Notebooks

Story: The Moon and Sun (another version of The Sun which pierces the Moon with its knife by ||kabbo)

Title

The Moon and Sun (another version of The Sun which pierces the Moon with its knife by ||kabbo)

Collection

Summary

The waxing and waning of the Moon is described as well as the rising and setting of the Sun who stabs the full Moon with its knife. Whilst in the preceding myths of the Mantis, the Moon, according to its origin, is only a piece of leather (a shoe of the Mantis), in Bushman astrological mythology the Moon is looked upon as a man who incurs the wrath of the Sun, and is consequently pierced by the knife (i.e. rays) of the latter. This process is repeated until almost the whole of the Moon is cut away, and only one little piece left; which the Moon piteously implores the Sun to spare for his (the Moon’s) children. (As mentioned above, the Moon is in Bushman mythology a male being.) From this little piece, the Moon gradually grows again until it becomes a full moon, when the Sun’s stabbing and cutting processes recommence. This explanation of the Moon’s changes is given in four versions; the longest of which (although as yet unfinished) is in a speech made by the Mantis, when he had created the Moon (BIII. 434-437, 432a-437a, 438-460, 501-514, IV. 515-526, 528-584, V. 585-590, XVL. 1497-1590, XVII. 1591-1683, XVIII 1698-1711, 1725-1758). The second version, written by L, is shorter (BI. 215b-215e, and re–written on 215bb-215ff), and so also is the third (L II.-1. 285-287, 2. 292, 4. 478-481). A fourth version mainly gives a description of the changes of the Moon, as observed, and shortly to be observed, at the time of narration, with an explanation of their causes (LII.-6. 654-663).

Comments

1) p.653v: ||kabbo saw the new moon 'the day before yesterday' (16 October), 2) See also The Sun pierces the full Moon with his knife and Sun and Moon story, 3) This story is found in Book II-6