Lunar deity

Lore & Background

Many cultures have implicitly linked the 29.5-day lunar cycle to women's menstrual cycles, as evident in the shared linguistic roots of 'menstruation' and 'moon' words in multiple language families. This identification was not universal, as demonstrated by the fact that not all moon deities are female. Still, many well-known mythologies feature moon goddesses, including the Greek goddess Selene, the Roman goddess Luna, the Chinese goddess Chang'e, and the Aztec goddess Coyolxāuhqui, whose decapitation may represent a lunar eclipse. Some male gods like Nanna-Sin were linked to childbirth and pregnancy as well. Several goddesses including Artemis, Hecate, Melinoë, Phoebe, Theia and Isis did not originally have lunar aspects, and only acquired them late in antiquity due to syncretism with the de facto Greco-Roman lunar deity Selene/Luna. Male lunar gods are also common, such as Sin of the Mesopotamians, Turks and of the Egyptians (or the earlier Egyptian lunar deity Iah), Mani of the Germanic tribes, Tsukuyomi of the Japanese, Igaluk/Alignak of the Inuit, and the Hindu god Chandra. The original Proto-Indo-European lunar deity, *Meh₁not, appears to have been male, with many possible derivatives including the Homeric figure of Menelaus. Cultures with male moon gods often feature sun goddesses. An exception are Hinduism and Philippine animism featuring both male and female aspects of the solar divine. Pre-colonial Philippine societies practiced animism, in which nature was imbued with spirits and deities with both male and female moon gods and with prevalence of many male moon gods in Philippine mythology, unlike in many other cultures where the moon is typically personified as female.

Reader's Guide

Lunar deities have played a central role in religious and cultural systems worldwide, often governing calendars, fertility, and timekeeping. The Hindu calendar maintains the integrity of the lunar month and the moon god Chandra has religious significance during many Hindu festivals. Ancient Germanic tribes and the Baltic Finnic peoples were known to have a lunar calendar, with calendars such as the Runic calendar fixing the beginning of the year at the first full moon after winter solstice. In Buddhism, the moon is not usually worshipped as a god but plays an important symbolic role; the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and passing into Nirvana are all said to have happened on full moon days. The legacy of lunar deities extends into modern symbolism. The crescent moon and star is widely seen as a symbol of Islam, though historically the crescent was a Byzantine and Near Eastern symbol adopted centuries after Islam's beginning. In the Manichean religion, Jesus Christ was worshipped as a lunar deity, often called the 'King of the Moon.' The Moon features prominently in art and literature, often with a purported influence on human affairs. The diversity of lunar deities—from the Hindu Chandra to the Japanese Tsukuyomi—reflects the universal human fascination with the Moon and its cycles.

Did You Know?

• The Greek goddess Selene, Roman goddess Luna, Chinese goddess Chang'e, and Aztec goddess Coyolxāuhqui are all moon goddesses.
• The original Proto-Indo-European lunar deity, *Meh₁not, appears to have been male.
• In the Manichean religion, Jesus Christ was worshipped as a lunar deity, often called the 'King of the Moon.'
• The Hindu god Chandra is married to the 27 Nakshatras, who represent the stars in the sky.