31 Days of Halloween { guest author } Natalie J. Damschroder, author of Under the Moon
In my upcoming paranormal romance Under the Moon, Quinn Caldwell is a goddess who gets her power from the full moon. The moon itself, and the energy she accesses through it, are benign, and the explanation of her abilities fairly scientific.
But the moon is a catalyst for all kinds of legends and folklore, some romantic, some creepy.
We all know that labor and delivery wards are said to be packed with women giving birth during the full moon, and cops talk about the weirdos who come out, and the increase in domestic disturbances on those nights. But I’d never heard the old Jewish superstition that says that during Hoshanah Rabbah, a man who doesn’t see his shadow by the light of the moon won’t live more than a year. I’d be sure to stay inside!
Most polytheistic cultures had moon goddesses or gods, or stories about how the moon came to be up in the sky. Those often revolved around love, affairs of the heart between the sun and the moon, where the latter played coy and led the sun in a merry chase. Those myths, combined with the beauty of a brilliant moon in a dark sky, encourage us all to glorify that hunk of rock.
It was glorified to such an extent that the U.S. soared to it in 1969. I wasn’t yet born, but I imagine the aftermath was a bit of a let-down. All that effort for some dusty rocks? Of course, plenty of people have bought into the conspiracy theory that we never went to the moon at all. That kind of kills the romance of it, too.
The most famous legends connected to the full moon are those of werewolves. Such stories date back to a couple of centuries BC, and a wolf’s howl is the signature of Halloween. Shapeshifters aren’t my thing, so I’ll leave that discussion to the relevant experts, but I found some interesting speculations that connect the European origins of werewolf horror stories to modern “lunar lunacy” beliefs.
A 2009 article in Scientific American talked about the ideas of psychiatrist Charles L. Raison and his colleagues. They said that despite studies disproving the connection between the full moon and accidents, suicides, and excessive birth rates, the whole concept may be grounded in historical reality. Before outdoor electricity, people who slept outside, including mentally ill people, might have been kept awake by the bright moon, and sleep deprivation could have made them act erratically.
I find myself equally compelled by the scientific and supernatural explorations of moon effects. How about you? Any moon-related stories?
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Natalie J. Damschroder’s latest and upcoming releases:
Behind the Scenes October 31, 2011
Carina Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible coming soon.
Under the Moon November 1, 2011
Entangled Publishing | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Fight or Flight Out now!
Carina Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible
You can learn more about Natalie and her books at her website, eHarlequin, Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook. She blogs with four other obsessed passionate Supernatural fans at Supernatural Sisters, with a number of fantastic romance authors at Everybody Needs a Little Romance, and just to hear herself talk at Indulge Yourself.
