WHY THE MOON IS PALE
Now Small Turtle made Sun out of lightning when she climbed up into the sky. She also made Moon for his wife. Moon was smaller than Sun, but she was very bright.
Then the animals bored a hole through the edge of the earth so that Sun and Moon could pass through at night, and begin their trail again at the east.
Small Turtle never meant Sun and Moon to travel together. But one day Moon ran into the hole at the edge of the earth much too soon. She also ran in ahead of her husband, Sun. Sun was very angry.
Moon stayed under the earth for a long while. Small Turtle went after her one day to see what was the matter. She found Moon small and pale because of Sun's anger.
Then Small Turtle tried to make her large again. Moon would grow larger for a while, and then remember Sun's anger, and fade away again, until she was only a strip. She does so even today. That is why Moon is so pale, and why she keeps changing as she does.
Story Title: Why the Moon is Pale
Book Title: Myths and legends of British North America
Author: Katharine Berry Judson
Published: 1917
Rights: CC0 Public Domain
Online Source: Hathi Trust
Process: Light editing for paragraphing and punctuation.
Additional Notes: This is a legend of the Wyandot people, also known as the Huron people; find out more at Wikipedia.