Usagi Tsukino :: Sailor Moon :: Princess Serenity

Usagi- the main character of Sailor Moon. Usagi has a lot of background, based on mythology and legend.
Legend: Usagi's name translates to Rabbit of the Moon. In Japanese folklore, Once upon a time long ago, a monkey, a rabbit, and a fox lived together as friends. During the day they frolicked on the mountain; at night they went back to the forest. This went on for some years. The Lord of Heaven heard about it and wanted to see if it were really true. He went to them disguised as an old wanderer. "I have traveled through mountains and valleys and I am tired out. Could you give me something to eat?" said he, laying down his staff in order to rest. The monkey went off at once to gather nuts that he presented; the fox brought an offering from his fish trap in the river. The rabbit ran through the fields in every direction but came back with nothing. The monkey and the fox made fun of him: "You are really good for nothing." The little rabbit was so discouraged that he asked the monkey to gather some thistles and the fox to set fire to them. They did so. Then the little rabbit said to the old man, "Please eat me," and threw himself into the flames. The pilgrim was pierced to the heart by this sacrifice, and wept, saying, "Each one deserves praise; there are neither winners nor losers. But the little rabbit has given an exceptional proof of love." So saying, he restored the rabbit to his original form and took the little body to heaven to be buried in the palace of the moon.
All Japanese know the legend and still see in the shadows on the full moon a rabbit threshing his rice.
Mythology: Selene (Greek for "moon") was the Greeks' first goddess of the moon and she is the daughter of two of the first twelve Titan gods: Hyperion and Thea. Just as her brother Helios (Greek for "sun") rides the chariot of the sun across the sky during the day and just as her sister Eos (Greek for "dawn") brings the dawn to herald the coming of Helios every morning, Selene rides the chariot of the moon across the sky at night. (What a coincidince Naoko named her Usagi/Princess Selenity/Serenity). Selene is really an abstract deity. She is really just a personification of the Moon itself, like in books or poems. Selene was later subsumed by Artemis, the more well-known Greek goddess of the moon (Goddess of the hunt).
The Roman version of Selene is Luna (Latin for moon) and the Roman version of Artemis is Diana... thus the names for the three cats (Luna, Artemis, and Diana), how appropriate. And for Princess Serenity came from the goddesses of the moon, which is fitting.
The moon has three aspects represented by three different moon goddesses - Selene is the heavenly aspect, Artemis is the earthly aspect, and Hecate (an underworld goddess of the moon and witchcraft) is considered the underworld aspect of the moon.
According to the story, Selene was guiding her moon-chariot across the night sky when she looked down at the earth and saw a beautiful shepherd sleeping peacefully by his flocks (his name was Endymion...can you guess who this is??). She fell in love with him immediately, and began to visit him in his dreams every night as he slept. Selene was smart though, and knowing that Endymion was a mortal man, she asked Zeus to grant Endymion eternal life, eternal youth... and eternal sleep (so that Selene could visit him every night in his dreams. The wish was granted, and the myth says that Selene continues to see Endymion every night... and that Endymion sleeps with a (**wide**) smile on his face. Sometimes however, it seems there is a small variation to the story. Instead, eternal life and eternal youth put him to sleep for eternity and froze his age. Every night Selene would come to Endymion, while he dreamed of making love to a beautiful woman, and she bore him 50 daughters (lets count.. Chibi-Usa.... err.. wait, we still have 49 more to go! Can you imagine 50 Chibi-Usa's? Frightening. :| ) The connection of this myth to Moon Princess Serenity and Earth Prince Endymion is quite clear.
Attacks (Anime):
Moon Tiara Magic
Moon Tiara Stardust
Moon Healing Escalation
Moon Princess Halation
Moon Crystal Power
Moon Spiral Heart Attack
Rainbow Moon Heart Ache
Moon Gorgeous Meditation
Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss
Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss
Attacks (Manga):
Moon Frisbee
Moon Twilight Flash
Moon Healing Escalation
Moon Princess Halation
Moon Spiral Heart Attack
Rainbow Moon Heart Attack
Rainbow Double Moon Heart Ache
Moon Gorgeous Meditation
Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss
Silver Moon Crystal Power Therapy Kiss
Silver Moon Crystal Eternal Power
Attacks (Live Action):
Moon Healing Escalation
Moon Tiara Boomerang
Moon Twilight Flash
Moonlight Attractive Attack
Birthday: June 30