The moon has captivated humanity since the beginning of time. Ancient civilizations worshipped the moon as a deity, believing it had power over the tides, seasons, and even human emotions. The cool glow of moonlight evokes a sense of mystery and magic. But who exactly is the god or goddess believed to control the moon’s light? Throughout history and across cultures, moon deities have taken many forms.
Quick Answers
– Ancient Egyptian mythology worshipped Khonsu as an important moon god. He was the son of Amun and Mut.
– In Greek mythology, Artemis was the goddess of the moon. She was the twin sister of Apollo and daughter of Zeus and Leto.
– Celtic mythology describes an antlered goddess named Cerridwen who represented the moon’s cycles and phases.
– Several Native American tribes revered the moon goddess Mawu, who was connected to the life cycle and agriculture.
– Aztec mythology described the dual goddesses Coyolxauhqui who represented the moon and her sister Huitzilopochtli who was associated with the sun.
– In Norse mythology, Mani was the male personification of the moon who crossed the night sky in a chariot drawn by horses.
Ancient Egyptian Moon Worship
In ancient Egyptian religion, the moon was represented by several gods and goddesses. One of the most significant was Khonsu, whose name means “traveller” referring to the moon’s nightly course across the sky. He was believed to be the son of Amun and Mut. As the god of the moon, Khonsu was also closely connected to time keeping and calendars. The regular cycles of the moon made it useful for measuring and tracking time in ancient societies.
Khonsu was typically depicted as a young man wearing a headdress featuring a crescent moon. In his hands, he carried the was scepter and an ankh, both symbols of divine power. Khonsu was believed to watch over nighttime travelers and protect people from wild animals. The ancient Egyptians believed Khonsu’s powers waned and waxed along with the lunar cycle each month.
Various temples and monuments were dedicated to Khonsu across Egypt. The temple at Karnak had a crescent-shaped sacred lake honoring the god. The city of Thebes was considered Khonsu’s cult center. During the New Kingdom period, Khonsu gained prominence and became part of the important Theban triad along with his parents Amun and Mut.
Other Egyptian Moon Deities
In addition to Khonsu, the ancient Egyptians also revered other moon gods including Iah and Thoth. The god Iah was an early lunar deity often represented by the moon disk cradled in a crescent moon boat. Iah was later largely syncretized with other moon gods like Khonsu. Thoth was one of the most important and complex gods of ancient Egypt connected to wisdom, magic, writing, science, and judgment of the dead. While Thoth primarily served as a scribe, he was also linked to the moon’s cycles of waxing and waning.
The Egyptians saw the moon as a symbol of immortality and rebirth due to its constant cycles of darkness and illumination. As a result, lunar deities were strongly connected with concepts of renewal, regeneration, and time. The moon gods oversaw the measurement of time itself, a crucial role for agricultural civilizations dependent on accurately tracking seasons for planting and harvesting crops.
Greek Goddess Artemis
In Greek mythology, Artemis was the goddess most closely associated with the moon. She was the daughter of Zeus, the king of the gods, and Leto. Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo, god of the sun. But Artemis was primarily known as the goddess of the hunt and protector of young women and children.
Artemis was often depicted as a young woman dressed in a short knee-length tunirc and hunting boots, carrying a bow and quiver of arrows. She was both beautiful and chaste. As goddess of the moon, Artemis was seen as the guardian of night itself. The glowing silver light of the moon was viewed as an aspect of Artemis’s power.
Attributes of Artemis
Some key attributes and symbols of the Greek moon goddess Artemis include:
– Crescent moon crown or headdress
– Bow and arrows
– Deer and hunting dogs
– Torch representing lunar light
– Altar with cakes or fruit offerings
– Palm tree representing lunar cycles of renewal
Artemis was worshipped across Greece, Italy, and western Europe. However, her most famous temple was in the city of Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Temple of Artemis was adorned with striking silver images of the goddess. Its remains are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Myths of Artemis
Artemis appears in several important Greek myths and legends. A few examples include:
– Orion the Hunter: Orion was accidentally killed either by Artemis herself or her twin Apollo after provoking her wrath. After his death, he was memorialized as a constellation.
– Callisto: A companion of Artemis, Callisto swore to remain a virgin but was raped by Zeus. Enraged, Artemis transformed her into a bear. Her son Arcas became the constellation Ursa Minor.
– Actaeon: After witnessing Artemis bathing nude while hunting, Actaeon was transformed into a stag and torn apart by his own hounds.
– Adonis: Artemis sent the wild boar that killed the handsome hunter Adonis as punishment for his boast that he was a better hunter.
Celtic Goddess Cerridwen
In Celtic mythology, the moon goddess Cerridwen represented the moon, magic, enchantment, wisdom, and cycles of renewal. She was commonly depicted as a mystical goddess of great wisdom, with long flowing hair and robes, holding a chalice and loaf of bread to symbolize abundance.
According to Welsh tradition, Cerridwen lived near Bala Lake in north Wales. This lake was considered magical, and it was believed its moods and mists reflected Cerridwen’s emotions. Cerridwen was associated with the harvest and agriculture, since the changing moon marked the seasons and passage of time.
One important myth featuring Cerridwen tells of her struggle against the legendary Welsh bard Taliesin. Cerridwen brewed a potion to grant wisdom and inspiration to her son Morfran. But the potion was accidentally consumed by servant boy Gwion Bach, who was transformed into the poet Taliesin.
Cerridwen’s Cauldron
Cerridwen was believed to stir a magical cauldron containing knowledge and wisdom. Those who tasted from her cauldron would be granted poetic inspiration, but the brew had to be stirred constantly for a year and day to properly work. The three drops Gwion tasted conferred him with Taliesin’s powers. The cauldron became a key symbol of the Celtic goddess.
Like other moon goddesses, Cerridwen represented wisdom, magic, femininity, and the lunar cycle. She ultimately transformed Gwion into Taliesin, demonstrating her abilities of rebirth and renewal, much like the moon itself. Cerridwen continues to be an important figure in modern Neopagan and Wiccan traditions.
Native American Moon Goddess
The moon goddess Mawu was an important deity among several Native American tribes, including the Arawak, Chan, and Ogoula. She was portrayed as an elderly woman with white hair symbolizing the moon’s glowing light. As a lunar goddess, Mawu held power over night, magic, femininity, and the rhythms of nature.
Mawu was believed to be the partner of Lisa, the sun god. Together, Mawu and Lisa created the universe and regulated the harmony of the cosmos. Mawu specifically controlled everything associated with the night: tides, dew, wild animals, and the waxing and waning of the moon itself. She created the moon originally to reflect the sun’s light and allow humans to track time.
Among the Arawak people, the phrases “Mother Moon” and “Grandmother Moon” were used to describe Mawu. She governed periods of rest, contemplation, and human emotions. The cool light of the moon brings relaxation, while the bright sun is a time for work. T
Agriculture and Femininity
As an essential regulator of natural cycles, Mawu held power over agriculture and the fertility of crops. The changing phases of the moon determined the best times for planting and gathering harvests. Mawu was seen as the protector of women, especially related to pregnancy, childbirth, and menstrual cycles linked to the moon.
Mawu provided balance as a nurturing, maternal goddess complementing the masculine sun god Lisa. She emphasized wisdom gained through patience, contemplation, and experiencing life’s mysteries. To Native Americans, the cycles of the moon symbolized endless renewal, as seen in Mawu’s infinite wisdom and immortality.
Aztec Moon Goddesses
The Aztecs of Mesoamerica worshipped several important moon deities who figured prominently in their myths. Coyolxauhqui was the daughter of the earth goddess, Coatlicue. When Coatlicue became pregnant with Huitzilopochtli, Coyolxauhqui and her 400 brothers vowed to kill their dishonored mother.
During the attack, Huitzilopochtli was born fully grown and armed. He killed Coyolxauhqui and her siblings, dismembering her body and tossing it into the sky to form the moon. So the Aztecs believed they could see Coyolxauhqui’s figure outlined on the moon’s surface. As a beheaded and dishonored goddess, Coyolxauhqui symbolized the darker side or waning phase of the moon’s cycle.
Metztli
Another Aztec moon goddess was Metztli, the deity of night and farmers. She was considered the protector of midwives and a nurturer of crops. As a benevolent mother figure, Metztli was far more positive symbol than the disgraced Coyolxauhqui.
Together, Coyolxauhqui and Metztli represented the duality of the moon as both a destructive and creative force. The cycles of the moon were intimately connected with agriculture, seasons, fertility, the passage of time. The Aztecs performed rituals and sacrifices to the moon deities essential to their very survival.
Norse Moon God
In Norse mythology, the moon was personified as two contrasting figures. The god Mani represented the radiant moon driving his chariot across the sky. The god’s luminous horses signified the stars. Meanwhile, Mani’s sister Sol drove the sun chariot during the day.
In Norse folklore, Mani was chased each night by Hati, the wolf who sought to devour the moon but could never quite catch him. During an eclipse, it was believed that Hati was close to swallowing the moon entirely. The ancient Norse people would make loud noises and shoot arrows to scare the wolf away and restore Mani’s light.
In contrast, the god Munin represented the darker side of the moon. Munin was responsible for changeable phases of the moon and its effect on the tides and human minds. The waxing and waning light of the moon was believed to influence emotions, dreams, and even madness.
The Moonglow
The Norse moon god Mani was somewhat aloof and remote compared to the more accessible sun goddess Sol. The moon’s pale light evoked a cooler, more mysterious presence. Mani distantly illuminated the night but did not offer warmth.
Overall, Norse mythology saw the moon as a capricious, vaguely ominous force. The interplay between Mani’s bright phases and Munin’s dark phases made the moon both alluring and perilous. This duality lives on in the English words “lunacy” and “looney” derived from Luna, the Roman moon goddess. But the moon’s ephemeral glow and shifting cycles also symbolized changeability, mysticism, and the passage of time for the ancient Norse people.
Conclusion
Across cultures and millennia, the moon has been personified in mythology and revered for its beauty and symbolism. For the Egyptians, it represented time and immortality. For the Greeks, it signified the wildness of nature and the hunt. The Celtic goddess used the moon’s cycling phases to brew wisdom and creative inspiration.
Ancient people depended on the moon to regulate their agriculture, rituals, and sense of time’s passage. They imbued the moon with its own deities who controlled its waxing and waning light. Although cultures imagined the moon goddess and moon gods differently, common symbolic themes run throughout the myths.
The moon remains an ever-changing yet constant presence in our lives, just as it did for the ancients. Its cool glow continues to evoke humanity’s fascination with the mystical and unknowable. We still look up at night and discover the moon anew, just as our ancestors did thousands of years ago. The enduring allure of the moon reflects our deeply rooted connection to its eternal, celestial beauty.