Moon Story

People all over the world have watched the Moon and have come up with ideas about why the Moon changes its shape. Here’s one story that comes from the Euahlayi (you-ah-LAY-ee), one of the many tribes that were the first people of Australia:

VISUAL 1 (still): Full Moon 
Put up a large still image graphic of the Full Moon, for use with a moon phase story. 

“Long ago in the Dreamtime, Baloo the Moon decided to visit earth. He soon came upon two maidens standing by a river, and they invited him to ride in their canoe. When he stepped into the little boat, it rocked and tipped, and then splash! Baloo fell into the dark water.

“This embarrassed Baloo. He fled home, and for a few days he stayed hidden from sight. Slowly, he grew round and bright with courage, and he returned to earth. But, when he remembered the girls and how they laughed, he began to shrink away. Every month Baloo grows round and proud and bright, and every month he remembers his fall and shrinks away.”

We know now that the Moon is not a person, but an object that goes around our planet Earth about every month. In fact, our word month comes from the word “Moon”. It is not a far stretch to call one cycle a “Moon”, and then a “moonth”, and then a “month”.