Lunar Goddess

Yesterday, an online friend and fellow poet of the moon reached out to me. He mentioned that I am just like the Goddess Ixchel. I was glad for the compliment; however, I had no idea what he was talking about. He then sent me a link to a website that explained what he meant. I clicked the link, and read the story of the Goddess Ixchel, the Goddess of the Moon, from Mexican mythology. I thanked him for the immense compliment. After all, it is not every day that I am compared to a goddess.

I then began to research the legend and folklore of the goddess of the moon. I found some names I had heard of, many I had not, including Phoebe, Artemis, Menily, Hecate, Chia, Diana, Mano, to name a few. The Greek goddess of the moon is Selene; she is said to be the Greek personification of the moon. The name I am familiar with is Luna, the Roman goddess of the moon. She is said to be the divine embodiment of the moon.

In researching goddesses of the moon, I learned that the moon is most often personified as a female deity, linking the phases of the moon to a woman’s menstrual cycle. Knowing that information, I was surprised to learn that there are gods of the moon, male deities to personify the moon, in some mythologies as well. Quite often, the sun is depicted as one sex, the moon as the opposite sex. Sometimes they are depicted as mortal enemies, brother and sister, and even lovers.

In reading about the lunar deities I was fascinated to learn that there is a system of gods and goddesses, from peoples and countries and cultures around the world, all of which are amazingly similar. It probably dates back to the time of Pangaea, when the entire world had only one continent. How else could people in different places create similar folklores and mythologies?

Whatever the mythology, the story of the goddess, the origin of the myth, for me, the spirit of the moon is female. I think of the moon as Luna, the Roman name, the Spanish word. I believe she is the one that comes to me, in a multitude of forms, a butterfly, a beam of moonlight, and gives me inspiration to write.

Do I believe I compare in any way to a goddess? No. Do I know why my friend compared me to a lunar goddess? No. I call myself “the poet of the moon.” Being a humble poet is hardly comparative to a goddess. That being said, it is truly an honor to be compared to a goddess of any type. Especially a lunar goddess.

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"Diana, Moon Goddess" by Josephine Wall