The full moon has always drawn our gaze. She rises, luminous and constant, a celestial companion who has journeyed with us for centuries. To look upon her silvery face as she arcs across the night sky is to know that I am seeing the same moon my ancestors once beheld, and in that knowing, I feel their presence close.
She has also been a quiet thread of connection in my own life. When distance separates me from those I love, I take comfort in remembering that we share her light. Across time and space, the moon binds us together.
It is no wonder, then, that she has inspired poetry, myth, and magic. A mirror for our longing, a lantern for our imagination and a reminder that we are part of something vast and enduring.
A Quick Look at the Full Moon
The full moon marks the peak of the lunar cycle, when the Earth stands between the sun and moon, allowing her face to shine in complete illumination. For a few nights each month, she appears whole—radiant, round, and unshadowed.
This fullness is more than symbolic. The moon’s gravitational pull is strongest at this phase, shaping the rhythms of the tides and influencing the waters that cradle life on Earth. Farmers have long noticed her sway over crops, timing plantings and harvests to lunar light and moisture.
Across cultures, the full moon has been seen as a moment of heightened energy. A time when growth, fertility, and illumination reach their zenith. Whether guiding the ocean’s waves or the sowing of seeds, she reminds us that cycles of nature are deeply interwoven with our own.
Lunacy and the Moon’s Influence
So vast is her power that people have long whispered of the full moon’s ability to unsettle us. The very word lunatic comes from luna, the Latin word for moon, reflecting an ancient belief that her cycles could stir the mind and spirit.
From Roman philosophers to medieval physicians, many claimed that the moon’s brightness and pull could disturb sleep, heighten emotions, or even provoke madness. Folklore carried these ideas forward, painting the full moon as a time when boundaries between order and chaos grew thin.
Modern science offers more cautious explanations—pointing to disrupted circadian rhythms or the moon’s symbolic association with tides and fluids—but the myth endures. Whether or not she truly alters our minds, the full moon continues to be a mirror for our intensity, our restlessness, and our longing for release.
Creatures of the Full Moon
The full moon has long been imagined as a catalyst for transformation. Perhaps the most famous of these tales is the werewolf. A human cursed to shift into wolf-shape under her light, prowling the night with sharpened senses and untamed hunger. Such stories spoke to the fear and fascination of losing control, of being overtaken by something wild within.
But the werewolf is not alone. Across cultures, the full moon has been linked to strange creatures and uncanny happenings. The Selkies and Shapeshifters were said to slip between forms more easily beneath her glow. Moon Rabbits in East Asian folklore, imagined to be pounding rice cakes or elixirs of immortality on her shining surface. In many tales Night wanderers and spirits are believed to roam more freely when the moon is full blurring the line between the living and the unseen.
These myths remind us that the full moon has always been more than a light in the sky. She is a threshold, a mirror for our fears and desires, and a stage upon which stories of transformation and mystery unfold.
Moonlit Creatures in Welsh Lore
In Wales, the full moon has often been seen as a threshold moment when uncanny beings stir. Just as werewolves prowl in continental tales, Welsh landscapes carry their own moonlit mysteries:
The Afanc – A lake monster said to dwell in the waters of Snowdonia. Some stories describe it thrashing more violently under the full moon, disturbing the balance of the land and water.
The Gwyllgi – A spectral black dog, glowing-eyed and fearsome, believed to roam lonely roads at night. Its appearance under the moon was considered an omen of death or misfortune.
The Tylwyth Teg (Fair Folk) – In Celtic tradition, the moon was a marker of time and change and the Tylwyth Teg were thought to move more freely under her glow, slipping between worlds.
These beings remind us that the full moon is not only a symbol of illumination but also of transformation and mystery. In Welsh tradition, her light reveals both beauty and danger, guiding us into stories where the natural and supernatural intertwine.
The Ellyllon: Moonlit Elves of Wales
Among the many beings linked to the full moon, the Ellyllon hold a gentler, more enchanting place. These small elves—sometimes called Welsh pygmies—are considered one of the five varieties of the Tylwyth Teg. They live in hidden groves, valleys, and hollow hills, rarely seen by human eyes.
Descriptions paint them as delicate, spirit-like figures, dressed in garments spun from gossamer threads, flower petals, or shimmering mist. Their laughter is said to sound like tiny bells or the rustle of leaves in the wind.
Most evocatively, the Ellyllon are believed to dance in circles beneath the full moon, their faint glow mingling with moonlight to create a scene of ethereal beauty. In some tales, they are playful and benign, though like many fair folk, they can be mischievous if disrespected.
The image of the Ellyllon reminds us that not all moonlit creatures are ominous. Some embody joy, lightness, and the enchantment of nature itself — an invitation to see the full moon not only as a force of transformation but also as a stage for wonder.
Moon Goddesses and Gods
Across cultures, the moon has been honoured as divine—sometimes as a radiant goddess, sometimes as a guiding god. Her cycles of waxing and waning, her power over tides and fertility, and her luminous presence in the night sky inspired myths that personified her as sacred. From Mediterranean temples to Celtic groves and Mesopotamian ziggurats, the moon has always been more than a celestial body: she is a mirror of mystery, a keeper of time, and a force woven into human destiny.
Greek and Roman
- Artemis (Greek) – Goddess of the hunt and wilderness, often associated with the waxing and full moon, protector of women and childbirth.
- Selene (Greek) – Titan goddess who drove her silver chariot across the sky, embodying the moon’s radiance.
- Luna (Roman) – The Roman counterpart to Selene, worshipped in temples and invoked for guidance and protection.
- Diana (Roman) – Twin sister of Apollo, goddess of the hunt, wild animals, and childbirth, also revered as a lunar deity. At Lake Nemi she was honored as Diana Nemorensis, embodying the moon’s power to illuminate and protect.
Celtic and Norse
- Arianrhod (Welsh) – Known as the Silver Wheel, she resides in Caer Arianrhod, her celestial fortress. A goddess of fertility, fate, and sovereignty, she embodies the cyclical power of the moon.
- Máni (Norse) – The personification of the moon, brother to Sól (the sun). He guides the moon’s path across the sky, accompanied by the children Hjúki and Bil, echoing the “man in the moon” motif. Pursued by wolves, Máni’s fate at Ragnarök reflects the fragility of cosmic order.
Egyptian and Mesopotamian
- Khonsu (Egyptian) – A lunar god whose name means “traveler,” reflecting the moon’s journey. Associated with healing and marking the passage of time.
- Iah (Egyptian) – An older moon god, later absorbed into Khonsu’s identity.
- Sin (Sumerian/Akkadian) – One of the earliest recorded moon gods, depicted with a crescent crown. He governed time, fertility, and divination, and was central to Mesopotamian cosmology.
Other Traditions
- Tsukuyomi (Japanese) – A Shinto moon god, representing order and balance.
- Chandra (Hindu) – A radiant lunar deity, often portrayed riding a chariot pulled by antelopes.
- Mawu (West African, Dahomey) – A goddess of the moon, fertility, and motherhood.
From Divinity to Symbolism
From goddess to god, from myth to ritual, the moon’s divinity reminds us that she is more than light in the sky—she is a teacher of cycles. The full moon, in particular, symbolizes culmination: a time to pause in gratitude for what has grown since the new moon, and to honour the fruits of our labour, love, and learning. Yet her brightness also reveals what is heavy, stagnant, or no longer serving us.
The full moon invites release. Just as the tides rise and fall, we too are called to let go—whether of habits that weigh us down, objects that clutter our lives, relationships that no longer nourish us, or patterns that hold us back. In her fullness, the moon illuminates both abundance and excess, guiding us toward balance.
Full Moon Ritual: Gratitude and Release
Choose a night when the moon is full and clear. Go outside if you can, or sit by a window where her light reaches you.
- Gratitude
- Begin by considering what you are grateful for in this cycle.
- Write your thanks in a journal, or on a sheet of paper.
- If you choose paper, offer it to the flames in a safe, fireproof container—sending your gratitude upward with the smoke.
- Illumination
- Gaze up at the moon. Ask gently: What is no longer serving me? What is safe to release? What no longer nourishes me?
- Write these down, remembering to thank them for what they have given you so far. Even bad habits may protect us for a time; difficult people can bring lessons and burdens often once held meaning.
- Release
- Place this paper into the fireproof container and let the flames consume it.
- As the fire burns, imagine the old transmuting into new energy—fuel for your growth, space for your becoming.
- Closing
- Thank the moon for her light and guidance.
- Sit for a moment in stillness, breathing in the sense of renewal.
Closing Blessing
Moon of fullness, moon of release,
I thank you for your guiding light.
What is heavy, I now let go.
What is true, I carry forward.
Illuminate my path with grace,
and remind me I belong to the cycles of life.
Closing thoughts
The full moon has always been more than a celestial body. She is a companion to our ancestors, a mirror for our emotions, a muse for poets and storytellers, and a sacred teacher of cycles. In her fullness, she invites us to pause—to celebrate what has grown since the new moon, and to release what no longer serves us.
From werewolves and moonlit elves to goddesses and gods across cultures, the moon’s mythology reminds us that she is both wild and holy, both constant and ever-changing. Her light connects us to those we love, to the land beneath our feet, and to the vast web of stories that bind humanity together.
As you step into her glow, may you find gratitude for your journey, courage to let go of what holds you back, and trust in the renewal that follows release. The full moon is not only a spectacle in the sky—it is a reminder that we, too, are part of the great rhythm of growth, decline, and rebirth.
For more insights and reflections on the moon, you might enjoy these posts The New Moon: A Celestial Companion or Blood, Myth & Magic with The Blood Moon Eclipse
In 2026, there will be 13 full moons, including 3 supermoons and a rare blue moon, offering a fresh year of lunar energy to observe and celebrate. For more details on dates and names of upcoming full moons, you can visit this helpful resource: Next Full Moon Dates.
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