EDUCATION | MOON MYTHS

There once was a village in the mountains where a boy named 'Running Antelope' lived with his grandmother. He was with a group of people who went to visit a prairie village ruled by a cruel chief. The chief was fond of a very beautiful maiden named 'Little Hill', but he could not succeed in winning her over. When Running Antelope saw Little Hill, he was smitten by her beauty and began to spend most of his time with her. Finally they were married, and the couple lived in Little Hill's village.

However, the chief was very unhappy with this turn of events and threatened that someday he would take her away from Running Antelope. Every night when people gathered in the center of the village for games and entertainment, the chief would try to win his people's affection by casting beautiful and valuable pieces of coral, turquoise, and beads onto the ground for people to pick up. Running Antelope collected many beads and went home to present them to his new wife, but when he got to his lodge, Little Hill could not be found anywhere. Running Antelope snuck up to the chief's lodge and, as he expected, he heard within the voice of Little Hill singing. He burst into the lodge and demanded the return of his wife, but the chief pulled a knife, causing Running Antelope to flee. The chief grabbed his quiver of poisoned arrows and chased after him, shooting at the young man as they ran. Running Antelope was on the verge of being overtaken by his pursuer when he came to the sandy bank of a lake. There he prayed to the Waterspirits of the lake to save him, and without further hesitation he jumped into the water. The Waterspirits heard him and shot a great swirling geyser of water into the sky which hurled Running Antelope all the way to the moon. When the chief came upon this scene, he shut his eyes tightly for fear that seeing the spirits would kill him. Running Antelope was saved from the chief but forever separated from his beloved wife. He is the man that we see in the moon.

One day the chief was out near a lake when his eyes fell upon the reflected image of the moon. To him the image of Running Antelope was so vivid that he thought his enemy was right there in the waters, so he rushed in after him. That was his undoing, for the Waterspirits overwhelmed him with wave upon wave of water until he drowned.
[Richard L. Dieterle]

Three Frog sisters had a house in a swamp, where they lived together. They had neighbors in a house nearby. Among them were Snake and Beaver, who were friends. They were well-grown lads and wished to marry the Frog girls. One night Snake went to the Frogs' house, and, crawling up to one of the sisters, put his hand on her face. She awoke and asked him who he was. Learning that he was Snake, she said she would not marry him and told him to leave at once. She called him hard names, such as "slimy-fellow," "small-eyes," etc. Snake returned and told his friends of his failure.

The next night, Beaver went to try, and crawling up to one of the sisters, he put his hand on her face. She awoke and told him to be gone. She called him names, such as "short-legs," "big-belly," "big-buttocks." Beaver felt hurt, and began to cry. His father asked him what the matter was, and the boy told him. He said, "That is nothing. Don't cry! It will rain too much." But young Beaver said, "I will cry."

As Beaver cried, the rain did fall. Soon the swamp where the Frogs lived was flooded. Their house was under the water, which covered the tops of the tall swamp-grass. The Frogs got cold, went to Beaver's house, and said to him, "We wish to marry your sons." But old Beaver said, "No! You called us hard names." The water was now running in a regular stream. So the Frogs swam away downstream until they reached a whirlpool, which sucked them in. They arrived at the house of the Moon. The Man in the Moon invited them to warm themselves at the fire, but they said, "No. We do not wish to sit by the fire. We wish to sit there," pointing at him. He said, "Here?" at the same time pointing at his feet. They said, "No, not there." Then he pointed to one part of his body after another, until he reached his brow. When he said, "Will you sit here?" they all cried out, "Yes," and jumped on his face, thus spoiling his beauty. Thus, the Frog sisters may be seen on the moon's face today.
[Teit, Journal of American Folk-Lore, xxv, 298, No. 3]

Malina and her brother Anningan used to live together, but one day they had a terrible argument and began to fight each other. Malina ran away from Anningan far into the sky and became the Sun. Anningan ran after her and became the Moon. Their chase is unending. Anningan races after his sister day after day. Forgetting to eat, he grows thinner and thinner until he disappears altogether. When he becomes invisible, Anningan is reminded that he must eat. He always reappears to chase his sister across the sky. Malina tried her best to stay away from Anningan, thus the reason the Sun and Moon rise and set at different times.
[Inuit History and Culture, Native American Library]

Tirawa, the Great Spirit, placed Wolf Spirit in the sky to watch out for Evening Star. Tirawa placed Wolf's animal brothers - Black Bear, Mountain Lion, and Wild-Cat - next to Wolf Spirit in attendance of the Moon. Great was the power of Wolf Spirit and his fellows in their place in the sky. They came to be known as Black Star, Yellow Star, White Star and Red Star. These Star beasts sent animals like themselves to live upon the earth. These same animal spirits were responsible for many of the Earth's creations. They sent clouds, thunder, lightning, and the wind. They sent the cottonwood, elm, willow, and box elder. They created the four kinds of corn - black, yellow, white, and red. And it was these great and powerful spirits that guarded Evening Star each night.

As great as these Star Warriors were, the power of the Morning Star, the Sun, was greater. In time, the Sun vanquished Wolf Spirit and his brothers. In honor of their greatness, Morning Star set Wolf Spirit and the other Star Beasts to hold up the four quarters of the universe. Wolf Spirit, once guardian of the Moon, now stands as devoted servant of the Sun. Yet his likeness upon the Earth is still heard howling when Evening Star rises in the sky. Could it be that the creation of Wolf Spirit yet remembers the ancient ties to the Moon? The lone wolf singing his songs to the Moon is following the ways of his ancestors who first helped the Moon to ascend to her nightly station.
[Pawnee Folklore, Native American Library]

The Sun was a young woman and lived in the East, while her brother, the Moon, lived in the West. The girl had a suitor who used to come every month in the dark of the moon to court her. He would come at night, and leave before daylight. Although she talked with him she could not see his face in the dark, and he would not tell her his name, until she was wondering all the time who it could be.

At last she hit upon a plan to find out, so the next time he came, as they were sitting together in the dark of the âsi, she slyly dipped her hand into the cinders and ashes of the fireplace and rubbed it over his face, saying, "Your face is cold; you must have suffered from the wind," and pretending to be very sorry for him, but he did not know that she had ashes on her hand. After a while he left her and went away again.

The next night when the Moon came up in the sky, his face was covered with spots, and then his sister knew he was the one who had been coming to see her. He was so ashamed at her revelation that he kept as far away as he could at the other end of the sky all the night. Ever since then, he tries to keep a long way behind the Sun, and when he does sometimes have to come near her in the west he makes himself as thin as a ribbon so that he can hardly be seen.

Some old people say that the moon is a ball which was thrown up against the sky during a game a long time ago. They say that two towns were playing against each other, but one of them had the best runners and had almost won the game, when the leader of the other side picked up the ball with his hand--a thing that is not allowed in the game--and tried to throw it to the goal, but it struck against the solid sky vault and was fastened there, to remind players never to cheat. When the moon looks small and pale it is because someone has handled the ball unfairly, and for this reason they played only at the time of a full moon.

Tulugaukuk, the Raven father, was the creator of all life. Raven visualized the world covered with growing plants. He created trees, vines, and bushes to beautify the lads of the Earth. From out of one of the pea pods, Man was born. When raven saw this creature, he cared for him. Raven showed Man the worlds of his creation, including a Sky-Land. In it, there was a round hole. Around the hole was a short grass that glowed like the white flame. On one edge of the hole, some grass was missing. Raven explained to Man that this was the star called Moon. Raven had taken some of the fire-grass to the land below to create the first fire on Earth. Raven Father fed Man with salmon berries and heath berries, which he had made plentiful in the forests. Man tasted the berries and his hunger was satisfied. There was fresh water in the clear lakes for Man to drink.

Next, raven collected clay and shaped two mountain sheep with his hands. Raven called on Man to look at his new creation. Man was pleased at this new form of life. Raven wondered if people would kill the sheep if they became plentiful. He thought they might, so he sent the sheep to live among the steep rocks where few people could reach them. With more clay, raven formed reindeer, caribou, muskrat, and all the other beasts of the land, water, and air. In time, Raven became afraid that Man would kill the creatures of his making and use them for food and clothing. He took white clay and shaped it into a bear, the guardian spirit of the animals. Raven warned Man not to disturb White Bear, for he would tear Man to pieces with his sharp claws. The numbers of the Earth people grew steadily. Soon many people lived upon the Earth. As Raven feared, they began killing the animals of his creation. As punishment, Raven took the light away from the Sky-Land and plunged the Earth into darkness. The people of Earth made offerings to Raven so that he would return the light to the Earth, but he would not.

Finally, the son of Raven took pity on the Earth people. The raven Boy took the leather bag in which the Creator had hidden the Sun and flew far into the sky. When he reached the place where the sun should be, he tore open the leather bag and the light burst forth. Raven Father called after the boy. Thinking that his son had stolen the sun for himself, Raven told him not to allow it always to be dark.

Perhaps out of misunderstanding or perhaps to honor his father whose wishes he had first stood against, raven Boy toppled the sky. Sometimes the Sun is visible through the spinning Sky-Land, sometimes it is the Moon, the round hole with white fire that less brightly lights the Earth. It is sometimes dark and sometimes bright. But as Raven Father wished, there is not always darkness upon the Earth. People still hunt. The Sun and Moon still take their turns being visible above. But we hope the lessons of the Raven Father have been learned well. We hope that people hunts the creatures of the Creator no more than is dictated by their needs. We hope they honor the White Bear and remember the lesson of darkness.

The elders tell a tale of the beginnings of all life. The great creator was the Sun. He first created the Moon and took her as his wife. Together, they had seven sons, which can still be seen as the stars of the Big Dipper. The Creator Sun also gave life to snakes upon the Earth. These creatures reproduced so quickly that the lands were soon overrun with their kind. Sun went to the snakes and asked them to slow down. Certainly, the Earth could not sustain them if they continued to multiply at such a speedy rate. The snakes refused to comply with Creator Sun. Failing to gain their cooperation, he decided to destroy them all and free the Earth of this burden. And so he did, all but for one female snake. This one she-snake was about to give birth and Creator Sun felt compassion for her. She alone was allowed to survive.

One of the snake's descendants, upon reaching adulthood, decided to seek revenge for the destruction of his kind by Creator Sun. To carry out his mission, he assumed a human form. It was in this shape that he came to be known as Snakeman. In order to avenge his race of ancestors, Snakeman wanted to make Creator Sun suffer a loss as grievous as his own race had suffered in the early times. And so, in his human form, he seduced the Moon. Sun soon discovered the betrayal and killed Snakeman. Then Sun and his seven sons ran from the Moon. But the Moon had fallen deeply in love with Snakeman. Because Sun had taken the life of her beloved, Moon chased after him with the intention of destroying him as he had destroyed Snakeman.

Sun, who had created Moon and made her powerful, was fearful for the safety of his sons. He armed his sons with powers of their own so that they might defend themselves against the angry Moon. He gave one son a stick that could turn into a forest and another rock capable of becoming a mountain. He gave his third son a skin filled with water that could turn into a rainstorm, and his fourth son one that could transform into an ocean. His fifth son received a beautiful bird that could change into thunder, lightning, and rain. His sixth son received a pouch of air that could become a mighty windstorm. The last son received a magic powder that enabled him to create deep canyons by tracing his finger in the dirt.

As the angry Moon closed her distance on her intended victims, each son used his special power to create an obstacle for her. The Moon overcame each and moved ever closer to her seven sons and their father. When she was almost upon them, one of her sons poured his skin of water and an ocean appeared between them. Creator Sun took advantage of this distraction to raise himself and his sons into the sky. The Moon, however, was not without powers of her own. She lifted herself into the sky and resumed the chase.

Sun divided the night from the day to gain some rest from the endless pursuit. Through the day, he and his sons can rest from the relentless Moon. At the rise of nightfall she is once again after them, and they seek refuge in the west. So has it been since the earliest times. We see Sun in his transit across the sky, trying to keep ahead of his angered wife. When the sky turns black, Moon is in pursuit, never failing to track his direction and following nightly the path of his flight. Should this eternal chase ever end, say the elders, it will be a bad omen and would foretell the ending of life itself.

The earth, the people, and the food and drink were created but there was no sun to shine in this newly generated world. So, the gods get together in darkness to discuss who should be the next sun. A very arrogant god named Tecuciztecatl quickly volunteered for the job, but the gods selected the humble and diseased god Nanahuatzin, who had split a gigantic rock to get maize for the humans so they would not starve. There was a competition between them to see who would get the honor. The final requirement was for each to jump into the sacrificial fire. The gods stipulated that Tecuciztecatl go first, but he chickened out. Then they called upon Nanahuatzin who did not hesitate. Seeing the bravery Nanahuatizin demonstrated, Tecuciztecatl was not to be outdone. He quickly followed suit, but it was too late. The choice had been made. The other gods looked all around attempting to guess where Nanahuatzin would rise. Some correctly guessed the east. No longer sickly and humble, Nanahuatzin returns rising as Tonatiuh, the fiery sun god whose rays shoot out in all directions. But soon after, here comes Tecuciztecatl rising in the east just as brightly as Tonatiuh. This spells trouble as the world will be too bright now. Therefore, one of the gods runs out and throws a rabbit in the face of Tecuciztecatl. Thus wounded, the face of the moon is dimmer than the sun, and during full moons, the rabbit can be seen seated in the face of the moon.
[Taube]

Coyolxauhqui was the daughter of the Earth goddess Coatlicue and the sister of the Sun god Huitzilopochtli. Coyolxauhqui encouraged her four hundred sisters and brothers to kill their dishonored mother, but before they could act, Coatlicue gave birth to Huitzilopochtli after a ball of feathers fell into the temple where she was sweeping and touched her. Huitzilopochtli sprang out of his mother as an adult fully armed and saved her from his sister's scheme. Huitzilopochtli cut off Coyolxauhqui's head and threw it into the sky to form the Moon

This is the light of the mind, cold and planetary The trees of the mind are black. The light is blue. The grasses unload their griefs on my feet as if I were God Prickling my ankles and murmuring of their humility Fumy, spiritous mists inhabit this place. Separated from my house by a row of headstones. I simply cannot see where there is to get to.

The moon is no door. It is a face in its own right, White as a knuckle and terribly upset. It drags the sea after it like a dark crime; it is quiet With the O-gape of complete despair. I live here. Twice on Sunday, the bells startle the sky -- Eight great tongues affirming the Resurrection At the end, they soberly bong out their names.

The yew tree points up, it has a Gothic shape. The eyes lift after it and find the moon. The moon is my mother. She is not sweet like Mary. Her blue garments unloose small bats and owls. How I would like to believe in tenderness - The face of the effigy, gentled by candles, Bending, on me in particular, its mild eyes.

I have fallen a long way. Clouds are flowering Blue and mystical over the face of the stars Inside the church, the saints will all be blue, Floating on their delicate feet over the cold pews, Their hands and faces stiff with holiness. The moon sees nothing of this. She is bald and wild. And the message of the yew tree is blackness - blackness and silence.

In days gone by there was a land where the nights were always dark, and the sky spread over it like a black cloth, for there the moon never rose, and no star shone in the gloom. At the creation of the world, the light at night had been sufficient. Three young fellows once went out of this country on a traveling expedition, and arrived in another kingdom, where, in the evening when the sun had disappeared behind the mountains, a shining globe was placed on an oak-tree, which shed a soft light far and wide. By means of this, everything could very well be seen and distinguished, even though it was not so brilliant as the sun.

The travelers stopped and asked a countryman who was driving past with his cart, what kind of a light that was. That is the moon, answered he, our mayor bought it for three talers, and fastened it to the oak-tree. He has to pour oil into it daily, and to keep it clean, so that it may always burn clearly. He receives a taler a week from us for doing it. When the countryman had driven away, one of them said, we could make some use of this lamp, we have an oak-tree at home, which is just as big as this, and we could hang it on that. What a pleasure it would be not to have to feel about at night in the darkness. I'll tell you what we'll do, said the second, we will fetch a cart and horses and carry away the moon. The people here may buy themselves another. I'm a good climber, said the third, I will bring it down. The fourth brought a cart and horses, and the third climbed the tree, bored a hole in the moon, passed a rope through it, and let it down.

When the shining ball lay in the cart, they covered it over with a cloth, that no one might observe the theft. They conveyed it safely into their own country, and placed it on a high oak. Old and young rejoiced, when the new lamp let its light shine over the whole land, and bed-rooms and sitting-rooms were filled with it. The dwarfs came forth from their caves in the rocks, and the tiny elves in their little red coats danced in rings on the meadows. The four took care that the moon was provided with oil, cleaned the wick, and received their weekly taler, but they became old men, and when one of them grew ill, and saw that he was about to die, he appointed that one quarter of the moon, should, as his property, be laid in the grave with him. When he died, the mayor climbed up the tree, and cut off a quarter with the hedge-shears, and this was placed in his coffin. The light of the moon decreased, but still not visibly. When the second died, the second quarter was buried with him, and the light diminished. It grew weaker still after the death of the third, who likewise took his part of it away with him, and when the fourth was borne to his grave, the old state of darkness recommenced, and whenever the people went out at night without their lanterns they knocked their heads together in collision.

When, however, the pieces of the moon had united themselves together again in the world below, where darkness had always prevailed, it came to pass that the dead became restless and awoke from their sleep. They were astonished when they were able to see again, the moonlight was quite sufficient for them, for their eyes had become so weak that they could not have borne the brilliance of the sun. They rose up and were merry, and fell into their former ways of living. Some of them went to the play and to dance, others hastened to the public-houses, where they asked for wine, got drunk, brawled, quarreled, and at last took up cudgels, and belabored each other. The noise became greater and greater, and at last reached even to heaven. St. Peter, who guards the gate of heaven, thought the lower world had broken out in revolt and gathered together the heavenly hosts, which were employed to drive back the evil one when he and his associates storm the abode of the blessed. As these, however, did not come, he got on his horse and rode through the gate of heaven, down into the world below. There he reduced the dead to subjection, bade them lie down in their graves again, took the moon away with him, and hung it up in heaven.

*A modern pagan tribute to the Goddess of the Moon.*

"I Arianrhod - Chaste Goddess of the moon dwell in Caer Sidi the castle of glass alone three fountains rise before my chair three rings of fire surround my bower who dares ascend the seat of Awen in my tower

Gods journey here of a flickering fire most precious most rare that touches the spirit the poets inspire and I Arianrhod guardian of the tower, of glass is my womb the seat is my bower

Long and white are my fingers I unplugged my hair in the light of the moon and ascend to my chair Is it not my chaste beauty, a flame of desire that draws the great peers to my true scarlet fire

I Arianrhod -Chaste Goddess of the moon dwell in Caer Sidi the castle of glass alone three fountains rise before my chair three rings of fire surround my bower who dares ascend the seat of Awen in my tower"

*A common Christian metaphor for the relationship between God and his people.*

You are the sun shining down on everyone Light of the world giving light to everything I see Beauty so brilliant I can hardly take it in And everywhere you are is warmth and light

And I am the moon with no light of my own Still you have made me to shine And as I glow in this cold dark night I know I can't be a light unless I turn my face to you

You are the sun shining down on everyone Light of the world giving light to everything I see Beauty so brilliant I can hardly take it in And everywhere you are is warmth and light

And I am the moon with no light of my own Still you have made me to shine And as I glow in this cold dark night I know I canít be a light unless I turn my face to you

Shine on me with your light Without you I'm a cold dark stone Shine on me I have no light of my own You are the sun, you are the sun, you are the sun And I am the moon