Mythology!

Mythology is often thought as myths and legends that some cultures believe to be true. The term "mythology" means "the study of myths." But what does that have to do with Sailor Moon? This series is deeply rooted in mythology in many forms.

Mare Serenitatis

Mare Serenitatis, the "Sea of Serenity" or the "Sea of Peacefulness", is a lunar sea that is believed to be one of the eyes for the Man in the Moon.

Asian Mythology

Princess Kaguya
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, also known as The Tale of Princess Kaguya, tells the story of how a bamboo cutter found a charming baby girl inside the stalk of a bamboo plant. He took her home and raised her as his daughter (her name was Kaguya-hime), and slept in a tiny bamboo box just big enough to be her cradle. However, as Kaguya-hime grew older and more beautiful, she attracted many unwanted suitors. She is actually from the race of gods who live on the moon, but she tells her foster parents that she must leave. When she does, the moon-folk give her a robe of feathers so that she would forget her sorrows, and her parents die of broken hearts.

Rabbit of the Moon
In Chinese culture, the rabbit of the moon is in charge of pounding the elixir of life. In Japan, the rabbit is making mochi (rice cake). The legend sprouts from the markings on the moon looking similar to a rabbit that is pounding in a mortar, a tool used to pound rice.

Greek & Roman Mythology

Amazons
According to Greek mythology, the Amazons were a group of all-female warriors who were said to have lived in modern-day Turkey near the Black Sea. The name is often associated with female warriors.

Aphrodite
The Greek goddess of Love, also known as the Roman goddess Venus, Aphrodite was born of sea foam near Pathos after Cronus cut off Ouranos' genitals and threw them into the sea.

Ares
Ares, the Greek god of war, is often associated with bloodlust and violence. The Romans knew him as Mars, a god of not only war but also agriculture. He is the son of Zeus and Hera, and he is also affiliated with the astrological sign of Aries. He also had two attendants, Deimos and Phobos

Artemis
According to Greek mythology, Artemis was the goddess of forests and hills, often depicted as a huntress who carries bows and arrows with her. She is also the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. She is often identified with the Greek moon goddess Selene and with the Roman goddess Diana.

Ceres
Ceres was the goddess of growing plants in Roman Mythology, and was known for her motherly love. She was the daughter of Saturn and ops, and was a sister to Juno, Vesta, Neptune and Pluto. She is often depicted carrying a scepter, baskets of flowers, and fruit. Her Greek equivalent was Demeter, the goddess of grain and fertility.

Chaos
In Ancient Greece, Chaos was known as unpredictability as an antithetical concept of Cosmos. It also meant "primal emptiness, space." In Greek Mythology, Chaos was the only thing that existence before the Gods appeared. It is made of four elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Chaos is also thought to existence where space separates between Earth and the Sky, and is a place without orientation.

Chronos
In Greek Mythology, Chronos is said to be the father of time, sometimes depicted as a old wise man or as a man turning the Zodiac wheel.

Cosmos
Cosmos is a system that only knows peace and harmony, originally meaning "order", and counters chaos.

Cronus
Chronus, also known as Cronos, Kronos or Kronus, was the leader of the Titans who ruled over the earth (Gaia) and the sky (Uranos). He overthrew his father, and ruled until he was overthrown by his sons Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. It is said that he was either imprisoned in Tartarus or sent to rule the Elysion Fields. Before his rain over the world ended, he was associated with crops, nature, agriculture and the possession of time. He is usually depicted carrying a sickle, which he uses to harvest crops. His Roman counterpart is Saturn.

Diana
Diana is the Roman goddess of the hunt and is the equivalent of the Greek goddess Artemis. Artemis was the daughter of Jupiter and Latona, often associated with wild animals and woodlands. She later became a moon goddess and represented chastity. Oak is considered to be sacred to her.

Elysian
Elysian, derived from Elysium, is a section of the underworld in Greek Mythology. It is the final resting place for virtuous and heroic souls.

Endymion
Endymion is a shepherd prince, known for his equities beauty. So beautiful, in fact, that the moon goddess Selene instantly fell in love the moment she saw him. Every night, she would visit him in his sleep. She loved him so much, she had Zeus put him into an eternal sleep in a cave near the peak of Lydian Mount Latmos. It is said that the results of her nightly visits with him brings 50 heirs.

Hades
In Greek Mythology, Hades became the god of the underworld after the war between the Titans and the gods. He is often depicted as a grim sight to be seen. He is also known to be called Pluto, or the "unseen one".

Helios
The sun was known as Helios in Greek mythology, who was the brother to the moon goddess Selene and Eos, the dawn. He was often depicted as a beautiful man, crowned with the light of the sun who drove a chariot across the earth every day and returned to the east at night. He is also identified with the god of light, Apollo.

Hermes
Hermes is the god of travels, literature, invention and wit in Greek Mythology, countered by his Roman counterpart Mercury. It is said that he takes care of all travelers and thieves that pray to him during their travels. He is also the messenger of the gods. On the day he was born, he invented the lyre, which is also Super Sailor Mercury's weapon.

Juno
Juno, daughter of Saturn, was a patron goddess of the Roman Empire. She guarded over finances and was often depicted wearing armor and a goatskin cloak.

Lethe
Lethe, meaning "forgetfulness", was a river that resided in Hades. Anyone who drank from the river Lethe would suddenly be overcome with forgetfulness.

Lemures
In roman Mythology, Lemures were spirits of the dead, said to torment and frighten the living.

Mnemosyne
Mnesoyne, meaning "memory", was the daughter of Gaia and Uranus. It is also the name of a river in Hades as a counterpart to Lethe. Dead souls would drink from the river of Mnesoyne so they could not remember their past lives when they were reincarnated.

Ouranos
Ouranos (Latin) is the husband of Gaia, and is the ancestors of most of the Greek Gods. He is also known as Uranus, Father Sky. He was later overthrown by Cronus.

Pegasus
In Greek mythology, Pegasus is a winged horse and the son of Poseidon. On the last day of his life, Zeus transformed him into a constellation.

Phobos and Deimos
Deimos, the personification of dread, and Phobos, the embodiment of fear and horror, were the sons of the Greek god Ares and Aphrodite who accompanied him in battles. Those who worshiped Phobos often made bloody sacrifices.

Pallas Athena
Pallas Athena is the patron of Athens, and was known to be the goddess of wisdom and philosophy in Classical Greece. She was also known to be the patroness of weaving and other crafts, although she was also involved in wars. She is usually seen with an owl, usually depicted wearing armor.

Poseidon
Poseidon is the Greek god of the sea and horses. In Roman mythology, he is known as Neptune, and is the brother of Zeus and Hades. During the war between the Titans and the gods, he uses a triton which he is now associated with. When the war was over, Poseidon took the sea, Zeus took the sky and Hades took the underworld.

Selene
In Greek and Roman mythology, Selene is the goddess of the moon, often depicted as a woman riding in a chariot drawn by flying steeds. Her crescent is usually shown as a crown on her head or part of a cloak. She is also known as Luna in Latin, daughter of Hyperion and Theaia, and a sister of Helios and Eos. She is also well-known for her love of Endymion, the shepherd prince.

Vesta
Vesta is the virgin goddess of hearth and family according to Roman mythology. She is often associated with the symbol of a sacred fire that burned at her hearth in temples.

Zeus
The Greek god Zeus was the king of all gods and the ruler of Mount Olympus, as well as the god of the sky and thunder. His roman counterpart was known as Jupiter and o ne of his famous symbols is the thunderbolt. He is the son of Cronus and Rhea, and married to Hera. He is usually known for his numerous love affairs and for his children Ares, Artemis, Hermes, and Aphrodite.