Who is the GODDESS of the MOON in the different ancient MYTHOLOGIES

One of the most interesting elements when studying the mythology is to see how certain elements are continuously repeated between different beliefs, an example of this being the Sun or Moon since these stars have been motifs of myths and deities from the beginning of the human being. To see the importance of the Moon in mythology, in this lesson from a Teacher we must talk about who is the goddess of the moon.

Index

1. The Moon in mythology
2. Goddesses of the Moon in different mythologies
3. Characteristics of the Moon in mythology

The Moon is an element that we have under our vision continuously, and more at night, so it is natural that when trying to understand the world through mythology they are many peoples and mythologies that have added this star to their myths.

We are not sure about the first peoples who were interested in the Moon, but we can see in very ancient civilizations that they were already talking about the star and gave it a certain importance. Some of the ancient towns where the

• Determined African, Polynesian and Amazonian peoples they worshiped the Moon and considered it a great living being that shared feelings with human beings.
• In all the towns of Mesopotamia there was a huge cult of lunar gods, whom they considered dangerous.
• The pre-Columbian peoples they worshiped the Moon as a counterpart to the Sun, there being a duality between them.
• On Egypt There were numerous gods related to the Moon, being generally related to the Underworld.
• The Incas they considered the Moon to be the main goddess of their beliefs.

When it comes to talking about who is the goddess of the Moon, we must understand that there is anorme amount of goddesses of this star, being common to relate it to female characters, and causing each great mythology to have a female personification of the Moon.

The main goddesses of the Moon are as follows:

• Ixchel: Mayan goddess of love, of pregnancy, of water, of medicine and of the Moon. She was said to control the cycles of the Moon, and therefore she was able to affect crops and childbirth. As in other Mesoamerican beliefs she has a dual role with the Sun.
• Selene: Titan of the Greek mythology who served as a personification of the Moon, although over the years she lost this attribution. It is said that after finishing her journey, hers, her brother, Helios of her, representation of the Sun, she began hers, this being the reason for the division between day and night.
• Sagebrush: Greek olympic goddess of hunting that over the years became the representative of the Moon as well. The role of her representing the star was minor, and therefore this symbol is not usually represented, being generally her role more related to hunting or animals. By becoming a lunar goddess, her brother Apollo became the god of the Sun, thereby maintaining duality.
• Mama Quilla: Moon goddess of the Incas and one of the most powerful deities of this belief. She had some of the most important positions in Inca mythology, such as the menstrual cycle, the control of crops, the protection of the female world and the Inca calendar.
• Coyolxauhqui: Aztec Goddess of the MoonIt is said that her brothers are the stars and her greatest rival is the Sun. Myths say that the Sun was unable to defeat her, and therefore the goddess symbolizes the Moon, she being the only one capable of making the Sun's energy yield.

When it comes to talking about the goddesses of the Moon, we are going to see that there are many that share common elements, since in general the Moon has a series of similar characteristics for all deities related to her.

Therefore, main characteristics of the Moon in mythology are as follows:

• Generally, the Moon is related to the feminine power, so the deity that represents her is usually a woman.
• Some of the animals that are usually represented with the Moon are the rabbit, wolf and frog. The case of the frog is due to the fact that some ancient cultures said that a frog could be seen on the Moon. On the other hand, the rabbit and hare are usually related to the Moon in all mythologies, and even in some it is said that they live in the star.
• To represent the Moon in myths, the crescent or even some horn of animal.
• It is said that the reason why wolves howl to the Moon is because they are connected to it and can feel the feelings of it.
• In many mythologies it is usually songs related to the moon, serving to ask for things or as a tribute.

If you want to read more articles similar to Who is the goddess of the Moon, we recommend that you enter our category of History.

• Hoogshagen, S. (1971). The creation of the sun and the moon according to the Mixes of Coatlán, Oaxaca. Tlalocan, 6 (4), 337-346.
• Gimbutas, M. (2014). Goddesses and gods of old Europe. Lingua, 2, 65.
• Cortés, N. C. (2005). The Ladies of the Moon (Vol. 32). UNAM.