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Moon - stories from ancient folklore

Moon III

In Lincolnshire it is commonly believed by the sailors and seafaring men that whenever a planet or large star is seen near the moon then wild and boisterous weather will soon set in ...

a big star is dogging the moon

Among classical precepts are these - to set eggs under the hen at new moon, but to root up trees when the moon is on the wane, and after midday.

The Lithuanian precept to wean boys on a waxing, but girls on a waning moon, no doubt to make the boys sturdy and the girls thin and delicate, is a fair match for the Orkney Islander's objection to marrying except with a growing moon, while some even wish for a flowing tide.

In Cornwall, England when a child is born in the interval between an old moon and the first appearance of a new one, it is said that it will never live to reach the age of puberty. Hence the saying ...

No moon, no man.

In the same county, too, when a boy is born in the wane of the moon, it is believed that the next birth will be a girl, and vice versa; and it is also commonly said that when a birth takes place on the 'growing of the moon' the next child will be of the same sex.

In Cornwall it is a very general idea that:—

A fog and a small moon bring an easterly wind soon.

In Suffolk it is considered unlucky to kill a pig on the waning moon, lest the pork should waste in the boiling. In Devonshire it is commonly said that apples 'shrump up,' if picked when the moon is waning. In some parts it is a prevalent belief that the growth of mushrooms is influenced by the changes of the moon, and in Essex it is said:—

When the moon is at the full,Mushrooms you may freely pull; But when the moon is on the wane, Wait ere you think to pluck again.

In Scotland it is an agricultural maxim that:—

If the moon shows like a silver shield, You need not be afraid to reap your field; But if she rises haloed round, Soon we'll tread on deluged ground.

this website has been put together from a series of old texts that i came across, while researching fairies and the world of fae in folklore, i thought there was enough here to share with other people on these other topics. these pages are meant as an introduction or a bit of fun reading, for those interested in delving deeper,
find the source material on the reference page

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