In this article you will learn about the Legend of the Moon, as we well know it is very important for our planet, because it governs the tides and also influences the different ecosystems, it is also the only natural satellite of our planet Earth, then you will know the stories most famous, where she is the protagonist.
Impact of the legends of the Moon for people
The Moon has a large number of legends, without a doubt it has been of great inspiration to many people who admire it and has many tales and stories that have been told to different generations through the years making it very popular, it is so famous that many times supernatural events are attributed to him.
Basically these events occur when she is in the full moon phase and that is why stories are always created that are closely related to her, especially when she is in this phase.
This majestic celestial body has had the fascination of millions of people for millions of years and therefore has been a source of inspiration for people to make their folk tales. According to scientific studies, this star has a great effect on human anatomy and astrology, which is why people are inspired by it.
It has also been useful for humans to be able to guide themselves since the location of the moon has served to establish routes specifically for ocean navigators, this has been the case for many centuries, this celestial body is the one that is closest to our planet earth and we can see it in the night sky, then the legends about the Moon:
Selene or the legend of the Moon
Selene is the goddess of the moon, and her brother Helio was the god of the sun, once Hhelium hides from the sky, she comes out of the waters of the sea and makes her way in her silver chariot. This beautiful goddess had a beautiful love relationship with a mortal named Endymion. This young man was a shepherd from Caria and was also the grandson of Zeus, he was in charge of the throne of Elida, but when he was dethroned, he found refuge on Mount Larmos and decided to keep an eye on the fields and the stars.
Endymion he spent every night contemplating the moon, in fact he felt a lot of love for her and how not to do it if she always accompanied him every night when he was alone in the field. This young man fell asleep dreaming of the moon that he loved so much.
Selene she did not know the deep love that this young pastor felt towards her. But one day the goddess came down to earth and got the shepherd asleep, she felt a strange attraction and she just lay down next to her without waking him up and she fell deeply in love with him.
After that day, every night she went downstairs and lay down beside him without waking him up, she did this routine for many years, they loved each other that way, without knowing that each one was so close at times. She woke up and he was asleep, him looking up at her in the sky when he was awake.
but one night Endymion woke up and got his beloved, the beautiful goddess, by his side Selene. When they saw each other they fell more in love and both confessed the love they felt towards each other. Endymion asked Selene give him eternal youth, to be able to be by his side forever. she went with Zeus and made her wish.
Zeus agreed but would only keep the youth of Endymion when he slept and would grow old in the wake, it was when the young lovers knew that to have the opportunity to be together forever Endymion I had to sleep. AND Endymion He asked SeleneTo keep him company while he slept. They did so, loving each other as they had been doing for years and he always woke up very happy
The Legend of the Moon over Anningan
In Greenland, there is a tribe called Inuit and they believe that Malina is the Goddess of the Sun and her brother Anningan It is the God of the moon, they narrate this legend a lot, where these two brothers lived and played a lot when they were children, but one night when they were playing in the dark Anningan he raped his sister.
But when they began to fight, a lamp that was carrying Malina, this lamp had seal oil and began to throw black stains, in this fight trying to get his brother away from his side, he stained his entire face black and then he ran very far, he began to run towards the sky until he disappeared , becoming what is known as the sun.
Her brother was not sorry for what he did to her, he chased her through the sky until he became the moon. That is why the persecution that she does Anningan to his sister the sun is the explanation that the sun is replaced by the moon in the firmament. And very sporadically the God of the moon reaches the goddess of the sun, that is why the solar eclipse occurs.
Anningan he cannot get his sister out of his thoughts, to the point that he forgets to eat. As the days go by, it can be seen that he is very skinny. But once a month when the moon is not seen, that is, it disappears, it is because Anningan take the opportunity to eat. When there was a solar eclipse, men stayed home for fear of contracting a disease and women stayed home when lunar eclipses occurred.
The legend of the moon of Rona
Rona She was a Maori woman, she lived on a beautiful beach with silver sands on the north coast of New Zealand. Every day the husband of Rona, went out with his children riding in a canoe to fish. AND Rona he stayed taking care of the stones that he heated to be able to cook the fish that they brought.
But one night with a full moon, many fish appeared and the husband of Rona told him that he was going to go out with the children to fish until the next day at night, the husband said: So you must have the stones ready so you can cook them, we will have a great feast! She gave her word to her husband that she would be.
The next day she went to look for the stones and the wood to cook the fish, while she took care of the stones, she put water on them, because the stones could not be too hot to cook the fish, otherwise it would burn, but she stayed asleep and when she woke up it was night, she heard the voice of the men who were already returning home.
She woke up very restless and noticed that the stones were burning, because she had not wet them. So she grabbed the gourd where she collected the water and went to the river to look for more, but the road was full of stones and she stumbled many times going up the hills, she started cursing and claiming nonstop.
At last he reached the river and filled the gourds with water. I went down very fast, but when I was about to reach the steepest slope, the moon hid behind a cloud and everything was in absolute darkness. Rona he tripped and fell to the ground, the pumpkins also fell and broke along with the water. She was very beaten, she got up and at that moment the moon came out again. And she said Rona very angry:
- Stupid! Useless you are nothing more than a piece of rock that you are in the sky.
The moon got so angry that when she finished hearing the insults they were giving her, she came down from the sky to take the insolent woman away. The men arrived at her house, they only saw a lot of fire and they wondered where Rona could be?
They looked for it and did not find it until the next day, when they were very exhausted, they threw themselves on the sand and when they saw the moon, they noticed the silhouette of a woman with two pumpkins, one in each arm. By Rona saying so many curses, the moon severely punished her and condemned her to wander forever in the heavens. The Maori always said: “Kia mahara ki I have you or Rona” what did it mean: “Remember what happened to Rona”.
The myth of the Werewolves
This is a myth that takes place during the "Full moon". Many people believe that these supernatural beings have human form and transform into wolves when the moon enters this phase. They are also known as werewolves or werewolves.
In all the cultures and folklore of the different countries, in fact the most universal myth of all is that this creature retains the same attributes such as ferocity, they are also very cunning, fast and have a lot of strength.
Both in folklore and in mythology, the werewolf can make his transformation whenever he wishes and sometimes the transformation is involuntary, this is due to a curse and logically it is closely linked when the moon is in the full phase. According to contemporary references indicate that the werewolf can be killed when you shoot him with a silver bullet.
Ixchel, the legend of the Mayan goddess of the moon
Ixchel She is known for being one of the most important goddesses of the Mayan culture, she is the goddess of the moon and all the power she uses to control the lives of men is granted by the stars. This goddess is also known for being a beautiful woman, whose skin was made of opal, a mineral very similar to quartz, she took great care of her to maintain that beauty. She used to sit for hours in heaven to comb her hair.
She has various gifts which are managed by the cycles of the moon such as fertility, love, sexuality, pregnancy, crops and water. She is also considered the guide in everything that deals with arts, medicine and textiles.
She was not only a goddess of good, she also had a dark part, since in addition to being the goddess of the moon, she was assigned the role of destroyer goddess, so she could create diseases and floods to harm human beings.
This Goddess was very much in love with the Sun God who was called knich ahauBut he didn't pay much attention to her. When Ixchel he insisted on following him, the weather was sad and strong storms arrived, the disaster was such that even the crops were lost. But this beautiful Goddess was so in love that she did not notice what was happening.
One day Ixchel wove a beautiful fabric that captivated knich ahau and from that moment they were lovers. This relationship was very turbulent, so Ixchel one night she made the decision to leave him, thus transforming herself into a beautiful jaguar so that her lover would never recognize her.
The pagans and the moon
The pagans have a legend about the moon that says that when the Moon is in its growing phase, it is at a special point, where the magic becomes more intense and strong, which makes it special to cast spells for the prosperity, abundance and fertility.
For the pagans, the moon is a magical figure that helps them increase their magic on certain nights. The pagans also believe in the eternal love that the stars that are in our sky have, and every so often, when the Moon meets her eternal lover, the sun, the magic becomes even more powerful.
The moon is a powerful goddess in the eyes of the pagans, since they practice rituals to pay tribute to her, so that she fulfills their wishes. Normally, she also cast spells on her behalf, for prosperity, love, and fortune. These spells are normally performed in the full moon phase, since as explained before, it is in these moments that the magic is strongest.
Many pagans often perform a ritual to turn water into moon water, as it has various benefits for health, plants and beauty. This water is believed to cleanse the soul and regenerate the body. It can also be used to clean a house or business so that they have prosperity and peace. Moon-loving pagans use it to charge their amulets.
The most wonderful thing is that each lunar phase could generate different benefits in said water for life. The new moon is for when you want to get a fresh start in the area of relationships and career. The crescent moon is used for personal growth. The full moon considered the most powerful is used to make more powerful spells, especially spells that have to do with love.
To prepare this water, the only thing that is needed is to have a container to which the moonlight can reach and leave it there all night, to generate more power you could add some magical herbs of your choice or stones.
The Legend of Mawu
This legend of the moon originated in Africa. This god of the Fon people of Benin and who is also the protagonist of African mythology. He is a being who is androgynous and who is divided into Words which is feminine and represents the Goddess of the moon, and he is masculine and he is the god of the sun.
People who live in Africa comment that in both solar and lunar eclipses, it is the exact moment when this beautiful celestial couple meets to make love. They also relate it a lot with that power that the Moon exerts on the Sun, and of course with love and desire.
So that each one would have a moment to manifest, it was decided that the woman would come out at night, which is what is known as the moon, and the man would come out throughout the day, which is known as the sun, the idea was that in each moment of the day one of the two faces was visible to everyone.
Tecuciztécatl, a legend of the moon with Aztec origin
Many centuries ago, when there was nothing in the world, a well-known legend tells about the moon, that the gods met to plan and create everything that would exist in the universe and on earth. But all the deities did not agree and began to argue about who would be the God who would be in charge of illuminating the entire firmament.
And suddenly Tecuciztécatl arrived and offered to carry out this important work. So they all saw each other's faces and argued again because they needed another God to do the tests that were necessary and thus get the deity indicated for this job of contributing with light.
So all the gods saw nanahuatzin and he calmly accepted their requests. Already having the gods, tecuciztecatl y nanahuatzin they began to make preparations for their offerings. When everything was ready, the tests began to see who would be the God in charge of the sun.
They began to prepare the great divine rock with fire and tecuciztecatl gave many beautiful offerings such as feathers Quetzal, gold and many precious stones. and the god nanahuatzin, bestowed upon the majestic rock of fire many plants that were medicinal, green reeds, and his own blood.
Then followed the second test, they had to go to the pyramids of the sun and moon to perform their penance in those places, then they gave some offerings to the earth. These two Gods adorned themselves and dressed in bright colors and precious jewels. TO tecuciztecatl the gods provided him with a dressing table made of multiple heron feathers; already nanahuatzin they gave him a paper toilet.
And so the last test began, the two gods stood near the divine fire. The other gods gave the order to tecuciztecatl to get into the fire that was there, which they considered to be divine, he was scared because the temperature was very high and he backed away, he tried many times and could not do it, which is why he did not look good before the others who were in the place at that time.
Then the gods commanded nanahuatzin that he threw himself into the divine fire and this one threw himself without hesitation, he strengthened his heart to be able to resist the fire.
when the god tecuciztecatl he saw what the other god did, he was ashamed of the fear he felt. This type of behavior made him fall into a deep reflection about his fear and he took courage from him, driven by his regret he decided to throw himself into the fire again, but he could not do it anymore, it was already too late, because the fire was extinguished.
All the gods became completely silent, while already nanahuatzin it was shining in the sky becoming the sun. After that the god arose tecuciztecatl With another light as intense as the first, the gods did not agree and took its shine from this second sun and turned it into a moon.
Chang'e, a Chinese legend about the Moon
This is an ancient Chinese legend of the moon, which tells the story of a beautiful woman named Chang'e, she fell in love at first sight with Yi, who was known to be an archer with great fame for those times. They fell in love the first time they saw each other, so they decided to get married.
After the wedding, that couple in love lived happily for a long time, so YiLonging to have more time with his wife, he decided to talk to the goddess of heaven, she was moved to hear the story of Yi, decided to give him a little of the elixir of eternal life.
But first he warned Yi, that the bottle contained enough elixir for only two people to become immortal, but if only one person drank that elixir, they would be able to fly to the sky, thus becoming a god.
Yi He returned home happy to know that he could become an immortal being together with his wife and to live with her until eternity, so he returned home, leaving the bottle with the elixir to his wife, a student of Yi, LLAMADA Peng Meng, took advantage of his master's absence to try to steal the elixir from Chang'e and she without being able to defend herself against Peng, decided to take the elixir by herself.
At that moment, the sky goddess's warnings came true, as Chang'e it became light, so much so that its feet took off from the ground and it began to rise through the air, until finally ending up on the moon. This legend like any other has many versions, but Chang'e she always ends up becoming a goddess after being human. She what she is interpreted as a beautiful immortal goddess, capable of feeling the same things that a human being would feel.
the moon rabbit
This is a legend about the Moon that is told in almost every culture in the world, with different variations. In this legend allusion is made to the silhouette of a rabbit that is often seen reflected in the Moon.
This myth tells that one day the Aztec God Quetzalcoatl, went for a walk on earth and acquired the human figure, the whole day he walked a lot, when the sun went down, he realized that he was very hungry and also very exhausted, but still he did not stop. When night came, the stars illuminated the firmament and then the moon appeared on the horizon, it was when this God wanted to rest.
But suddenly a rabbit was near him and the rabbit started to eat. Then Quetzalcoatl asks the rabbit, what are you eating? And the rabbit replied: I am eating grass, he offered to the God. But he replied that he didn't eat that and said maybe I'll come to my end, and well I'll die of hunger and thirst!
But goodness entered the rabbit, he got closer to the God, even though he was a small rabbit, he offered himself so that the God would not die of hunger. Quetzalcoatl He had a lot of satisfaction in his heart and took the rabbit and caressed it with great affection, he said, Everyone will know what a beautiful gesture you had to save a life with yours!
Then he took the rabbit and raised it very high, until its figure was captured on the lunar surface, then lowered it and showed its image reflected in that silver star that would remain there forever until the end of humanity. This is why on some nights, when the moon is completely visible, the shape of something that appears to be a rabbit can be seen.
The truth is that the moon, apart from having a very attractive appearance, also becomes the center of many legends around the world, in all the different cultures that exist on this planet legends are made about it, some more realistic what others. The truth is that it is even known by different names, but it has served the same purpose everywhere.
If you want to know more about the Legends of the Moon, I recommend to see the next video which will be available below for more information about this beautiful natural satellite: