Lunar pareidolia
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Lunar pareidolia refers to the
The Man in the Moon
The Man in the Moon is an imaginary figure resembling a human face, head, or body, that observers from some cultural backgrounds typically perceive in the bright disc of the full moon. Several versions are displayed above.
Rabbit or hare
In
In
Female figures
In
A more recent Western image is the profile of a coiffed woman wearing a jeweled pendant, the jewel being the crater
In New Zealand, the Māori legend holds that the Moon shows a woman with a local tree, the Ngaio.
In
Houston: Among the large headlines concerning Apollo this morning there's one asking that you watch for a lovely girl with a big rabbit. An ancient legend says a beautiful Chinese girl called Chang'e has been living there for 4000 years. It seems she was banished to the Moon because she stole the pill for immortality from her husband. You might also look for her companion, a large Chinese rabbit, who is easy to spot since he is only standing on his hind feet in the shade of a cinnamon tree. The name of the rabbit is not recorded.
Collins: Okay, we'll keep a close eye for the bunny girl.— NASA Capcom and Apollo 11 crew, NASA[2]
The ancient Tagalogs see the lunar pareidolia as a face of a maiden (doncella) which they called sangmucti (sangmukti). Their name for said maiden is Colalaiyng (Kulalaying). Archbishop of Manila Felipe Pardo (1686-1688) mentioned in his inquisition report that the Tagalogs from Laguna also referred to her as “Dalágañg Binúbúkot” (Cloistered Maiden) and “Dalágañg nása Buwán” (Maiden in the Moon).[3][4][5]
Saint George
In Brazil, tradition says that the spots at the Moon's surface represent Saint George, his horse and his sword slaying the Dragon and ready to defend those who seek his help; this connection is purely Brazilian, having no known attestation in Europe, and it is believed to have originated from religious syncretism with African beliefs.[6]
Toad
"The toad was seen by Chinese Taoists as... the moon, representing Chang'e, the transformed wife of Yi, the excellent archer... According to Robert M. DeGraaff, in some representations of the moon-toad, the ling chih fungus is shown growing out of the creature's forehead."[7]
Tree
The
Ali
King Mohamed V of Morocco
During the exile of the Moroccan royal family in Madagascar between 1953 and 1955, many Moroccans reported seeing the face of King Mohamed V on the Moon, in a sort of collective hallucination, possibly at the instigation of Moroccan nationalists who were distributing flyers with the King's image prior to that.[9]
See also
References
- ^ Onion-Club, Chang-e, About the Moon Festival Archived 2012-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Apollo 11 Technical Air-to-Ground Voice Transcription
- ^ Noceda, Juan José de (1754). Vocabulario de la lengua Tagala. Imprenta de la compañia de Jesus, 1754. Page 151-152.
- ^ Felipe Pardo, archbishop of Manila (1686-1688)Carta sobre la idolatria de los naturales de la provincia de Zambales, y de los del pueblo de Santo Tomas y otros circunvecinos.
- ^ POTET, Jean-Paul G. (2018). Ancient Beliefs and Customs of the Tagalogs. Lulu.com, 2018. ISBN 0244348731, 9780244348731. Page 27-28, 166, 371, 516.
- ^ Santos, Georgina Silva dos.Ofício e sangue: a Irmandade de São Jorge e a Inquisição na Lisboa moderna.Lisboa: Colibri; Portimão: Instituto de Cultura Ibero-Atlântica, 2005
- ISBN 0-89087-777-7. p. 157
- ^ Skeat, Walter William (1900). "Chapter 1: Nature". Malay Magic. London: Macmillan and Co., Limited. pp. 1–15.
- ^ "Morocco's Anti-Colonial "Moon King" Lives—Inside This Artist's Memory". June 18, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
External links
- Man in the Moon lore
- Toad, Frog, and Rabbit in the Moon lore
- The Crab in the Moon
- The Man in the Moon and other weird things
Mythology
- Rabbit in the Moon Archived 2012-12-08 at Mochi (food))
Chinese moon festival legends
- Chang Er flies to the Moon Another version of the Chang Erstory
- The Legend of Wukang Archived 2012-12-08 at archive.today A sort of Chinese Tantalus
- The Man in the Moon