Brother Moon
Muscogee · deity · Muscogee traditional religion; continuing · deity
Brother Moon, Hvresse, is the lunar luminary of Muscogee (Creek) tradition and the night counterpart of his sister the Sun. The two are paired as brother and sister, set in the sky together by the Master of Breath, and their relationship is the subject of the brother-and-sister-who-became-the-sun-and-moon narrative recorded among the Creek and neighbouring Southeastern peoples. The single Mvskoke word hvresse names both the moon and the month, reflecting the Moon's role as the measurer of lunar time. Lunar eclipses, like solar ones, were understood as the luminary being darkened or swallowed and were met with noise-making to drive off the threat.
Parentage
Domains
- moon and night
- lunar months
Powers
- to light the night sky and mark out the months
Epithets
- Hvresse
Relations
- sibling: Sister Sun