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Mani

God of the Moon

 

Colour- Silver

 

Animal- N/A

 

Rune- N/A

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“Máni and his sister Sól are the children of a man by the name of Mundilfari. The children were so fair that Mundilfari named them "moon" and "sun", which was perceived as arrogance by the gods, and it so angered the gods that they placed the brother and sister in the heavens. There, Máni "guides the path of the moon and controls its waxing and waning."-Prose Edda

Mani is the the god who guides the moon across the night sky . He is described as beautiful with raven black hair and silver eyes. He is the twin brother of Sol the goddess of the sun and son of Mundilfari the god of time. Together these three Aesir are the three gods of time. The name Mani means ‘Moon.’ He helps humankind tell the time and date through his actions and the day Monday is named after him, Mani’s Day or Moon Day.

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He is pursued by one of the sons of Fenrir, Lokis son, called Hati or ‘Hate,’ who also goes by the name Managarmr or ‘Moon Dog.’ He pulls the moon in his chariot pulled by a pair of unamed horses and the phases of moon are said to be when Mani is dodging Hati. A lunar eclipse is said to be when Hati gets too close.

 

Mani is also said to be accompanied by two children he took from Midgardr called Hjúki and Bil, who were fathered by Viðfinnr, while the two were walking from the well Byrgir ‘Hider of something,’ both of them carrying on their shoulders the pole Simul or ‘Eternal,’ that held the pail Sæg between them. This is where the legend of Jack and Jill is said to have originated.

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