From Denny: Our Earth's moon has mesmerized humanity for thousands of years; we write childrens' rhymes and books about it. We dedicate love poems to the moon. We wonder about it constantly, both romantically and scientifically. We make jokes about it; there are incredible legends associated with lunar light. Have some fun learning moon trivia and laugh at the comments with the answers.
Try your hand at the Moon Quiz trivia.
Questions:
1 - Which mythical creature comes to life during a full moon?
Banshee
Werewolf
Vampire
Goblin
2 - New Zealand's Maori people tell the story of Rona, who was swept up by the moon after she yelled at it. Why was she angry?
She saw an ogre's reflection in the moon
The tide came up suddenly and got her wet
The moon was her father, who had punished her
She hurt her foot when the moon darkened suddenly
3 - According to folk lore: What happens if you cut your hair between the new and full moons?
It will stop growing
It will fall out
It will grow healthier and faster
It will turn curly
4 - Which Greek god was the personification of the moon?
Athena
Dionysius
Hermes
Artemis
5 - In England during the Victorian era, women would gather under a new moon and recite a verse for what reason?
Bringing good health
Ensuring a good harvest
Seeing their true love in a dream
Becoming pregnant
6 - What people call the moon Annigan?
Inuit
Aborigines
Maasai
Inca
7 - The moon has long been associated with which of the following?
Wealth
Famine
Monsoons
Madness
8 - According to Chinese lore, the Man in the Moon is responsible for what?
Creating the weather
Playing tricks on children
Marital matchmaking
Creating all animals
9 - In 1835, the New York Sun reported that what English astronomer saw what on the moon?
Waterfalls
Explosions
Skyscrapers
Furry, winged beings
10 - It's considered bad luck to do which things?
Stand with your back to the moon
Point at the moon
Get married during a waxing moon
See a full moon rise
Learn about what's in your night sky:
Answers:
1 - Werewolf - humans bitten by another werewolf or placed under a curse were reputed to undergo a hairy transformation at the appearing of a full moon. Will someone with a salon that waxes off ugly body hair please give these guys their business cards? They will keep you in business for years!
2 - She hurt her foot when the moon darkened suddenly - Roma was the tide controller and the daughter of the sea god. She was walking through the forest carrying a bucket of water. The story goes that Roma stumbled and hurt her foot in the darkenss when the moon darkened suddenly. She foolishly screamed insults at the moon until it swept down and carried her away.
Moral of the story here is to watch your temper. You never know when someone with a worse temper can be more terrifying and one-up you. Have you ever noticed how the little gods threw lots of temper tantrums and the bigger more powerful gods always had to intervene and discipline their silly offspring? They often got whisked away from the sight of mankind. No sense is airing their dirty laundry in front of the humans I suppose... It's all about your rep in the galactic neighborhood!
3 - It will grow healthier and faster - Moon lore has it that if you cut your hair when the moon is waxing, between the new and full moons, it will grow healthier and faster. If you cut your hair when the moon is waning, between the full and new moons, your hair will become unhealthy and grow slowly. So, quit complaining about your bad hair day! :)
4 - Artemis - Apollo's twin sister was the goddess of the woodland and the hunt, therefore the personification of the moon. Eternally young, she was always accompanied by her warrior virgins, the Amazons.
OK, what's the point of eternal youth if you can't have a few boyfriends? Like you need a chic brigade to keep you from going man crazy???
5 - Seeing their true love in a dream - This is the verse: "New moon, new moon,I hail thee! By all the virtue in thy body, grant this night that I may see he who my true love is to be."
6 - Inuit - They live in Alaska, Greenland and the Artic. They say he is a stubborn and cruel god who once took advantage of his sun-god sister, Malia. Annigan constantly pursues Malia through the sky without eating - which is why the moon gets slimmer over the month.
Now there's the biggest dieting excuse I've ever heard! Watch those cosmic portions on your plate.
7 - Madness - For thousands of years humanity has believed this to be true. Words like lunatic, lunacy, and looney all come from the Latin root word for the moon called luna. There have been scientific studies to link violent or unstable behavior to the moon yet still prove inconclusive.
We all need some excuse for a bad day. With scientists ruining all our fun what will be our next eternal cosmic excuse: Jupiter made me do it?
8 - Marital matchmaking - The Chinese call the Man in the Moon Yue-Laou and he is responsible for uniting men and women on Earth with silken cords. It is believed that later in life those men and women are drawn together by the unbreakable cord and eventually marry.
You had better hope this guy knows his craft. I sure would hate to be joined to someone who is totally not hot. What do you think is his success rate for marriage vs. divorce? Have you ever noticed how the gods of legend never publish their failure rate???
9 - Furry, winged beings, no kidding! Using a new telescope, Sir John Herschel claimed he has discovered furry, winged beings on the moon. America followed the series of articles with a fever pitch fervor. At the end of the series, the author, Richard Locke, said he had written the pieces as satire to mock the gullibility of the American public.
That must have been a telescope on steroids AND halluncingens! Maybe our first moon hoax in print? And you wonder why con artists declare, "There is a sucker born every minute!"
10 - Pointing at the moon - Guess it's not polite to point, folks! Folk lore teaches that hard times will follow if you point at the moon. Negative superstititions declare not to sleep in the moonlight or see a red moon because it will prepare you for war. A positive superstitition promotes shaking a quarter at the moon for it will bring you wealth. OK, everyone, get your quarters jingling because we are going out for a moon visit tonight!
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