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http://eternalsailormoon.org/index.html
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Asian Mythology
In Asian culture, there is a myth of a rabbit on the moon. There are variations of this story, but one friend got this from a Japanese mythology book: “A god went to earth disguised as a normal man. He met with a group of animals, one of which was a rabbit, and asked to share some food. All the animals did share, except for the rabbit, who had nothing to offer. So instead, the rabbit threw himself into the fire, sacrificing himself so the man could eat. The man was so touched by that action that he revealed himself as a god and took the rabbit to the moon as a reward.”A Chinese legend surrounds Chinese New Year: There once was a very strong and good man who became emperor. He eventually became corrupt and wanted to live forever, so he had special pills made that would ensure his immortality. His wife did not want such a cruel man to live forever, so she took the pills instead and floated up to the moon, taking with her her favorite pet rabbit. According to Chinese mythology, the rabbit is also supposed to be the pet of a wise medicine man who lives on the moon; the rabbit thus pounds medicine in a mortar.
Since Usagi is Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, you can see how that myth relates to “Sailormoon” as well. In one of the later “SM” episodes, Usagi asks Luna if there really is a rabbit on the moon pounding mochi. This little reference is explained from a different Japanese mythology book another one of my friends has: “To this day Japanese peasants still believe in the hare in the moon. This animal employs its time in pounding rice in a mortar and making it into cakes. The origin of this conception is probably to be found in a pun, for ‘rice-cake’ and ‘full moon’ are both described by the word *mochi*.”
********************************************************In Greek mythology, Endymion was a shepherd who was so beautiful that when the goddess Selene saw him, she instantly fell in love with him. To make him hers, Selene put him into a magic sleep; in this sleep, Endymion was immortal, but he never woke. Every night, Selene came to earth to be with him, watch over him, and caress him. However, while Selene posesses Endymion, her love for him in this condition brings her pain. In some versions of the story, Selene bears a lot (I’ll find the exact # later) of Endymion’s children. @.o;;;
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