By the Light of the Moon – Part Three

I’ve talked about the full moon names and phases of the month, today I want to touch on some of the mythology and random facts surrounding the moon.

First up is the blood moon. While the moon can look red because smoke or dust particles in the air, most often it refers to a lunar eclipse. The Incas believed the blood moon was caused by a jaguar attacking and eating the moon. They would make a lot of noise during an eclipse to drive the jaguar away.

Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring to ensure there won’t be an eclipse, which the Christians believed to be the wrath of God.

Almost everyone is familiar with the term “honeymoon.” It refers to the settling in period right after a couple marries. Legend has it that the term was coined because of the custom of drinking mead (a liquor made from honey) for thirty days after every wedding.

When you were a child, did you believe the moon was made of green cheese? I found two interesting sources for this one. The first is a Serbian fable of a fox trying to outwit a wolf. The fox told the wolf that the reflection of the moon in a pool was a delicious cheese. The wolf tried to drink all the water to reach the cheese and burst.

The second source was a proverb by John Heywood in 1546:
“Ye fetch circumquaques to make me beleeve,
Or think, that the moone is made of green cheese.”
Believing the moon to be made of green cheese became a euphemism for someone who’s gullible.

The full moon has long been associated with strange behaviour and incidents. Lunacy and lunatic come from the word luna, which is Latin for moon. Aristotle and Pliny the Elder believed that because the human brain is the moistest organ, this makes it susceptible the influence of the moon, just like the tides.

Many law enforcement agencies have seen a rise in crime during a full moon. More babies are conceived and born during a full moon. There are more traffic fatalities during a full moon, and it can even affect a person’s sleep pattern.

Almost every culture has a belief about the man in the moon, way too many to go into here. The one I like best is the European belief that the man in the moon enjoyed drinking, a view supported by the Middle Ages belief he was the god of drunkards.

Because the moon orbits in perfect sync with the earth’s rotation, we always see the same side of it. The man in the moon is only seen in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere they see a rabbit.

To be moonstruck is to be showing irrational behaviour, especially of a romantic nature. It can also mean just plain old mentally deranged, brought about by exposure to the moon.

A moonraker refers to one of the peasants of Wiltshire, England. In some stories they were said to have tried to rake the moon out of a shallow pool, and in others they were smugglers caught trying to rake up kegs of smuggled brandy and covered their tracks by acting crazy. It can also mean the sail at the very top of the mast of a sailing ship.

Moonlighting is to have a second job, usually without the boss of your first one knowing about it. The term came from the fact that regular jobs are usually during the day, while the second job was held during the night when the moon was out.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, moonshine is defined as “whiskey or other strong alcoholic drinks made and sold illegally.” Moonshine is not limited to the Deep South or the Ozarks of America, the term originated in 15th century Britain.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s not amore, that’s the supermoon. A supermoon occurs when the full moon is at the point in its orbit where it’s closest to the earth making it appear brighter and bigger than normal. This causes higher tides and the risk of coastal flooding.

Join me here next week when I start a new, fun series.