Man in the Moon

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Man in the Moon
Unknown
name=The Man in the Moon
"The Man in the Moon stayed up too late" by Alan Lee
Information
Other namesUolë Kúvion (Q), Ûl Cuvonweg (G)
LocationMountains of the Moon (Legendarium)
White tower (Roverandom)
AffiliationFolklore
Physical Description
RaceUnknown
GenderMale

The Man in the Moon was a character that exists within the folk-tales of the Shire-hobbits, Númenóreans and Men of Gondor.

History[edit | edit source]

He was a being who secretly hid on the island of the Moon, and built his minaret within the Mountains of the Moon there.[1][2]

He was featured in the song The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late composed by Bilbo Baggins,[3] as well as within The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon, a song derived from Gondorian lore.[4]

Combined with Elven lore, the Man in the Moon of the Hobbits' tales must have his origins in the legend of Tilion the Maia.[5]

Other versions of the legendarium[edit | edit source]

In The Book of Lost Tales Part One, a creature living on the moon is mentioned, although his nature and the tale of how he came to live there was never fully told. In that version of the legendarium there were no Hobbits, and the Man in the Moon was mentioned in the context of Elven lore as an old grey-haired Elf who secretly hid on the island of the Moon (alongside the Valar and Maiar), built his minaret there, tended to the Rose, and never slept.[6] His name in Qenya was Uolë Kúvion, and in Gnomish Ûl Cuvonweg, both meaning "Moonking".[7]

Other writings[edit | edit source]

In Tolkien's Roverandom the Man-in-the-Moon is the greatest of all magicians and lives within a white tower in the moon with a telescope. He has a moon-dog named Rover and when Rover comes to the moon, he renames him "Roverandom" and gives him wings to play with the moon-dog. After staying in the moon and having many adventures, Roverandom is told by the Man-in-the-Moon that Artaxerxes had left and returned to Earth.[8]

The Man in the Moon appears also within the Letters from Father Christmas: In 1926, the North Polar Bear lit the northern lights causing the moon to break and the Man to fall into Father Christmas's hut, eating all of his chocolate before climbing back up to mend the moon and tidy up the stars.[9] He visited Father Christmas in 1927. He didn't return until the next day because the "Wicked Bear" pushed him under a couch and he was forgotten about.[10]

In Sauron Defeated it is mentioned that the Númenóreans believed the Man in the Moon was a guardian spirit.[11]

Inspiration[edit | edit source]

The Man in the Moon is a real-life tradition referring to a figure on the moon disc that appears like a face.

See also[edit | edit source]

References

Legendary races of Arda
 Animals:  Dumbledors · Gorcrows · Hummerhorns · Pards · Swans of Gorbelgod · Turtle-fish
Dragon-kind:  Sea-serpents · Spark-dragons · Were-worms
Evil Races:  Ettens · Giants · Half-trolls · Hobgoblins · Ogres · Snow-trolls · Two-headed Trolls
Other:  Badger-folk · Great beasts · Lintips · Mewlips · Nameless things · Spectres
Individuals:  Talking Gurthang · Talking purse · The Hunter · Lady of the Sun · Lonely Troll · Man in the Moon · The Rider · River-woman · Tarlang · Tim · Tom · White cow