D&D: In the Name of the Moon – An Adventurer’s Guide to Selûne
The Moon, the Myth, the Legend, Selûne, Faerûn’s moon goddess is one of two deities at the heart of Baldur’s Gate 3.
Selûne is both Faerûn’s moon and also the goddess thereof. The sister of Shar, goddess of night, darkness, and loss, Selûne figures along with her sister at the heart of some of the unfolding drama in Baldur’s Gate 3.
But who is she? And what do we really know about her? After all, the moon has different phases of waxing and waning, so too has Selûne, the goddess shifted over the eons.
In ancient Netheril, Selûne was a greater goddess. Selûne ruled over the moon and stars, beauty and purity, love and marriage, navigation, tracking, wanderers, seekers, diviners and dreamers, good and neutral lycanthropes, and autumn. And though her portfolio is smaller in “modern” Faerun, Selûne remains a goddess of mystery and tides.
Like the changing Moon, Selûne too had different forms and natures. They change with the shifting of the phases of the moon. One form might be the Night White Lady. Another–She Who Guides.
Selûne – Appearance and Personality
All of her forms are beautiful, though in their own right. In her icons and avatars, Selûne appears in many forms. The three most common are a dusky-skinned human woman, beautiful and radiant with ivory hair. Another is an ethereal maiden, a young girl with dark eyes and dark hair. And the third, perhaps most notable, avatar/form was that of a matronly woman, dark hair streaked gray, who could most often be found keeping her inn.
Whatever her form, Selûne’s form seemed to grow to full radiance or age and fade away in keeping with the waxing or waning of the moon.
So too did Selûne have many changing moods and natures. At times she could be enthusiastic and majestic, as exuberant as the rising tides. At other times, her personality was more subdued and poetic. As tranquil and embracing as a full moon. And at still other times, she would seem to wane. Weighed down by ancient woes and fresh sorrows. Even fierce or aggressive and cold, with no mercy for those who opposed her or her followers.
But such times were rare. And for the most part, Selûne is regarded as a calm, and benevolent power.
Selûne’s Domains
As Selûne rules over the Moon and Moonlight, so too does she control the tide and lycanthropy. In the days of Netheril, she was seen as a guide. A beacon for ships lost at sea, a balm for travelers lost in the wilds in an otherwise dark and hostile forest. Even then, she was in constant conflict with her sister Shar, goddess of darkness. The two powers reflected the differing aspects of darkness, both soothing but cloaking.
A History of the Moon
Depending on the stories you believe, Selûne is one of the oldest deities in Faerun. She is said to originate during the earliest days of the universe. Amid the chaos and timeless nothingness, when the crystal sphere of Faerun was filled with no more than dim, misty shadows. Before light and dark had even separated themselves.
There, Selûne and her sister Shar came into being. The twin goddesses embody light and dark in two different aspects. The two are said to be the ones who created Abeir-Toril out of the cosmic ether left in their wake.
But who knows what truly happened in the days before life? All the sages can agree on is that both Selûne and Shar warred with each other over the fate of the world. Life and warmth vs. dark and rest. Here the other gods come into being, perhaps. Or are called into Faerun. Again, the reality is tricky when one universe bleeds into another.
At any rate, today Selûne is a popular deity across Faerun. Her priests and priestesses make pilgrimages throughout the continent, bringing hope to people in desperate times.
Now you know all about one of the two deities vying for the favor of a favorite character in Baldur’s Gate 3.
