Lunar deity


A lunar deity or moon deity is a deity who represents the Moon, or an aspect of it. These deities can have a variety of functions and traditions depending upon the culture, but they are often related. Lunar deities and Moon worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms.

Moon in religion and mythology

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. 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, 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 prevalence of many male moon gods in Philippine mythology, unlike in many other cultures where the moon is typically personified as female. As the Philippines absorbed influences from Hindu-Buddhist, indigenous beliefs sometimes merged or adapted. The Philippines has multiple moon deities because of its diverse ethnolinguistic groups and rich pre-colonial unified belief systems.
The ancient Egyptians had several moon gods including Khonsu and Thoth, although Thoth is a considerably more complex deity. Set represented the moon in the ancient Egyptian calendar. In Bakongo religion, the earth and moon goddess Nzambici is the female counterpart of the sun god Nzambi Mpungu. Metztli, Coyolxauhqui and Tēcciztēcatl are all lunar deities in the Aztec religion.
File:Mexico-3980 - Coyolxauhqui Stone.jpg|thumb|Disk depicting a dismembered Coyolxāuhqui
Archaeologist Hugo Winckler and Historian Philip K. Hitti consider Allah as a Moon Deity in pre-Islamic Arabian Religion before Islam, many Arab tribes practiced polytheism. They worshipped deities connected to the sun, stars, and moon. Among these gods were Hubal, al-Lāt, al-‘Uzzā, and Manāt, as well as astral deities. The moon played a central role in Arabian religion and calendars, so some historians connect early Arab worship with lunar traditions. The name “Allah” comes from al-Ilāh, meaning “The God”. Allah was originally linked with a moon deity, partly because Arab tribes often used the crescent moon as a religious and timekeeping symbol.Most academic research stresses that Allah was understood as a high creator god, not just a lunar spirit. The crescent moon and star is widely seen as a symbol of Islam. adding belief that Allah is a “moon god.” Historically, the crescent was a Byzantine and Near Eastern symbol adopted centuries after Islam’s beginning, not originally Islamic.
In the Manichean religion, Jesus Christ was worshipped as a lunar deity, often being called the King of the Moon, or simply Jesus the Moon.
The Akan tribes of Ghana personified the moon as Osrane, an ewim abosom, creation of Nyame and twin of Awia,, as well as the brother of Esum. Whilst Awia, despite his life - giving light, could be wrathful with terrible droughts, Osrane was bright enough to provide light but not so bright that he could not be beheld and admired safely, although he was seen as tempermental, fluid and constantly changing, due to the ever - shifting phases of the moon. He watched over children as they played at night, and all others who were out at night, including nocturnal creatures. Alongside his brother Awia, he was important for time - keeping and the natural cycles of the world. He was married to the Morning Star, and by her the father of the rest of the stars in the sky. A proverb related to the morning star refers to her as 'she who rises early to enjoy her marriage'. He is associated with hares, possibly due to identifications of the Lunar mares as the shape of a hare.
Many cultures are oriented chronologically by the Moon, as opposed to the Sun. 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 peoples they were in contact with, such as the Baltic Finnic peoples, were also known to have a lunar calendar. Calendars such as the Runic calendar fixing the beginning of the year at the first full moon after winter solstice.
The Moon features prominently in art and literature, often with a purported influence on human affairs.

Moon gods in Hinduism

  • Chandra
Chandra is the principal Moon god in Hinduism. He is a male deity described as a handsome, radiant god riding a chariot drawn by white horses or antelopes. He is also called Chandradeva or Soma. Chandra is the personification of the Moon, symbolizing tranquility, coolness, fertility, and the passage of time. He is married to the 27 Nakshatras. He is also one of the Navagraha, the nine planetary deities in Hindu astrology.
  • Anumati
Anumati is a goddess of the Moon and spirituality. In mythology, when she descends from the heavens to the earth, she rides a black antelope. She is often described as a very beautiful young woman with fair skin.
In Sanskrit and Hindi, her name means “permission” or “granting consent.”

Moon gods in Buddhism

In Buddhism, the moon itself is not usually worshipped as a god, but it plays an important symbolic role. There are gods connected to the moon and the full moon is very sacred: The Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and passing into Nirvana are all said to have happened on full moon days. Buddhist festivals are held on full moon nights.
In Buddhism, there is not one single universal “moon god” figure, but rather a few different deities, spirits, and symbolic figures connected to the moon, depending on the tradition
  • Candra
Candra In Indian Buddhism, the moon is personified as Candra, a deva associated with coolness, calm, and purity. Candra is often depicted as having fair skin and very black hair riding a chariot across the night sky, paralleling his role in Hinduism. He appears in the Sutta Nipāta of the Pali Canon, where he praises the Buddha after being freed from a demon’s grasp.In Indian art, Candra is shown holding a lotus or a club. He is often depicted as fair or pale white in complexion, symbolizing moonlight.Sometimes shown with a crescent moon on his forehead. In Buddhist reliefs, Candra and Sūrya appear flanking the Buddha as astral guardians.
  • Candimā Devaputta
Candimā Devaputta is a Moon deity In Theravāda texts, specifically the Candimā Sutta, the moon deity is trapped by a demon named Rāhu.
He calls out for refuge in the Buddha, who intervenes and forces Rāhu to release him. in commentaries and art influenced by Indian cosmology, moon deities are depicted like other devas: youthful, radiant, dressed in celestial ornaments.In Hindu-Buddhist iconography, Candra rides a chariot drawn by 10 white horses or an antelope.
This story is an example of how Buddhist texts synconized existing Indian astral mythology into a Buddhist framework.
  • Candraprabha Bodhisattva
Candraprabha Bodhisattva is a deity of Moonlight or a Moonlight Bodhisattva. A Mahāyāna figure, usually paired with Sūryaprabha.
Appearances based on East Asian sutras and iconography often wears a celestial crown often bearing a moon disk and holds a moon-shaped jewel or white lotus. Radiates a soft white or silvery aura. He is often depicted as youthful, elegant, and dressed in flowing silk robes, similar to Avalokiteśvara. Common in Chinese and Japanese temple art, especially with Bhaiṣajyaguru.

Shinto

is the main moon kami in Shintō. The name means “moon reader” or “moonlight viewer.” Considered one of the three important kami born from the god Izanagi’s purification ritual.Usually seen as a male deity though sometimes gender is not emphasized and is often depicted in Japanese paintings and in arts as beautiful man with fair skin and long black hair. In Shinto beliefs he governs the night, time cycles, and tides.He is also connected with agriculture and calendars, since Japanese life followed the lunar calendar.
In the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki :Tsukuyomi once killed the goddess of food, Ukemochi, after seeing her create food in a way he found offensive. Because of this, Amaterasu refused to ever see him again this is said to explain why day and night are separated. In Japanese art and poetry, the full moon is a symbol of purity and contemplation.

Japanese mythology

  • Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto
The main Moon god in the Shinto religion and Japanese mythology. He is the brother of Susanoo and Amaterasu. He is often called Tsukuyomi or Tsukiyomi and described as a very handsome man, sometimes referred to as a youth who “reads” or “watches” from the moon.
  • Kaguya-hime
Kaguya is the maiden from the Moon, a princess renowned for her beauty, fair skin, and long black hair, from the ancient and famous folktale *The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter*. She is considered the spiritual symbol of the beauty and purity of the moon.
  • Gakkō Bosatsu
Gakkō Bosatsu is a minor deity of moonlight in Shinto and Buddhist religion and mythology, known as the “Bodhisattva of Moonlight” from Buddhist tradition. He is often depicted in human form as a young boy with silk-like fair skin and long black hair, holding a blue padma.