Grandfather Moon and Moon Gods of Anatolia

Men - the Moon God of the Phyrigians
Eskişehir Archeology Museum

Simin Uysal

Like all Turkish children, I grew up with stories about the Grandfather Moon. When I look at the moon, I always see the Grandfather Moon smiling down from the sky. It is very difficult for me to associate the moon with the feminine. I don't think I will ever be able to do that.

He has always been the one lighting up a magical silvery road on the dark sea waters of the night for me to follow to reach dreamland. I feel safe as long as I know he is up there and he always is. 

These were my thoughts standing in front of Men, the Phyrigian Moon God in the Eskişehir Archeology Museum. I think the Phyrigian children would agree with me. 

Men was a god with Anatolian origin. A temple was built in second century BC in Antioch of Pisidia (close to the modern city of Isparta). Many inscriptions have been discovered on votive stels dedicated to Men asking for help, health, protection;,wishing forgiving and giving thanks and telling dreams. For me, it is most appropriate to tell dreams to the Moon God. I often do that! 

The Hittites had four moon gods. They are Kasku, Kusuh, Arma and Sin. Kasku is actually a Hatti god which was transferred later to the Hittites. On a Hittite-Hattian bilingual script, we find the myth where the Moon God Kasku falls from heaven on Kilammar and disappaears. The Storm God, Taru (Teshub) sends lightning and rain after him.  

The Hurrian Moon God Kusuh (Umbu) is the one who was included formally in the Hittite pantheon. During the reign of the Hittite king, Suppilulimu I, Kusuh (Umbu) was one of the deities of oaths together with Ningal and Ishara. 

Hittite Moon God on a Lion together with another God 

Arma, who is often portrayed with a crescent on his horned cap and a pair of wings on his back, is another Hittite and also a Luwian moon god. . The Luwians were related to Hittites and lived in ancient Anatolia as well. Their religious beliefs were similar with the Hittites and the moon god, Arma, had the same name in both languages. Their language is known from the cuneiform texts found in the Hittite capital of Hattusha. The Luwians had a reputation as magicians and their magical rituals were present in the Hittite capital!

When I traveled to Şanlıurfa last year to visit Göbeklitepe, I also visited the Temple of the Moon God Sin. Sin is an important Moon God originated in Mesopotamia and entered the Hittite pantheon later. His major cult center was in Harran (which used to be an Assyrian city), within the borders of today's Şanlıurfa, in southeast Turkey. He is shown riding a winged bull and crescent is his symbol.

Cappadocia, in Central Anatolia, which is filled with mysterious underground cities, fairy chimneys formed by winds and ancient volcanic rock is a famous touristic place. Within all the cave hotels, ancient churches carved in rocks and frescoes, my favourite place to visit is entirely different. There are no ancient churches, frescoes or fairy chimneys there. It is called the Dervent Valley or the Valley of Imagination. It is known for its lunar landscape and animal shaped rocks instead! Whenever I go there, I feel like walking on the moon within an enormous zoo of rock animals sculpted by the nature itself. One can easily see a rabbit, a camel or a dragon on this moonscape.

The moon is not feminine for me, you see. However, it is not a god as it has been for the ancient Anatolians, either. It is Grandfather Moon. It is a lighthouse lighting up my valleys of imagination wherever I am. It is Grandfather Moon where I sit down and watch the Earth from the skies and my starting point for what I call star-hopping! I do not visit the moon everyday but I do love that Moon Face in the night sky and it feels reassuring to know he is always there even when he is invisible to my ordinary eyes.