On the top of Mt. Latmos, in the land of Kariae, the young shepherd Endymion tended his flock. All day long he watched over his lambs, keeping them safe and making sure none wandered off. At night he would stay awake, because they needed a constant eye. To occupy his time he would write poems and odes to the great love of his life, the moon.
One day, as the sun finally set beneath the far off horizon, Endymion sat on a rock and waited for the moon to rise. But the night sky stayed empty and the moon did not arrive when it was supposed to.
He looked to the eldest and wisest of his flock, Epeus, and asked the aged lamb, "Where is the moon? It is well past the time when it should be lighting the darkness, but it does not rise."
To this Epeus had no answer. "I am just a simple lamb," he said. "Maybe the family who has the farm further down the mountain will know."
Endymion agreed and decided to ask the family. He put Epeus in charge of the flock and headed down the mountain.
Halfway down Mt. Latmos, Endymion came to the farm of Aetolus and Theia. He found the couple in the stalls, feeding their animals after a full day of tending to their crops. Upon seeing the handsome Endymion, they greeted him with smiles, but quickly noticed their smiles were not returned.
"Endymion, dear boy, what has you looking so worried?" asked Theia.
"I have traveled down the mountain to ask you if you know where the moon has disappeared to. It is well past sundown, and yet, the moon does not shine."
The husband looked at the wife and the wife looked at the husband. Then Aetolus said, "I do not know where the moon is. We work in the fields all day and are usually too tired once the sun goes down to stay up past dark."
"If the moon is missing, I hope that it returns soon," added Theia. "As farmers, we depend on the moon to tell us when to harvest our crops. Without the moon, everything we have planted would spoil. Then there would be no food for us or the town."
Endymion thought of the town, at the bottom of the mountain, and wondered if he might find answers there. He thanked the couple and began to leave. Before he left, Aetolus said, "Wait. There is one thing I remember. The last time I saw the moon, it was blue. I hope that helps you, Endymion."
What it did instead was to raise more questions in his mind.
Endymion walked through the night wondering why the moon would be sad, and if the blue moon had something to do with its disappearance.
Just after sunrise he reached the edge of the town of Milete. The first place he came to was the Academy, where all the children went to school. There he spoke to the teacher, Naxos, who first taught him poetry. "Endymion," she asked, "why do you look so troubled?"
To this, Endymion said, "I have traveled from the top of Mt. Latmos to find out why the moon did not rise into the sky last night. I asked the farm couple, Aetolus and Theia, but they could not tell me. Aetolus said that the last time he saw the moon, it was blue. Do you know what could have happened to make the moon sad?"
Naxos thought hard but could not come up with an answer. "I do not know why the moon would be sad," she said. "But I do remember something that might help you."
"What is it?" asked Endymion.
"There was a day not too long ago when the moon appeared in the daytime sky," Naxos began. "It passed in front of the sun and eclipsed its light. I remember because it scared the children when it suddenly became dark in the middle of the day."
Endymion could think of no explanation for this strange behavior. Why would the moon come out during the day, he thought.
Naxos said, "Maybe one of the fishermen would know something. The moon always travels to the sea, so maybe one of them saw something."
It was worth a try, so Endymion thanked the teacher and began to leave.
"I hope the moon returns," she said. "The moon tells a woman when it is time to have a child. Without the moon there would be no newborn babies and I would have no more children to teach."
Endymion left the Academy and headed out of the town of Milete toward the seashore and the docks of the fishermen.
In late afternoon he arrived at the shore, just as one of the men, Theocritus, was tying up his boat and unloading the days catch of fish.
"Endymion," began the fisherman, "what brings you all the way down to the sea, looking so gloomy?"
"I have traveled almost an entire day," said Endymion to Theocritus. "First to the farm on the lower half of Mt. Latmos, then to the Academy in the town of Milete, and now to the fishing docks on the shore of the Aegean Sea, on a quest to find the moon. It did not rise last night. Aetolus said it was blue and Naxos said it eclipsed the sun. It is almost time for the sun to go down and I am afraid that the moon will not rise again tonight. Do you know of any reason for this terrible disappearance?"
Theocritus thought long and hard, trying to remember any piece of information that might help the young shepherd. "The only thing I remember," he said, "was that the moon was full one night, then it got smaller the next. And the next night it got smaller than the night before. And the next night it got smaller still. Every night I unload my catch, then sit on my dock and watch the moon. I did not give any thought to it then, but maybe now it will help you."
Endymion did not know what to do. A blue moon, an eclipse, the moon getting smaller, none of it made sense.
"Maybe," said the fisherman, "you should sail out to the horizon, where the moon was last seen. That is where your answers might be. You can use my boat if you help me with my catch."
So Endymion helped Theocritus finish unloading the fish and got on the boat, ready to sail to the edge of the sea.
"I hope you find the moon," Theocritus said as he untied the boat from the dock. "The moon controls the tides and the tides are what bring the fish in from the sea. Without the moon, I would have a poor catch and the town would not have any fish to eat."
Just before sundown, Endymion rowed away from the dock and began toward the horizon.
At the horizon Endymion found the moon, hiding just below the surface of the sky, where no one could see her. "I have come a long way," he said. "I left my flock to tend to itself atop Mt. Latmos. I spoke with a farm couple who said you were blue. I spoke with a teacher who told me you eclipsed the sun. I spoke with a fisherman who watched as you slowly disappeared over several nights. It has been a long day of travel and now I have found you. Tell me, moon, why are you hiding?"
The moon looked sad and spoke in a soft, troubled voice. "I am sad because the people sleep when I come out. All day long they work and play in the sunshine. But when I rise in the night sky, everyone goes to sleep. I am just reflected light, not enough to be useful."
"I am sad," the moon continued, "because, everything in the sky at night is a star, except me. I am different and that is why people forget about me. If I were just like all the other stars, everyone would like me."
"I eclipsed the sun because I was jealous," the moon said. "Of all the stars, the sun is the closest to Earth. I wanted to block out its light so that, maybe, the people would forget about the sun. I realized it was wrong and hid behind the horizon because I was ashamed of what I did."
Endymion looked at the sad moon. "But moon," he said, "people do love you. The farmers told me you tell them when to harvest their crops. The schoolteacher told me you tell women when to have children. The fisherman told me you make the tides that give us fresh fish. Who would do these things for us if not you? The people love what you do for them."
"What if I did not do all those things for them? Would they still love me then? Probably not," said the moon.
"But moon," said Endymion, "I love you and you do none of those things for me. I sit awake at night, watching over my flock, with you as my only companion. I write poems to you because you are not the sun or any other star. It is because you are different that is the reason I love you."
The moon heard this and was happy. She looked at Endymion and realized that he loved her not because of what she could do for him, but for what she was. He made her realize that it was her differences that made her special and that she should never be jealous of the sun, the stars, or anything else in the sky.
"Thank you, Endymion," said the moon. "Tonight I will return to my place in the sky. Is there anything I can do for you to repay the happiness you have given me?"
Endymion said, "I just wish to return to my flock. I have been away from them for a while now and am worried about them. They are good lambs, but I must keep a constant watch over them to keep them safe."
The moon heard this and asked, "but when do you sleep?"
"I do not sleep," said Endymion. "If I sleep there will be no one to watch over them."
Then the moon had a thought. "I will return you to your flock," she said. "Then, every night I will visit you and kiss your eyes so you will sleep. While you sleep, I will watch over your flock until morning."
"But moon," Endymion cried, "if I sleep I will not be able to see you."
"I am a goddess," the moon said. "I have the power to be in more than one place at the same time. Each night I will guard the lambs for you. When you sleep I will join you in the land of dreams."
So, the moon rose into the sky that night and every night after. The farmers harvested their crops on time. The schools were filled with new students each year. The fishermen never ran out of fish to catch.
And every night the moon visited Endymion on Mt. Latmos and kissed his eyes, putting him into a restful sleep. The lambs were safe in the night and Endymion was together with the moon forever in his dreams.
|
