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Moon Gods and Moon Goddesses

Index of moon gods and goddesses

By N.S. Gill, About.com

To those of us in the West, the most familiar deities of the moon are female -- moon goddesses. Our word lunar, as in the lunar cycle of full, crescent, and new moons, comes from the feminine Latin Luna. This seems natural because of the association of the lunar month and the female menstrual cycle, but not all societies envision the moon as a woman. Here are some of the moon gods and moon goddesses of major ancient religions.

1. Artemis

ArtemisClipart.com
Nationality: Greek
Moon Goddess
In Greek mythology, the sun god was originally Helios (whence words like heliocentric for our sun-centered solar system) and the moon goddess Selene, but over time, this changed. Artemis came to be associated with Selene, just like Apollo with Helios. Apollo became a sun god and Artemis became the goddess of the moon.

2. Coyolxauhqui

Nationality: Aztec
Moon Goddess
Coyolxauhqui means "Golden Bells." Coyolxauhqui is the sister of the Sun god, Huitzilopochtli.

3. Diana

Nationality: Roman
Moon Goddess

4. Heng-O

Nationality: Chinese
Moon Goddess
Heng-O was the mother of the 12 moons and 10 suns.

5. Ix Chel

Maya goddess IxchelPublic Domain. Courtesy of Wikipedia
Nationality: Maya
Moon Goddess
Lady Rainbow was a Maya old woman moon goddess.
See Maya Gods and Goddesses

6. Khons

Nationality: Egyptian
Moon God
Amen's consort was Mut. Together they had a son, Khons the moon god.

7. Mawu

Nationality: African, Dahomey
Moon Goddess
Also spelled Maou. Female.

8. Selene or Luna

Nationality: Greek
Luna in Latin.
Moon Goddess
Actually, Selene/Luna is a moon Titan (since she's female, that could be Titaness), and the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Thea. Selene/Luna is the sister of the sun god Helios/Sol.

9. Sin/Nanna

Cylinder seal showing moon god of Ur.PD Myths of Babylonia and Assyria, by Donald A. Mackenzie
Nationality: Sumerian
Moon god.

10. Soma

Nationality: Hindu
Moon God
A moon god in India.

11. Tsuki-Yomi

Nationality: Japanese
Moon God
A Shinto moon god.

12. Yarikh

Nationality: Ugarit
Moon God
Yarikh or Yarih was the lover of Nikkal -- a Sumerian sun goddess.

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