In ancient times, the steady path of the moon around the earth and the constantly changing phases of this celestial body formed the bases of the calendar. As well as a measure of time, the different phases of the moon would be used to determine the best time to plant and harvest crops. In many cultures, the female menstrual cycle was linked to the moon.
Observable from all around the world, the moon plays an important role in the belief system of most cultures and among many, the moon, perceived as being female in nature, was worshipped as a goddess.
Where there is a moon god or goddess, there will be links with a sun god and these myths occasionally merged with each other. In Greek mythology for instance, the moon goddess was originally Selene and the sun god, Helios. Later myths associated Artemis with Selene and Apollo with Helios. Apollo was then worshipped as a sun god and Artemis, the moon goddess.
To confuse things even further, as children, the twins Apollo and Diana drank nectar from the cup of the gods and ate the ambrosia which would give them immortality. Diana became goddess of the Chase while Apollo became Phoebus, god of the Sun. This god was fated to lead a double life, sometimes on earth and other times in the heavens. On earth, he was worshipped as Apollo, in the heavens he was known as Phoebus!
Diana, initially goddess of the Chase, later became a moon goddess or Phoebe. Her father Jupiter granted her wish to roam the countryside, swim deep rivers, climb mountains and pursue wild animals while on earth. On earth therefore she was always known as Diana. Diana could hold the moon high up in the sky to lighten the darkness of night but sometimes, when weary of her duties, she would visit her brother Apollo and while in the heavens, she was known as Phoebe, goddess of the moon!
The Egyptian god of Moon and Magic, Thoth, was also associated with the intellect, communication, the written word, magic and wisdom. He was usually portrayed as having the body of a man and the face of a dog-headed baboon or an ibis. The ibis was thought to have a crescent beak, linking this bird to the moon while the dog-headed baboon, a nocturnal animal, would greet the sun with its chatter, each morning as Thoth would greet the sun god Ra at dawn as Ra began to rise in the skies.
The Indian moon god Chandra ruled the dream world and psychic visions. He would get regular breaks from travelling around the earth, sharing this task with his female counterpart Candi one taking over from the other at the end of each monthly cycle.
All over the world in ancient times, people would worship moon gods or goddesses, some sharing this status with other gods or with other duties. There was Annuit the Babylonian goddess of the moon, Anahita, the Persian river goddess who was also goddess of Venus. Many Native American tribes worshipped the moon goddess Athenesic while the goddess Hanwi, according to myth, once lived with the sun god Wi. After a wrongdoing for which he would not forgive her, she was forced to become a creature of the night.
Some cultures spoke of gods and goddesses living on the moon. The Hawaiian goddess Hina, according to myth, got tired of working for her brother and fled to the moon for some peace! At the full moon of the eighth lunar month, the Chinese celebrate the moon goddess Chang-O who also lives on the moon.
The ancient Celts had a deep and powerful respect for the moon. For these ancients the moon was the goddess who played a crucial role in their festivals, rituals and celebrations. The moon goddess Rhiannon was a fairy princess who rode so swiftly that no human could ever catch her. According to romantic myths, she fell in love with and married a mortal, the king of Wales.
Rhiannon was accused of murdering their baby son but later found to be innocent, she was reunited with her husband and restored to her throne. This moon goddess later became the Lady of the Lake who gave Arthur the magical sword, Excalibur.
Sources
Graves, R “Greek Gods and Heroes”, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group (2001)
Ford, M “Heroes, Gods and Monsters of Ancient Greek Mythology” Book House (2009)
© C Somerville – This article has also been published on Yahoo Voices and Helium. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing
Observable from all around the world, the moon plays an important role in the belief system of most cultures and among many, the moon, perceived as being female in nature, was worshipped as a goddess.
Where there is a moon god or goddess, there will be links with a sun god and these myths occasionally merged with each other. In Greek mythology for instance, the moon goddess was originally Selene and the sun god, Helios. Later myths associated Artemis with Selene and Apollo with Helios. Apollo was then worshipped as a sun god and Artemis, the moon goddess.
To confuse things even further, as children, the twins Apollo and Diana drank nectar from the cup of the gods and ate the ambrosia which would give them immortality. Diana became goddess of the Chase while Apollo became Phoebus, god of the Sun. This god was fated to lead a double life, sometimes on earth and other times in the heavens. On earth, he was worshipped as Apollo, in the heavens he was known as Phoebus!
Diana, initially goddess of the Chase, later became a moon goddess or Phoebe. Her father Jupiter granted her wish to roam the countryside, swim deep rivers, climb mountains and pursue wild animals while on earth. On earth therefore she was always known as Diana. Diana could hold the moon high up in the sky to lighten the darkness of night but sometimes, when weary of her duties, she would visit her brother Apollo and while in the heavens, she was known as Phoebe, goddess of the moon!
The Egyptian god of Moon and Magic, Thoth, was also associated with the intellect, communication, the written word, magic and wisdom. He was usually portrayed as having the body of a man and the face of a dog-headed baboon or an ibis. The ibis was thought to have a crescent beak, linking this bird to the moon while the dog-headed baboon, a nocturnal animal, would greet the sun with its chatter, each morning as Thoth would greet the sun god Ra at dawn as Ra began to rise in the skies.
The Indian moon god Chandra ruled the dream world and psychic visions. He would get regular breaks from travelling around the earth, sharing this task with his female counterpart Candi one taking over from the other at the end of each monthly cycle.
All over the world in ancient times, people would worship moon gods or goddesses, some sharing this status with other gods or with other duties. There was Annuit the Babylonian goddess of the moon, Anahita, the Persian river goddess who was also goddess of Venus. Many Native American tribes worshipped the moon goddess Athenesic while the goddess Hanwi, according to myth, once lived with the sun god Wi. After a wrongdoing for which he would not forgive her, she was forced to become a creature of the night.
Some cultures spoke of gods and goddesses living on the moon. The Hawaiian goddess Hina, according to myth, got tired of working for her brother and fled to the moon for some peace! At the full moon of the eighth lunar month, the Chinese celebrate the moon goddess Chang-O who also lives on the moon.
The ancient Celts had a deep and powerful respect for the moon. For these ancients the moon was the goddess who played a crucial role in their festivals, rituals and celebrations. The moon goddess Rhiannon was a fairy princess who rode so swiftly that no human could ever catch her. According to romantic myths, she fell in love with and married a mortal, the king of Wales.
Rhiannon was accused of murdering their baby son but later found to be innocent, she was reunited with her husband and restored to her throne. This moon goddess later became the Lady of the Lake who gave Arthur the magical sword, Excalibur.
Sources
Graves, R “Greek Gods and Heroes”, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group (2001)
Ford, M “Heroes, Gods and Monsters of Ancient Greek Mythology” Book House (2009)
© C Somerville – This article has also been published on Yahoo Voices and Helium. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing