Moon, Mythology And Scientific Exploit

The moon has always been a mystery and fascination for the inhabitants of this Earth. It is seen in different cultures and religions both as a beacon of faith and fear, not to forget love and romance. The beautiful celestial body adorning the night sky is often viewed as a soothing effect by people during times of anxiety and a sign to look up to when one is feeling low. The Chinese observe the Chinese Moon Festival every autumn based on their mythological belief that a woman lives there. This woman, who was allowed to keep a rabbit on the moon, is described succinctly in Chinese poetry. This moon rabbit, or the Jade rabbit, finds space in the myths of not only the Chinese, but also the Koreans and the Japanese. 

The Greek and the Roman mythologies describe Selena or Luna as the moon goddess who reigns the sky at night and the sun who reigns during the day. This goddess is associated with love and romance and is believed to take several lovers at the same time. Although the romanticisation of moon is often associated with a female figure, there are beliefs of moon being a male too. In the Aztec culture, to the people from central Mexico, and in different Asian cultures moon is also believed to be male gods. At times the Rabbit mentioned above is also believed to be a male persona. 

Couple-based myth

While the moon has been romanticised in most cultures, one male god mythology appears to have a negative connotation among the Inuit people of the northern regions like Alaska and Greenland. They believe that Anningan, the Moon God, raped his sister the Sun Goddess and is still trying to stalk her! With this differing view of the gender of the moon and the sun, the Africans have a more beautiful relation between the two. They have a couple-based myth where they believe that Muwa is a moon god who is forever linked in unity with the sun goddess Liza. Their mythology has it that the lunar and solar eclipses are related to the lovemaking times of this celestial couple. The Africans therefore believe in the power of the moon, the sun and the sky in love and desire. 

In the Hindu culture, all recordings are done according to the lunar calendar. Soma is the Moon God who is observed as one of the Navgrahas, the nine planets of Hindu religion. Soma is associated with night, plants and vegetation and is also believed to be the juice that the Hindu Gods drank. There are several Hindu arts showing Soma sometimes as an embryo and sometimes as a bull. Fertility is also associated with the moon in the Hindu religion. The bull symbol that appears in the Hindu culture is also reflected in other cultures.  Like in the Hindu culture Soma is an intoxicating magical drink consumed by the gods, interestingly the moon rabbit mythology of China, Korea and Japan is also linked with elixir- the magical intoxicating potion inducing love. 

On the other hand, it is interesting how people, both Hindus and Muslims, in South Asia wait to end fasts that they keep for their wellbeing in Karwa Chauth and Eid respectively.  The mythology of the Maori tribe in New Zealand has it that Rona, a woman, was displeased with the moon who then grabbed her and took her to the moon. She dragged a tree along which later symbolises fertility in their mythology. One more mythology in different cultures is the one related to the ware-wolf, which is a creature that has human form but becomes a wolf on full moon.

For the scientists, the moon, as the only satellite of the earth, is of special interest to them in understanding the origin of the earth and in getting to other planets by studying its soil and atmosphere. India made history with the successful landing on the south pole of Chandrayaan-3 on 23rd August 2023 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Conquering of the moon either via mythology or scientific technology has always been the dream of humans. So far, China is the only country that has landed on the moon on its maiden mission. The USA and the Soviet Union sent several missions before they made successful soft landings. Chandrayaan-3 is India’s second attempt after Chandrayaan-2 failed in 2019. 

However, India is the first to land on the south pole of the moon which is seen as very important for scientific data collection.  It is seen as an example of the new technology deployment for future interplanetary missions. On July 20, 1969 history was made when Neil Armstrong left Apollo 11, stepped on the surface of the moon and reportedly told the world that he was making history by declaring “one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Scientific achievement 

On August 23, millions of people were glued to digital devices and planetariums around the globe to witness yet one more scientific achievement that made history. While science is indeed for human development and India has once more succeeded in creating history, there are several questions being raised on how this could help people, especially those who are marginalised, oppressed and struggling to have a decent dignified living on earth. 

According to ISRO, Chandrayaan–3 is built on a budget of around $75 million. ISRO aims to fulfil mainly three objectives with this landing: demonstrations of safe and soft landing on the surface of the moon, rover operations on the moon, and conduct on-site experiments on the lunar surface. The sampling of the lunar ice and composition of the South Pole craters there are expected to give clues to the earlier solar compositions. These objectives have been fulfilled but it is important to note while scientific explorations may need to continue, how does this impact on climate change and the existence of life on earth. 

(Sharma is a senior journalist and women rights advocate. namrata1964@yahoo.com Twitter handle: @NamrataSharmaP)