for the people's prosperity. [...] much like a magic wand, and is a phallic symbol. The Orb and Scepter together symbolize completeness and the creative power of male and female."

As you probably already know, the god Mercury was a man. Oh well. Mercury's was compared with Hermes. Jupiter was Mercury's father, Fauna, his mother. Like Amy, Mercury was the most graceful, shrewd, and cunning of the gods. Mercury was also a thief. : ) On a darker note, he was the protector of the dead, not a pleasent job, I'm sure. So besides those few points, Amy doesn't have much in common with the god she is named after.

A.K.A. Ares, Mars was the god of war. He was the son of Jupiter and Juno, it is said that they hated him. In fact, most people hated him, for Mars was a ruthless, hateful god, in Greek mythology. But to the Romans, Mars was knight in shining armor, invincible. Something that suits Raye: Mars supposedly came from Thrace, home of a "rude, fierce people", somewhere in Greece. Mars was NOT the god of fire, Hephaestus was. (Venus's husband. AKA Vulcan & Mulciber.)

Jupiter, Greek name Zeus, was the perfect person to name Lita after. The god of thunder, Jupiter ruled the sky and the universe. Some say that his power was greater than all the other gods put together. Others say that the mysterious power, Fate, is stronger than he. Jupiter fell in love with one woman after another, not unlike Lita's many crushes. Jupiter's tree was the oak. An interesting note, altho it has nothing to do with mythology: a mako (lita's Japanese name, Makoto, Mako-chan) is a type of shark!

Venus was the goddess of love and beauty. She loved to laugh, sometimes sweetly, sometimes mockingly. In some places she is said to be the daughter of Jupiter and Dione (I couldn't find Dione's Roman name), but other passages refer to her as being born of the sea. Actually, the foam of the sea, which is even stranger. She did have her weaknesses: In several poems, she was portrayed as being very weak. Weak enough for a mortal to kill. The myrtle is her tree, and her bird is a dove.

God of the sky. There isn't anything on Uranus in my book. If anyone knows something about Uranus, tell me!

The ruler of the sea, Neptune, or Poseidon, was Jupiter's brother. He was supposedly the 2nd most powerful god. Commonly called "Earth shaker", because of his trident that could shake the earth. Neptune had a beautiful palace under the sea.

Pluto, known also as, but less commonly called, Hades, ruled the underworld. Some say he was also the god of wealth. He was the owner of a helmet that made the wearer invisible. Many think of him as evil, but he was not. Just terrible. As you can see, sometimes there isn't much of a connection between the sailors and their gods.

S&S: Pluto: Powerful, associated with things beyond our control. Key: Sybolizes wisdom, maturity, success. Attrb. to St. Peter guarding the gates of Heaven.

Saturn was the most important Titan, their ruler, I think. Instead of having the power to destroy the Earth, like Hotaru, Saturn was the only Titan bold enough to do what it took to save the Earth. After that, Saturn went on to rule the universe, until his son Jupiter dethroned him. A great war fallowed, pitting the Titans against Jupiter and his siblings. This war almost destroyed the universe. (Jupiter won.)

Some say he was a King, others a hunter, but in this poem he is a shepherd. From "Mythology":

Endymion the shepherd,

As his flock he guarded,

She, the Moon, Selene,

Saw him, loved him, sought him,

Coming down from heaven

To the glade on Latmus,

Kissed him, lay beside him.

Blessed is his fortune.

Evermore he slumbers,

Tossing not nor turning,

Endymion the shepherd.