The Buried Moon facts for kids

The story of The Buried Moon, also known as The Dead Moon, is a special fairy tale. It was collected by Joseph Jacobs and put into his book More English Fairy Tales. This tale is quite unique and different from most fairy tales. It feels more like an old myth. Mrs. Balfour found this story in the North Lincolnshire Carrs, a marshy area in England. Because it was so unusual, some people wondered if it was a true fairy tale. But Mrs. Balfour's notes were trusted, and the area where she found it had many other interesting legends. Some even think this story might show that people once worshipped the moon.

What Is The Buried Moon Story About?

Once upon a time, there was a place called the Carland. This land was full of dangerous swamps and bogs. When the moon shone brightly, it was safe to walk around, even at night. But when the moon was not out, scary things came out of the darkness. These evil creatures were like bogies.

One day, the moon heard about these dangers. She decided to see for herself. So, she put on a dark cloak over her bright yellow hair. She went down to the Carland. As she explored, she accidentally fell into a deep pool of water. A sharp, cross-shaped tree branch, called a snag, trapped her there.

She saw a man walking towards the dangerous pool. The moon struggled to get free. As she moved, her dark hood fell off her head. Her bright light shone out. This light helped the man see his way to safety. It also scared away all the evil creatures hiding in the dark.

The moon tried to follow the man, but her hood fell back over her hair. The darkness returned, and all the bad creatures came back. They trapped the moon under a very large stone. They also placed a will-o'-the-wyke (a spooky light often seen in bogs) on the cross-shaped snag. This light was meant to watch over the trapped moon.

The moon never rose in the sky again after that. People on Earth wondered what had happened to her. Then, the man whom the moon had saved remembered what he had seen. He told everyone about the moon being trapped.

A wise woman heard his story. She told the people to go into the bog. She said they needed to find three things: a coffin (which was the large stone), a candle (which was the will-o'-the-wyke), and a cross (which was the snag). She told them that the moon would be close by these items.

The people followed the wise woman's advice. They went into the bog and found all the things she described. They worked together and freed the moon! From that day on, the moon has shone brighter over the boglands than anywhere else. And because the moon was freed, the evil creatures were chased away from the Carland forever.

Modern Stories Inspired by The Buried Moon

This unique fairy tale has inspired other artists and writers. They have created new stories and music based on "The Buried Moon."

Books and Comics

• Author Charles de Lint retold this story in his own way. He called his version "The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep."
• The webcomic No Rest for the Wicked uses parts of this tale. The main character in the comic is a princess who cannot sleep. She goes on a journey to find the missing moon.

Music

• A French power metal band named Wildpath created a song based on this fairy tale. It is on their album called Underneath. They even released a music video for the song in 2012.