# The Selenites — The First Men in the Moon character guide > The Selenites in The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Selenites, the other Selenites **First appearance:** 0012-xi-the-mooncalf-pastures ## Snapshot The Moon's inhabitants are insect-like beings shaped by caste into hundreds of forms, from herders and porters to philosophers, each built for its single function. ## Who they are The Selenites inhabit a vast underground anthill of spiral shafts and galleries, lit by their own faint luminosity and organized with a precision no human society approaches. Every individual is engineered—through breeding and surgery—into a specialized body and role, so that the species thinks and acts as one organism. Their eerie harmony forces Bedford and Cavor to ask whether such perfect social order is a triumph or a horror. ## Relationships ### [Mr. Cavor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/characters/mr_cavor) _professional_ Cavor interacts with the Selenites as a curious scientist and later as a captive, studying and being studied by them. ### [The Grand Lunar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/characters/the_grand_lunar) _professional_ The Grand Lunar is the absolute monarch commanding the Selenites, who obey him without question. ### [Phi-oo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/characters/phi_oo) _professional_ Phi-oo is a high-ranking Selenite who coordinates with other Selenites in managing Cavor. ### [Mr. Cavor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/characters/mr_cavor) _professional_ Cavor interacts with the Selenites as a curious scientist and later as a captive, studying and being studied by them. ### [Mr. Cavor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/characters/mr_cavor) _professional_ Cavor interacts with the Selenites as a curious scientist and later as a captive, studying and being studied by them. ### [The Grand Lunar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/characters/the_grand_lunar) _professional_ The Grand Lunar is the absolute monarch commanding the Selenites, who obey him without question. ## In the story ### [The First Men in the Moon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/the-first-men-in-the-moon) The intelligent, ant-like native inhabitants of the Moon who capture the explorers. ### [XI: The Mooncalf Pastures](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/xi-the-mooncalf-pastures) Seen herding mooncalves with spiked helmets and clanging arms; later capture Bedford and Cavor after the fungus-induced attack. ### [The Selenite's Face](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/xii-the-selenite-s-face) One Selenite enters the cell, revealing an alien face with no nose, bulging side eyes, and a downward-curved mouth; it observes the captives silently. ### [Mr. Cavor Makes Some Suggestions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/xiii-mr-cavor-makes-some-suggestions) Observe the prisoners, bring food, and release one of Bedford's chains; they communicate via twittering sounds. ### [Experiments in Intercourse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/xiv-experiments-in-intercourse) Guide the explorers, attempt to communicate through gestures, and operate the vast machinery in the cavern. ### [The Giddy Bridge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/xv-the-giddy-bridge) Capture and march the explorers, use goads, are described as flimsy and easily killed; retreat after Bedford's attack. ### [Points of View](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/xvi-points-of-view) Hunting Bedford and Cavor, using goads and gongs, perceived as brutish and unimaginative by the explorers. ### [The Fight in the Cave of the Moon Butchers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/xvii-the-fight-in-the-cave-of-the-moon-butchers) Occupied with butchering mooncalves; later attack Bedford and Cavor but are routed by Bedford's assault. ### [In the Sunlight](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/xviii-in-the-sunlight) Mentioned as having been fought and scattered; their potential actions and hidden resources are a source of concern for Bedford and Cavor. ### [Mr. Bedford Alone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/xix-mr-bedford-alone) Feared by Bedford; their potential pursuit and the closing of lunar valves drive his urgency. ### [Mr. Bedford in Infinite Space](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/xx-mr-bedford-in-infinite-space) Referenced in Bedford's memories of the blue-lit caverns and their helmet faces. ### [An Abstract of the Six Messages First Received from Mr. Cavor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/xxiii-an-abstract-of-the-six-messages-first-received-from-mr-cavor) Capture Cavor, transport him via balloon down the great shaft, and are described as luminous beings with a complex society. ### [XXIV: The Natural History of the Selenites](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/xxiv-the-natural-history-of-the-selenites) Described as a highly specialized society with many forms, akin to an anthill. ### [XXV: The Grand Lunar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/xxv-the-grand-lunar) The lunar inhabitants who crowd the halls and react with cooing and murmuring to Cavor's descriptions of Earth. ### [XXVI: The Last Message Cavor Sent to the Earth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/xxvi-the-last-message-cavor-sent-to-the-earth) Depicted as the captors who overpower Cavor in the final imagined scene. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/characters/the_selenites - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/characters