Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Guardian Notes
In Egypt, Bast became the goddess of cats. Artemis was her equivalent according to the Greeks, and Diana to the Romans. Luna was Latin for Selene (so approoriate that she's Usagi's/Selenity's cat). Artemis/Diana was the goddess of the hunt. Artemis, as the twin sister of Apollo (the sun), came to be identified with Selene. Diana, besides being the goddess of the hunt, was said to be the Moon goddess too.
Luna: Latin name for the goddess of the Moon, sometimes coupled with Sol, the sun. Many times the Moon was the creatress, or she might represent fire and water, along with Sol.
Artemis: Daughter of Zeus and Leto, sister to Apollo. She was the goddess of fertility, childbirth, hunt, and wilderness. Sometimes she was depicted with the crescent on her forehead. Sometimes she was identified with Selene, as she became a goddess of illuminating the night. She carried the bow and arrows. She was also a healing deity, but at the same time she might spread disease. She honored her purity above all else, and punished severely any who would attempt any dishonor to herself or her maidens. She was also a protectress of the young, especially young girls (this could be why Artemis was made Sailor V's guardian).
Diana: Her name is the feminine counterpart to Ianus. She was goddess of the chase, childbirth, and moon. Became identified with Artemis and Hecate. Her chief worshippers were women, praying for a successful birth or marriage.
Cat: "Ancient Egyptians believed the cat to be an animal of the Moon. The cat-bodied or cat-headed goddess Bast represented the Moon's power over pregnant women. Her son was believed to be the Moon, with the function of making women fruitful, so that the human germ might grow in the mother's womb, activated by the Moon's light" (Brueton, 55). Japanese cats have been attributed to have supernatural powers or to be able to bewitch humans. Diana and Artemis were said to have assumed the form of a cat. Cats have been linked to the Moon in various beliefs. In ancient Rome, the cat was a liberty symbol. And a black cat crossing your path, in Japan, is good luck.
Helios was the Greek god of the Sun, and brother to Eos and Selene. It was said Helios was omniscient, as he was the god of light. Indeed, the power associated with Helios and the Sun was illumination. His Roman counterpart was Sol. Helios' palace is gold and bronze, with gables of ivory. He was a beautiful youth of wavy locks and gleaming gaze (sounds like Helios).
Winged horses were said to pull his chariot. They were also described as four white steeds, breath of fire and light. On the Islands of the Blessed, his horses were supposed to rest while grazing on a magic herb. Elis was one place Helios was worshipped. White animals (especially horses) were sacred to him.
Pegasus has been a symbol for the soul's immortality and creative inspiration. It is said that those born under his constellation are happy in the worlds of dream and imagination. Pegasus was born of the springs of the ocean, and was ridden by both Eos and Apollo while bringing the sun across the sky. He could be tamed with a golden bridle.
Gold is associated with Apollo, or the Sun. In blazonry, yellow symbolizes wisdom, glory, and constancy.
In Sailor Moon, Helios is a guardian or priest to Earth and Elysian, thus the significance to illumination. Helios dwells in Elysian, the same place his horses were supposed to rest. Also, in the anime, horses are shown grazing there (perhaps another mythological reference).
Helios himself turns into a winged horse, and must be searched for inside the world of dreams. He is also the holder of the Golden Crystal in the anime (it's held by Mamoru in the manga), the Golden Crystal being symbolic of the Sun and deity Helios. The unicorn's horn in legend contained its power, and only the purity of a virgin could tame and capture him. Not only does Helios' horn contain his power, but Chibi Usa's purity draws him to her. Lastly, just as Endymion and Serenity are a metaphor for the partnership of the Sun and Moon, the love between Helios and Chibi Usa can be seen as the same.
Some notes contributed by Hitsuji-chan: Helios wears the colors that mean intuitive, trustworthy, and tranquil. He wears a third eye, which in Hinduism is the path to Enlightenment (this would connect with his being a priest).
Planetary Symbol: Not used in Takeuchi's story. Helios' shield. In alchemy, the symbol stands for gold.
Maenads
They were female attendants or priestesses to Bacchus. From the manga, they were sleeping priestesses of Elios' temple in Elysian.
Phobos and Deimos
Phobos-Fright
Deimos-Fear
In Japan, crows are linked with Shinto. In mythology, they were messengers of the gods. Phobos and Deimos are the two moons of Mars; in myth they were the deity's sons. In battles, they would accompany their father. These are the names of Rei's (Shinto Priestess and Sailor Mars) two pet crows, also they are her guardians.
Brueton, Diana. The Moon: Myth, Magic and Fact. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1998.
