Man in the Moon
Man in the Moon | |
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Unknown | |
"The Man in the Moon stayed up too late" by Alan Lee | |
Information | |
Other names | Uolë Kúvion (Q), Ûl Cuvonweg (G) |
Location | Moon |
Physical Description | |
Race | Unknown |
Gender | Male |
In the folklore of the Hobbits (and possibly the Men of Gondor), the Man in the Moon is an old being who secretly hid on the island of the Moon, and built his minaret there.[1][2]
He is featured in the song The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late composed by Bilbo Baggins,[3] as well as the The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon, derived from Gondorian lore.[4]
Combined with the Elven lore, the Man in the Moon of the Hobbits' tales must have his origins in the legend of Tilion the Maia.[5]
Other versions of the legendarium
In The Book of Lost Tales Part One, a creature living on the moon is mentioned, although his nature and the tale of how he came to live there was never fully told. In that version of the legendarium there were no Hobbits, and the Man in the Moon was mentioned in the context of Elven lore as an old grey-haired Elf who secretly hid on the island of the Moon (alongside the Valar and Maiar), built his minaret there, tended to the Rose, and never slept.[6] His name in Qenya was Uolë Kúvion, and in Gnomish Ûl Cuvonweg, both meaning "Moonking".[7]
Other writings
In Tolkien's Roverandom the Man-in-the-Moon is the greatest of all magicians and also lives in a white tower in the moon with a telescope. He has a moon-dog named Rover and when Rover comes to the moon, he renames him "Roverandom" and gives him wings to play with the moon-dog. After staying in the moon and having many adventures, Roverandom is told by the Man-in-the-Moon that Artaxerxes has now left, and is allowed to return to Earth.[8]
The Man in the Moon appears also in Letters from Father Christmas: In 1926, the North Polar Bear lit the northern lights causing the moon to break and the Man fell in Father Christmas's hut and ate all his chocolate before he climbed back to mend it and tidy up the stars.[9]
Inspiration
The Man in the Moon is a real-life tradition referring to a figure on the moon disc that appears like a face.
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, "The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, "The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, "Preface"
- ↑ Robert Foster, The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, entries "Man in the Moon", "Tilion"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part One, pp. 193, 198, 215
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part One, Appendix: Names in the Lost Tales – Part I, entry "Uolë Kúvion"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien; Christina Scull, Wayne G. Hammond (eds.), Roverandom
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Baillie Tolkien (ed.), Letters from Father Christmas, "December 20th 1926"
Legendary races of Arda | |
Animals: | Dumbledors · Gorcrows · Hummerhorns · Pards · Swans of Gorbelgod · Turtle-fish |
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Dragon-kind: | Sea-serpents · Spark-dragons · Were-worms |
Evil Races: | Ettens · Giants · Half-trolls · Hobgoblins · Ogres · Snow-trolls · Two-headed Trolls |
Other: | Badger-folk · Great beasts · Lintips · Mewlips · Nameless things · Spectres |
Individuals: | Talking Gurthang · Talking purse · The Hunter · Lady of the Sun · Lonely Troll · Man in the Moon · The Rider · River-woman · Tarlang · Tim · Tom · White cow |