Nordic Wiccan: Mani

Mani

mAni

Appeal: Tides, Night, Emotions, Dreams, Mystery

In mythology, a lunar deity is a God or Goddess associated with or symbolizing the Moon. These deities can have a variety of functions and traditions depending upon the culture, but they are often related to or an enemy of the solar deity. Even though they may be related, they are distinct from the solar deity. Lunar deities can be either male or female, and are usually held to be of the opposite sex of the corresponding solar deity. Male lunar deities are somewhat more common worldwide, although female deities are better known in modern times due to the influence of classical Greek and Roman mythology, which held the Moon to be female.

The Moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth. Its prominence in the sky and its regular cycle of phases have, since ancient times, made the Moon an important cultural influence on language, calendars, art and mythology. The Moon's gravitational influence produces the ocean tides and the minute lengthening of the day. In Norse mythology, Mani (Manni, d) was the man who drove the chariot that carried the Moon across the sky. He is the brother of Sunna the Sun and the son of Mundilfari.

Mundilfari named his children Mani and Sunna because he thought they out shown all other things in creation except those two celestial bodies. A girl who was blonde of hair with golden curls that looked like rays of sunshine. A boy with raven black hair and silvery eyes who seemed to prefer the night, the girl was always pleasant and kind as was her brother and they played contently as children. The Gods were not pleased with his boasting and they took his children and placed them in giant carts to guild the sun and the moon on their courses. Mani flies through the night sky in his horse-driven chariot, chased by a wolf Hati. Whenever the wolf gets too close, a lunar eclipse takes place.

Mani lights the way for the hunters at night illuminating the forest with his silvery eyes. He doesn’t travel on his nightly journeys alone. He has two companions, a girl named Bil and a boy named Hjuki. These children are brother and sister and once had a very cruel father. Mani observed them being mistreated and moved by compassion, came to steal them away. They now accompany and assist him on his nightly journey.

The tale of Hjuki and Bil is said to be the origin of the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill.

At Ragnarok, the wolf will capture the Moon and devour him plunging the night into unbroken darkness.

The Man in the Moon refers to any of several images of a human face, head or body that certain traditions recognize in the disc of the full Moon. Scholarly theories have been proposed about Mani's potential connection to the Northern European notion of the Man in the Moon and a potentially otherwise unattested story regarding Mani.

Monday is the day of the week between Sunday and Tuesday. The name of Monday is derived from Old English Mōnandæg and Middle English Monenday, which means "moon day".

There really is no Ancient Rune for Manni or the Moon. Many use d as a sign for Moon, freedom or passion. There are also different phases to the moon - G Waxing Moon, m New Moon, M Full Moon or T Waning Moon.

There is also a blue moon - Most years have twelve full Moons that occur approximately monthly. Every two or three years, there is an extra full Moon.

A black moon - A black moon occurs when there are two dark cycles of the moon in any given calendar month.

And each month's full Moon has a name, depending on the culture.