The Sun pierces the full Moon with his knife

Metadata

Title

Collection

Lucy Lloyd |xam notebooks

Contributor

kabbo (Jantje) (II)

Summary

<i>Whilst in the preceding myths of the Mantis, the Moon, according to its origin, is only a piece of leather (a shoe of the Mantis), in Bushman astrological mythology the Moon is looked upon as a man who incurs the wrath of the Sun, and is consequently pierced by the knife (i. rays) of the latter. This process is repeated until almost the whole of the Moon is cut away, and only one little piece left; which the Moon piteously implores the Sun to spare for his (the Moon's) children. (As mentioned above, the Moon is in Bushman mythology a male being.) From this little piece, the Moon gradually grows again until it becomes a full Moon, when the Sun's stabbing and cutting processes recommence. This explanation of the Moon's changes is given in four versions; the longest of which (although as yet unfinished) is in a speech made by the Mantis, when he had created the Moon. (BIII. 434-437, 432a-437a, 438-460, 501-514, IV. 515-526, 528-584, V.585-590, XVL.1497-1590, XVII.1591-1683, XVIII.1698-1711, 1725-1758.) The second version, written by L, is shorter (BI. 215b-215e, and re-written on 215bb-215ff), and so also is the third (L II.-1. 285-287, 2. 292, 4. 478-481). A fourth version mainly gives a description of the changes of the Moon, as observed, and shortly to be observed, at the time of narration, with an explanation of their causes. (LII.-6. 654-663.) </i>

Comments

1) Note on the inside of the back cover of this notebook: 'Finished correcting Sept 15/71 from Jantje Toorm himself', 2) The story is continued for a few lines on p.292 (in Book II-2) and then taken up again some months later on p.478 (in Book II-4) - see

Type

story

Date

20 July - 18 September (finished on or about) 1871

Category

Celestial bodies and aeroscopy

Keyword

Moon ( his neck's flesh )

Moon ( its movements )

Moon ( his sinew )

Moon ( lives and dies )

Moon ( his wife )