Thousands of years ago, a man who was all-powerful looked up into the night sky. The moon was there as always, but tonight he was frowning.
The all-powerful man called to him, "Oh moon, whatever is wrong? You sleep all day and watch over the sky at night. Your life seems wonderful."
The moon answered, "My view is beautiful but I am lonely. The stars are so far away and all night I watch as men happily live their lives. I wish I was a man like you."
The all-powerful man replied, "Then you shall be one." And the moon became a man.
As a man, he worked as a shepherd in the fields. Although he was less lonely, he was tired of standing all day in the heat. There was no cover of trees to give him comfort. However, he noticed rabbits darting around him as he worked, playing and taking shelter in the long grass.
The next time he saw the all-powerful man, he said, "I no longer want to be a man. I wish to be a rabbit: free from responsibility and able to find shade to rest."
The all-powerful man replied, “Then you shall be one.” And he became a rabbit.
As a rabbit, he did as he wished. With no sheep to tend to he was free to play and rest all day. Although at first he had less responsibility, he did not realize he would have to run from predators. He constantly had to watch for hawks, snakes, and wolves.
The next time he saw the all-powerful man, he said, “I no longer want to be a rabbit. I wish to be something that’s free from danger.”
The all-powerful man replied, “Then you shall be one.” And he became the moon once again.
The moon was confused. “But this is where I started. Nothing has changed.”
The all-powerful man laughed. “Oh, but everything has changed. You are not just the moon. What you are is also what you have once been.”
And so the moon remains in the sky to this day, where a careful observer might see remnants of his past selves.
The all-powerful man called to him, "Oh moon, whatever is wrong? You sleep all day and watch over the sky at night. Your life seems wonderful."
The moon answered, "My view is beautiful but I am lonely. The stars are so far away and all night I watch as men happily live their lives. I wish I was a man like you."
The all-powerful man replied, "Then you shall be one." And the moon became a man.
As a man, he worked as a shepherd in the fields. Although he was less lonely, he was tired of standing all day in the heat. There was no cover of trees to give him comfort. However, he noticed rabbits darting around him as he worked, playing and taking shelter in the long grass.
The next time he saw the all-powerful man, he said, "I no longer want to be a man. I wish to be a rabbit: free from responsibility and able to find shade to rest."
The all-powerful man replied, “Then you shall be one.” And he became a rabbit.
As a rabbit, he did as he wished. With no sheep to tend to he was free to play and rest all day. Although at first he had less responsibility, he did not realize he would have to run from predators. He constantly had to watch for hawks, snakes, and wolves.
The next time he saw the all-powerful man, he said, “I no longer want to be a rabbit. I wish to be something that’s free from danger.”
The all-powerful man replied, “Then you shall be one.” And he became the moon once again.
The moon was confused. “But this is where I started. Nothing has changed.”
The all-powerful man laughed. “Oh, but everything has changed. You are not just the moon. What you are is also what you have once been.”
And so the moon remains in the sky to this day, where a careful observer might see remnants of his past selves.
(Man standing in doorway leading to the moon. Source.)
Author's note:
I used "The Man in the Moon" by Katherine Neville Fleeson as the primary story for my retelling, along with the hare from "The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die" by Marie L. Shedlock. I wanted to combine the two images that we often see in the moon into a single origin story. I used this idea to change the central message and to change some of the characters as well to fit the narrative.
Bibliography:
"The Man in the Moon" from Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Neville Fleeson. Source.
"The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die" from Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie L. Shedlock. Source.
Hi Rachel!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your retelling of the origin stories of the moon. At first I expected it would just be a retelling of "The Man in the Moon," but I was pleasantly surprised to see that you had actually combined the two into a single, comprehensive origin story for the rabbit shape and the man's face shape that can sort of be seen on the moon. Great job!
Hello, Rachel!
ReplyDeleteI was so impressed to see you combine the stories of the rabbit AND the man in the moon into one story! I was shocked by how well the story flowed and how it made sense why the moon would become both a man and a rabbit. In fact, I didn't even realize until the end that you were combining both stories because it flowed so well! I was curious to see if the all-powerful man had always been that way or if he was once not powerful. I also wonder if this was the first interaction between the moon and the all-powerful man. I noticed that the man called out to the moon as if they had interacted with one another before. What if the all-powerful man had some context on his power, and how he came to receive it? I was thinking it could be interesting too if we could get some feedback into what the all-powerful man was thinking during this whole process as well. I think this story was well-crafted, and was very entertaining!