August’s lunar cycle is known as the Wort Moon. Wort is an old-world word meaning plant. At the time of
this Moon, the Earth’s fertility is at full maturity and harvest time is at hand.
The legends chosen for the Wort Moon are dedicated to the Earth’s plant life, and are, most appropriately,
tales of the relationship between the Moon and the Earth’s growing flora and fauna. Through times and
cultures, this relationship may change, and the Moon takes on a different role in its relationship to the
plant life. Both the Moon and the Earth, however, always seem to be interconnected. The plants are
necessary for human survival. The Moon, according to some mythologies, has been essential for the
survival of plants.
Moon Waters
Columbia
Many years ago, there lived a man named Bochica who was highly honored among the people of the Earth.
Bochica taught the tribes to build their homes sturdy to protect them from the harsh elements and the
night’s cold winds. He taught the people to plant their fields with fertile crops and reap the land’s
bounty at harvest time. In the childhood of humanity, Bochica taught the tribes to care for themselves
and no longer turn to the gods for their every need. He turned the human race from helpless children to
a proud and productive people.
The great and wise Bochica had a wife named Huythaca, and for many years they lived happily together. A
time arrived, however, when their days of love and peace came to an end. No one can be certain what
prompted the change, but Huythaca began to feel discontented with her life. Perhaps it was the
progression of time, which caused her beauty to wane. Perhaps it was jealousy of her husband’s
devotion to the people of the soil. Perhaps it was her idleness in the times when Bochica was among
the Earth’s tribes. Whatever the reason, Huythaca became embittered toward her husband and those
people to whom he devoted his time and knowledge.
Huythaca caused the waters of the river to overflow the banks. The waters covered the fields that were rich
with the crops that would feed the tribes, and flooded the homes that would protect the people from the
night air. All of Bochica’s work was carried away on the back of the river water. The floods of
Huythaca carried off the tribes’ good work and washed away many lives.
When Bochica saw the devastation his wife’s bitterness had caused, he set out to reverse the waters. He
returned the river to its natural state and dried the fertile lands to stay the crops from drowning. The
lives of the Earth people that the water had claimed, however, Bochica could not return.
Because of Bochica’s love of the Earth tribes, the destruction brought upon them by Huythaca deeply
wounded him. He grieved for those who were lost as if they were the children of his own blood. But
greater than his grief was his anger with Huythaca over the destruction she had caused. Bochica did not
let her actions go unpunished.
Bochica turned his wife into the Moon. To add to her dishonor, he gave the Earth people the first solar
calendar. Those who till the soil now plant their crops in the bright sun and look to the sun to nourish
them and make them grow. The Moon can be seen each night making her transit across he sky. When
the people look at Huythaca in her place in the heavens, they are reminded of her days of destruction
and the importance of the Earth’s greenery for their survival.
As for Huythaca, her punishment has increased her bitterness. Although Bochica removed her from the lands
of the Earth people, he could not totally protect them from her wrath. Every now and then, the Moon
still causes the waters to swell. The wise tribes people regard the Moon, as well as the sun, as they plant
their fields. Although Huythaca’s banishment has diminished her, her power is still among us.
Moon Lore
Greenman's Craft Page
Our Chosen Path
Our Guest Registry