Moon Myths and Legends

Aeons have passed since man first looked up at the dark night skys, but throughout time we have seen a fragile sliver of silver that grows to it's fullness and then mysteriously fades back into darkness.   No wonder that the moon has inspired more myths and legends than any other heavenly body. Every culture throughout the ages is rich in Moon myth and legend.   Bil and Hjuki   A Norse legend tells of a man who named his children Sun and Moon. This angered the Gods and they took the children up to the heavens where the girl became the Sun's Coachman and the boy was made to guide the moon's waxing and waning. In time the boy carried off two more children, Bil and Hjuki who had been carrying water from a well.   It is said that to this day the children can be seen on the Moon's Face... hence the rhyme : Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after.     There is significance in the 'pail of water'. Old legends tell of the ability of the reflection of the moon to steal the soul. There are also many references in legend suggesting that the 'stolen soul' is what we see in the face of the moon. The 'Man in the Moon' face and the 'watery' nature of the moon has found it's way into most of the moon myths.   A Christian Myth   In the Book of Numbers there is a myth about a man who gathered sticks on a Sunday, the day of the Sabbath. The children of Israel were so enraged by this that they stoned the man. The tale emerged that the man was then thrown up to the Moon for his punishment where he and his sticks can still be seen.   The man in the Moon was caught in a trap, For stealing the thorns from another man's gap, If he had gone by and let the thorns lie, He'd never been man in the Moon so high.     The moon's mysteries have been immortalized, even by those who deny any earthly connection to it's affect. There is also the Moon's association with death. In an ancient belief the Moon was the home of death or a 'holding' place from which the dead could be reborn - in some legends the dead return as drops of rain. ("We all come from the Goddess and to Her we will return, like a drop of rain")   A South African Myth   This myth delightfully combines the explanation for the marks on the moon, plus the connection between life and death:      The Moon told a rabbit to go to Earth and tell everyone that they would be reborn after death. The rabbit, not know for it's intelligence, got the story wrong and told the people that there was no rebirth after death.   The Moon was so upset when he heard what had been said that he hit the rabbit with a stick. To this day the rabbit still has a split lip. The rabbit was so upset that before leaving the moon he hit it with his claws, and to this day the moon wears the scars of the rabbits revenge.   Moon Quips   Jeremiah gives a warning in the bible: "Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women kneed the dough for the moon cakes" The moon cakes were most likely for the Goddess Astoreth. Such cakes were apparently also made in Greece, Egypt and Jericho   (as told in bible stories, the city dedicated to the Moon Goddess, Herah.) Even as late as the 19th century these cakes were being made in honor of the fertile Moon Goddess. It has been further suggested by historians that Easter's Hot Cross Buns are none other than these same pagan cakes associated with Moon worship and not Christianity at all.   This image is updated every four hours, courtesy of the US Naval Observatory. Check back soon - More to come N.E.C.T.W. | Lady Gwynne | Sabbats and Esbats | Links Created for your enjoyment and information by Lenura at Ultra Violet Expressions© 1997-2000 All Rights Reserved