The traditional Mayas generally assume the moon to be female, and the moon's phases are accordingly conceived as the stages of a woman's life. The Maya moon goddess wields great influence in many areas. Being in the image of a woman, she is naturally associated with sexuality and procreation, fertility and growth, not only of human beings, but also of the vegetation and the crops. Since in a negative sense, growth can cause all sorts of ailments, the moon goddess is also a goddess of disease. Everywhere in Mesoamerica, including the Mayan area, she is specifically associated with water, be it wells, rainfall, or the rainy season. In the codices, she has a terrestrial counterpart in goddess I.
Read more about Maya Moon Goddess: Lunar Mythology, The Moon Goddess in The Post-Classic and Classic Periods, Calendrical Functions
Famous quotes containing the words moon and/or goddess:
“in the pleasure of that communion
I lose track,
the moon I watch goes down, the
tide swings you away before
I know I’m
alone again long since,”
—Denise Levertov (b. 1923)
“Tell me who is able to keep his bed chaste, or which goddess is able to live with one god alone?”
—Propertius Sextus (c. 50–16 B.C.)