25 Popular Lunar Deities from Different Cultures

PDF download Download Article
Greek mythology expert Carla Ionescu, PhD, discusses some of the most well-known moon goddesses
PDF download Download Article

Are you interested in getting to know the world’s many fascinating moon deities? You’ve come to the right place! There are lunar gods in pantheons worldwide, from ancient Egypt to Finland—some with their own unique lore, and others with influences from various cultures. For this article, we partnered with a Greek mythology expert to help us introduce you to the most prominent and well-known moon gods and goddesses from around the world, including Africa, Europe, and Asia. We’ll also talk a little about the themes (or myths) they’re associated with. Let’s take a look!

A Brief Overview of Moon Gods & Goddesses

Download Image
Download Image
An illustration of the moon gods from around the world.

Greek mythology expert Carla Ionescu, PhD, says Artemis, Selene, and Hecate are the three moon goddesses from Greek mythology. Other moon gods and goddesses from around the world include the Egyptian god Khonsu, the Norse god Máni, the Finnish goddess Kuutar, the Chinese goddess Chang’e, and the Inca goddess Mama Quilla.

Section 1 of 12:

Ancient Mesopotamian Moon Deities

PDF download Download Article
  1. Sin (Nanna, Suen)
    Sin, also known as Nanna, Su-en, or Nanna-Suen, is the ancient Mesopotamian god of the moon. More specifically, he was known as Nanna to the Sumerians, Mesopotamia’s first major civilization, and later as Sin to the Akkadians and Babylonians. Sin was associated with the moon, the flow of time, and agriculture, since the moon’s cycles served as a guide for planting and harvesting crops.[1]
    • Common iconography: Sin was most often depicted with a crescent moon—either as a crown or on a standard. He appeared as a bearded man in a robe, sometimes holding a mace or stick.
    • Sin was seen as a benign deity who responded to pleas for aid. He was also associated with fertility and was believed to aid pregnant women.

    Meet the wikiHow Expert

    Carla Ionescu, PhD, is a Greek mythology expert and the host of The Goddess Project Podcast. She explores mythology, sacred landscapes, and goddess traditions through research, fieldwork, and digital mapping.

    2. Advertisement
Section 2 of 12:

Egyptian Moon Deities

PDF download Download Article
  1. Step 1 Iah (Yah)
    Iah is the male personification of the moon in ancient Egyptian mythology, as well as the primary moon god before Khonsu. In later ages of ancient Egyptian history, Iah became associated with both Khonsu and Thoth (another lunar god), sometimes as an adult form of Khonsu who is absorbed by him. He also later became known as “Iah-Djehuty,” or “god of the new moon.”[2]
    • Common iconography: Iah was depicted as a beautiful, fair-skinned young man with a lunar disc and crescent atop his head.
  2. Step 2 Khonsu
    Khonsu is the ancient Egyptian god of the moon, believed to mark the passage of time (with the moon’s lunar cycles). Khonsu was also associated with the creation of life and the protection of nighttime travelers; he was depicted as a great healer and believed to protect against wild animals. In fact, one legend tells the tale of Khonsu healing a princess’s illness (demonic possession); as such, people often invoked his name when they needed healing.[3]
    • Common iconography: Khonsu was depicted with the head of a falcon, along with a lunar disc and crescent moon (like Iah).
  3. Step 3 Thoth
    Thoth is the ancient Egyptian god of the moon, along with wisdom, knowledge, writing, science, magic, and judgment. In Egyptian mythology, Thoth was responsible for maintaining the universe itself; later, he also became an arbiter and scribe of the gods, as well as a judge for the souls of the dead. He’s depicted as having established the heavens, invented writing (hieroglyphs), and authored all branches of knowledge from astronomy to medicine.[4]
    • Common iconography: Thoth was depicted with a human body and the head of an ibis (an African bird with a long, curved beak). He sometimes wore a headdress with a lunar disc and crescent moon, or a double crown.
    • Sometimes, Thoth had the head of a baboon (rather than an ibis), as baboons were sacred to Thoth.
    4. Advertisement
Section 3 of 12:

African Moon Deities

PDF download Download Article
  1. Step 1 Mawu (Maou)
    In Gbe mythology, Mawu is the goddess of the moon, who forms a divine pair with Lisa, the god of the sun. Together they are known as the dual creator deity Mawu-Lisa. Mawu is believed to have shaped humanity from clay, while her husband, Lisa, taught humanity to build up their civilizations. According to myth, Mawu asked a primeval serpent, Aido Hwedo, to lift the Earth into the sky, and shaped more animals from clay alongside a monkey named Awe (who then challenged Mawu, only to be reminded that Mawu alone was capable of giving life).[5]
    • Common iconography: Mawu is sometimes depicted as a dark-skinned woman. She is associated with symbols including clay, elephants, seeds, serpents, and the moon.
  2. Step 2 Nzambici
    Nzambici (or Nzambi) is the god of essence—or the Moon, Earth, and Sky Mother—in the Bakongo religion. She’s also the female counterpart of Nzambi Ampungu, a creator god. In some traditions, Nzambici was created by Nzambi; in others, Nzambici exists eternally alongside Nzambi. Regardless, the two were said to live together, watching over the world (and humanity).[6]
    • Common iconography: Nzambici is associated with several symbols, including the moon and Earth, as well as plants, food, water, medicine, and the world’s cycles (such as the tides and time).
    3. Advertisement
Section 4 of 12:

Greek & Roman Moon Deities

PDF download Download Article
  1. Step 1 Selene (Luna)
    Selene is the ancient Greek personification of the moon, driving a chariot across the sky each night. According to Ionescu, “Selene is most often associated with the phases of the moon.”[7] In one myth, Selene fell in love with a mortal shepherd, Endymion, and asked Zeus to grant him immortality. Zeus preserved his body in eternal sleep, allowing Selene to visit him nightly when the moon crossed the sky. Selene’s Roman counterpart is Luna: a feminine personification of the moon with many of the same associations.[8]
    • Common iconography: “Selene was more popular with the Romans,” says Ionescu. “The Greeks didn’t lean into her worship as heavily as the Romans did. By the Roman period, you could recognize her right away because she’s [depicted with] the crescent moon on her forehead.”[9] Her chariot, which she drove across the sky, was silver—pulled by a pair of winged horses.
    • Luna, the Roman embodiment of the moon, was also depicted as a beautiful woman driving a two-yoke chariot—sometimes paired with the personification of the sun.
  2. Step 2 Artemis (Diana)
    Ionescu says Artemis is considered to be the primary moon goddess in Greek mythology. “She is in charge of the moon phases, the night, and sometimes the underworld,” Ionescu explains.[10] Artemis is also the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, and chastity. “The moon is also associated with women's menstrual cycles and birthing cycles, and Artemis is a goddess of childbirth and a goddess of the rights of passage of young people,” Ionescu says.[11]
    • The goddess Diana is her Roman counterpart, also associated with hunts, the wilds, and the moon.[12]
    • Ionescu continues, “She’s [also] what we call a chthonic goddess, [which means she] can walk into the underworld and walk back.”[13]
    • “Interestingly, there is also something called the Artemis Triad,” Ionescu explains, “which is this trinity of Hecate, Artemis, and Selene that is sometimes worshiped in the Greek world and later in the Roman world.”[14]
    • Common iconography: Artemis, like Selene, was often depicted with a crescent moon on her forehead, notes Ionescu.[15] Her symbols include a bow and arrow, a crescent moon, a quiver, hunting knives, deer, and cypress trees. She is depicted as a young huntress of the woods, usually surrounded by a band of chaste nymphs.
  3. Step 3 Hecate (Trivia)
    Ionescu says, “Hecate is most often referred to as a goddess of witches and crossroads, but [she’s] always associated with the moon, the underworld, nighttime, and magic.”[16] She was often tied to the dark or waning moon, and rituals dedicated to Hecate were typically performed at night—reflecting her role as a nighttime goddess. Hecate’s Roman equivalent was a goddess called Trivia, with many of the same associations.[17]
    • Common iconography: Hecate was often depicted as a triple-goddess with three bodies, or a single body with three faces. Her symbols include dogs, serpents, lions, keys, and a pair of torches.
    4. Advertisement
Section 5 of 12:

Celtic Moon Deities

PDF download Download Article
  1. Arianrhod
    Arianrhod is a Welsh Celtic goddess of the “silver wheel,” representing fate, fertility, childbirth, and reincarnation. She’s also sometimes associated with the sky, stars, and full moon (particularly since her main symbol is a silver wheel). In some traditions, Arianrhod is an aspect of Ceridwen—another Welsh goddess of transformation and rebirth who, while not a lunar deity, is sometimes associated with the moon.[18]
    • Common iconography: As already mentioned, Arianrhod’s symbol is a silver wheel, symbolizing the cycles of life that she herself represents.
Section 6 of 12:

Norse Moon Deities

PDF download Download Article
  1. Máni
    Máni is the Norse personification of the moon, as depicted in the Poetic Edda. He and his sister, Sól (the personification of the sun), race across the heavens, always closely followed by a pair of wolves called Sköll and Hati. This pursuit represents the moon's (and sun’s) movement across the sky. According to legend, Hati is fated to catch up to Máni and devour him during Ragnarök—just as Sköll is destined to devour Sól.[19]
    • Common iconography: Máni is depicted as a male figure driving a chariot (pulled by a pair of horses).
    2. Advertisement
Section 7 of 12:

European Moon Deities

PDF download Download Article
  1. Step 1 Kuu (Kuutar)
    Kuutar is the Finnish goddess of the moon, often worshipped alongside her sister, Päivätär (the goddess of the sun, ruler of life and light). In runic song—oral poetry practiced among the Finnish peoples—Kuutar can spin golden yarns from the moon and use them to weave clothing; similarly, her sister Päivätär can weave silver from the sun. The pair of them were celebrated as spinners and weavers.
    • Common iconography: Kuutar was associated with the color gold, as well as wasps.
  2. Step 2 Bendis
    Bendice is a lunar goddess from Thracian mythology, and likely related to the Greek goddess Artemis (although the two actually had separate temples in Attica, Greece). Bendis was associated with hunting and the moon, much like Artemis, and was later described by the Greeks as one of Zeus’s seven daughters who her turned into swans. Bendis was introduced to ancient Greece by Thracian immigrants.[20]
    • Common iconography: Bendis was usually depicted as a young woman with hunting gear (a bow and arrow), accompanied by animals (hounds, for example) or dancing satyrs and maenads.
    3. Advertisement
Section 8 of 12:

East Asian Moon Deities

PDF download Download Article
  1. Step 1 Chang’e
    Chang’e—originally Heng’e—is the Chinese goddess of the moon. In Chinese mythology, Chang’e ascended to live on the moon in a palace with her jade rabbit. In legends, Chang’e’s husband, Hou Yi, is given two elixirs of immortality, which he gives to Chang’e for safekeeping. Chang’e ends up consuming both elixirs herself (usually to prevent them from being stolen by Hou Yi’s apprentice) and floats to the moon, where she lives in solitude.[21]
    • Common iconography: Chang’e is depicted as a beautiful young woman (her name literally meaning “Chang the beautiful”). She is often shown carrying her jade rabbit, and is pictured with billowing clothing or a background of clouds.
  2. Step 2 Tu’er Ye
    Tu’er Ye is yet another Chinese moon god from Beijing folklore, also known as the Rabbit Lord. He is sometimes paired with Chang’e as her companion, living on the moon with the goddess. Tu’er Ye is also a guardian and protector of children; according to legend, his appearance changed based on the human clothing he wore (given to him by the people he helped).[22]
    • Common iconography: Tu’er Ye is depicted as a rabbit wearing armor or traditional clothing.
  3. Step 3 Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto
    Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, or simply Tsukuyomi, is a Japanese moon kami (deity). In Japanese Shinto mythology, Tsukuyomi was born from the creator deity Izanagi’s right eye and charged with governing both the moon and night—although some sources say he rules over “heaven” instead. Tsukuyomi’s partner was his sister, Amaterasu, the sun kami, and their separation led to the creation of night and day.[23]
    • Common iconography: Tsukuyomi is usually depicted as a somewhat androgynous figure in traditional Japanese robes.
  4. Step 4 Hằng Nga
    Hằng Nga is the Vietnamese goddess of the moon, as well as the Vietnamese counterpart to Chang’e (since their stories are quite similar). Like Chang’e, Hằng Nga is described in legends as a woman who drank an elixir of immortality (either accidentally or out of necessity) and floated up to the moon, dwelling there in a palace with her jade rabbit.
    • Common iconography: Hằng Nga is depicted as a beautiful woman, much like Chang’e. She is also associated with the jade rabbit, or “moon rabbit.”
    5. Advertisement
Section 9 of 12:

Hindu Moon Deities

PDF download Download Article
  1. Chandra (Soma)
    Chandra—or Soma—is the god of the moon in Hindu tradition. He is also associated with plants, forests, and the night. In one legend, Chandra marries the 27 daughters of Daksha, a sage-like Hindu god. However, Chandra shows favoritism toward one of the daughters, Rohini, causing Daksha to curse him; for half of every month, Chandra would waste away from disease, and for the other half, he would be free (mirroring the waxing and waning of the moon).[24]
    • Common iconography: Chandra is commonly depicted as a pale, white-colored god with a mace in one hand, or a club and a lotus. He rides a chariot drawn by an antelope (or horses).
Section 10 of 12:

Phrygian Moon Deities

PDF download Download Article
  1. Mēn
    Mēn is a lunar god from ancient Phrygia (in classical Anatolia, where modern-day Turkey is now located). He was usually described as presiding over the Phrygian calendar and lunar months—as many ancient moon gods did, since the moon was used to determine the passage of time. Mēn was likely influenced by several other deities, including the Persian goddess Anahita and the Zoroastrian deity, Mah.[25]
    • Common iconography: Mēn was typically depicted as a male with crescent-like horns protruding from behind his shoulders, as well as a tunic and Phrygian cap.
    2. Advertisement
Section 11 of 12:

Indigenous American Moon Deities

PDF download Download Article
  1. Step 1 Aningan (Igaluk)
    Aningen, or Aningaat, is the Inuit moon god (for some Inuit peoples of Greenland). In Inuit folklore, Aningan—sometimes called “Moon” or Igaluk—eternally chases his sister across the sky. Similarly, Aningan’s sister is sometimes only called “Sun” or “Aningaat’s sister,” although her Inuit name may be “Malina.” In other myths, they call one another “aninga” and “najanga.”[26]
    • Common iconography: As Aningan chases his sister, Malina, he sometimes forgets to eat, making him get thinner; this symbolizes the moon’s phases (from crescent to full). The moon’s phases are the main images associated with Aningan.
  2. Step 2 Awilix
    Awilix is an ancient Mayan moon goddess and goddess of the night, possibly related to the earlier unnamed Mayan moon goddess of the Classic period. In Mayan mythology, Awilix was the queen of the night and connected with the Underworld, which was ruled by the Mayan death gods. Awilix herself may have been one of the most important gods to the K’iche’ Mayan people, one of a trinity with Tohil (the god of fire) and Jacawitz (the mountain god).[27]
    • Common iconography: Awilix was likely associated with the eagle (the totem animal of the Nija’ib’ lineage, for whom Awilix was a patron deity). She may have been depicted separately, or as part of the trinity collectively known as “Tohil.”
    • The name “Awilix” may derive from kwilix, meaning “swallow” (as in the bird).
  3. Step 3 Mama Quilla
    Mama Quilla, or Mama Killa, is a goddess of the moon in Incan mythology. She’s also the goddess of marriage and menstrual cycles, as well as a protector of women. According to Inca legends, Mama Quilla was celebrated for her beauty and the gifts she bestowed upon the world; she was essential to determining the passage of time and devising yearly calendars.[28]
    • Common iconography: Mama Quilla was depicted as a beautiful human woman. Her temple in Cusco was tended by priestesses.
    • Inca legends also say that Mama Quilla could cry tears of silver—and that lunar eclipses occurred whenever she was attacked by an animal.
  4. Step 4 Mētztli
    Mētztli is a god or goddess of the moon in Aztec mythology, also associated with the nighttime, the cycle of time, and farmers. In Aztec legends, the sun and moon were created one after the other; the sun was born first, from the god Nanahuatzin’s sacrifice. The second god, Teucciztecatl, hesitated before offering himself for sacrifice, thus becoming Mētztli, the moon—dimmer, trailing after the sun across the sky.[29]
    • Common iconography: Mētztli is associated with symbols such as the moon itself, as well as rabbits.
  5. Step 5 Coyolxāuhqui
    Coyolxāuhqui is yet another Aztec goddess, this time the personification of the moon itself. According to one myth, Coyolxāuhqui is the daughter of Cōātlīcue (the “mother of the gods”). Embarrassed by her mother’s miracle pregnancy, Coyolxāuhqui summoned her brothers, the Centzonhuītznāhua, and went to kill Cōātlīcue. However, Cōātlīcue gave birth to Huītzilōpōchtli (a solar and war deity), who killed and dismembered Coyolxāuhqui, spreading her remains—including her head, which became the moon in the sky.[30]
    • Common iconography: Coyolxāuhqui has been depicted in her dismembered state, as well as with her head alone. She typically has a headdress and warrior-like instruments, such as a shield or banner.
    6. Advertisement
Section 12 of 12:

Polynesian Moon Deities

PDF download Download Article
  1. Mahina
    Mahina is the Hawaiian goddess of the moon; her name also means “moon” in the Hawaiian language. Mahina is likely synonymous with the Polynesian goddess Hina, or possibly even the goddess Lona. In other traditions, the moon (mahina) is an embodiment of the goddess Hina. Regardless, Mahina (or Hina) was a celebrated goddess—and, in some traditions, related or married to the trickster demigod Māui.[31]
    • Common iconography: Mahina does not have any known unique symbols, beyond the usual moon and moon phases.

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement

Video

Tips

Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Submit
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

You Might Also Like

Nature DeitiesThe Ultimate Guide to the Gods and Goddesses of Nature
Cat GodsAll the Cat Gods from Mythology Around the World
All Egyptian GodsAll the Egyptian Gods & Goddesses You Should Know
Girl Names That Mean Moon111 of the Best Girl Names that Mean Moon
Woman Symbols of Strength and Courage36 Powerful Feminine Symbols of Bravery, Strength, & Empowerment
Goddess Maiden Mother CroneExploring the Triple Goddess and the Maiden, Mother & Crone Archetypes
Wind Deities42 Gods & Goddesses of the Wind from World Mythology
Pagan Symbols25 Essential Pagan Symbols & What They Mean
Names That Mean Moon200+ Unique & Beautiful Names Meaning "Moon" or "Stars"
Celtic GoddessesA Guide to the Celtic Goddesses: Legends and Lore
Chinese Myth Gods48 Popular Gods & Immortals from Chinese Mythology
Moon SymbolEverything You Need to Know About the Moon Symbol
Minor Greek GoddessesThe Minor Goddesses of Greek Mythology
God of Thunderstorms30+ Deities of Thunder, Lightning, & Storms from World Mythology
Advertisement

References

  1. ↑ https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/nannasuen/
  2. ↑ https://art.thewalters.org/object/54.2068/
  3. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/topic/Khonsu
  4. ↑ https://art.thewalters.org/object/54.2068/
  5. ↑ https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100141559
  6. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=B667ATiedQkC&q=nzambici#v=snippet&q=nzambici&f=false
  7. ↑ Carla Ionescu, PhD. Ancient Historian. Expert Interview
  8. ↑ https://www.theoi.com/Titan/Selene.html
  9. ↑ Carla Ionescu, PhD. Ancient Historian. Expert Interview
  1. ↑ Carla Ionescu, PhD. Ancient Historian. Expert Interview
  2. ↑ Carla Ionescu, PhD. Ancient Historian. Expert Interview
  3. ↑ https://www.folger.edu/blogs/shakespeare-and-beyond/artemis-greek-myths-goddess/
  4. ↑ Carla Ionescu, PhD. Ancient Historian. Expert Interview
  5. ↑ Carla Ionescu, PhD. Ancient Historian. Expert Interview
  6. ↑ Carla Ionescu, PhD. Ancient Historian. Expert Interview
  7. ↑ Carla Ionescu, PhD. Ancient Historian. Expert Interview
  8. ↑ https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Hekate.html
  9. ↑ https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110810104401818
  10. ↑ https://norse-mythology.org/sol-mani/
  11. ↑ https://www.theoi.com/Thrakios/Bendis.html
  12. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/topic/Change-Chinese-deity
  13. ↑ https://library.ucmerced.edu/taxonomy/term/656
  14. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/topic/Izanagi#ref48119
  15. ↑ https://www.planetary.org/space-images/chandra-the-moon-god
  16. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/topic/Men-Anatolian-god
  17. ↑ https://ecuip.lib.uchicago.edu/diglib/science/cultural_astronomy/cultures_inuit-4.html
  18. ↑ https://www.mesoweb.com/publications/Christenson/PopolVuh.pdf
  19. ↑ https://www.getty.edu/cona/CONAIconographyRecord.aspx?iconid=901001762
  20. ↑ https://upcolorado.com/media/acfupload/WrightCarr_RomeMexico_OA.pdf
  21. ↑ https://www.worldhistory.org/Coyolxauhqui/
  22. ↑ https://hilo.hawaii.edu/news/kekalahea/spring-2023/march/mahina-vs-gregorian.php

About This Article

Carla Ionescu, PhD
Co-authored by:
Carla Ionescu, PhD
Greek Mythology Expert
This article was co-authored by Carla Ionescu, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Glenn Carreau. Carla Ionescu, PhD, is an ancient historian specializing in Greek religion, mythology, and sacred landscapes, with a focus on Artemis and the ancient Mediterranean world. With over a decade of teaching and research experience, Dr. Carla combines academic scholarship with field research, site exploration, and public education. She is the founder of the Artemis Research Centre and creator of the Artemis Mapping Project, an international initiative documenting sanctuaries and sacred sites connected to Artemis. Through her books, lectures, workshops, podcasts, and educational content, she makes ancient history and religion accessible to broad audiences while drawing on firsthand travel and research across Greece, Turkey, Sicily, and the wider Mediterranean. Dr. Carla holds a PhD in Ancient History. This article has been viewed 3,131 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 2
Updated: July 20, 2026
Views: 3,131
Categories: Paranormal Beliefs
In other languages
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 3,131 times.

Did this article help you?

Advertisement