Once upon a time, a woodman and his wife lived on the edge of a
beautiful forest beneath Mount Fujiyama in Japan. They had a cosy
little house and a beautiful garden, but they were not happy, as they
wished for a child. One moonlit night, the wife slipped out of the
house and laid herself down before the great mountain with its shining
snowcap. She begged for Fujiyama to send her and her husband a child.
As she prayed, a tiny light appeared high upon the mountain and
began to drift down toward the woman. When the light reached the
branches of the bamboo, it stopped. The woman was overjoyed when she
found it was a Moonchild, sent by the Lady in the Moon herself. She
took the child home and her husband was overjoyed as well.
The Moonchild grew into a beautiful young lady, a Moon Princess,
and was beloved by all who saw her. When the Emperor's son saw her,
he asked for her hand in marriage. However, she refused, saying that
her mother, the Moon Lady, had bidden her to return home when she
reached the age of twenty.
When the night came for her to leave, the woodman, his wife, and
the Emperor's son were all there to say goodbye, and they were
inconsolable. The Lady in the Moon sent down a silver moonbeam for her
daughter, and the Princess floated up upon it. As she floated, the
Princess cried silver tears for those she left behind. As they fell,
they took wing and flew all over the land.
The Moon Princess' tears can still be seen on moonlit nights. Some
call them fireflies, but those who know the legend know that they are
the Princess' tears, searching for those she loved on Earth and had
to leave behind.
isn't this such a sad story? but it's so pretty. i wonder what the moon
princess' name was? serenity, perhaps? hmmmmmmm.......
(note: Sailor Saturn's given name, Hotaru, means "firefly". That's why
there's a picture of Hotaru on the background, in case you were
wondering...)
