At the beginning of the 21st Century monsters still roam the remote, and sometimes not so remote, corners of our planet. It is our job to search for them. The Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] is - we believe - the largest professional, scientific and full-time organisation in the world dedicated to cryptozoology - the study of unknown animals. Since 1992 the CFZ has carried out an unparalleled programme of research and investigation all over the world. Since 2009 we have been running the increasingly popular CFZ Blog Network, and although there has been an American branch of the CFZ for over ten years now, it is only now that it has a dedicated blog.

Friday 21 November 2014

THE MAN IN THE MOON

Even modern children will probably have heard, at some stage, of the Man in the Moon.  He Has featured in the nursery rhyme which begins The Man in the Moon came down too soon.  His smiling face has often been depicted.

But what was the original legend of the Man in the Moon?  In fact, there were a number.  The Romans said simply that he was put on the moon for purloining sheep.  In German tradition he was placed there as a punishment for gathering faggots on the Sabbath.  The Germans also said there was a Woman in the Moon, exiled there because she made butter on a Sunday.  Norse tradition spoke of Máni, which actually signified the moon, but sounded like the word man found in Teutonic languages and this may have helped build up the verbal combination of Man in the Moon.  Coming behind him is the wolf Hati, who is destined to catch him at Ragnarok.  Another North European tradition is that he captured two children called Hjuki and Bil.  He was sometimes accompanied by a dog.
In East Asian lore, the moon is tenanted by a rabbit.

The Moon as seen from earth has numerous markings and it is only natural, especially considering its roundness, that the brains of those who gazed at it shaped these features into a face.   From that, we can easily guess how the concept of a Man in the Moon was formed. 

For details of the nursery rhyme, follow the link below.

now read on.....

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