Life on the Moon

Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon on July 20, 1969. As far as it is known he did not find any living creature.

Many cultures have different ideas who actually lives there. Japanese and Koreans say that on the Moon there are rabbits making rice cakes.

In China they have a story of a heavenly maiden Chang'e. Long time ago ten suns shone in the sky. Everything was dried up. People have been so hungry and thirsty. The Emperor Yao asked the famous archer Hou Yin for help. The archer went on top of the Kun Lun Mountain and shot down nine of ten suns. That way he saved the life on the planet.

Hou Yin had a beautiful wife Chang'e. He loved her so much. He wanted to stay with her forever. That is why Hou Yin went to ask the Queen Mother of the West, Xi Wangmu, for the elixir of life.

She gave him the elixir. She also warned him that they both must drink the elixir at the same time for them to live together forever on Earth. But if only one drinks it she or he would join the immortals in heaven.

Hou Yi and Chang'e decided to share the drink in mid-autumn, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, when the light of the full moon shone on earth. But on that day terrible thing happened. The man decided to steal the elixir. He killed Hou Yi and threatened Chang'e. To save herself she drank the elixir and became immortal.

She missed her husband very much. So, she decided to live on the Moon, as it was the heavenly object closest to Earth. She still lives there. If you watch closely enough you could see Chang'e who prepares the elixir of life for the immortals. You'll also see the rabbit Jade who helps her.

Indonesians think that the Moon is a home of a woman knitting.

People in Vietnam even have a story about it. Here it goes. Long, long time ago there was a man who worked in the forest. After hard day he usually rested under one special tree. He enjoyed being there. Leaves of the tree were used as medicine. The man watered the tree every day.

He warned his wife to be very careful with that tree. But she did not listen to him. One day she threw garbage under the tree. Suddenly, the tree started to grow very fast.

When the man returning from work saw what has happened he was so surprised and just jumped towards the tree. The tree continued to grow with man holding it. The tree finally reached the Moon. That's why the Vietnamese when looking at the Moon say that they see the man relaxing under the tree.

In Mongolia there is a belief about a dog living on the Moon. The dog barks each time a person lies.

The above mentioned believes are from Asia. Europeans have legends of their own. Austrians for example think that there is man on the Moon. His duty is to turn on and off the light in Austria.