Why the Sun and Moon Live in the Sky

The Sun and the Moon on Earth

Long, long ago, in the days when the world was young, the Sun and the Moon were husband and wife, and they did not live up in the sky as they do now. Instead, they lived in a fine, large house right here on the earth, like everyone else.

The Sun and the Moon had a dear friend: the Water. The Sun loved to go and visit the Water, and they would sit and talk for hours. The Water was a great chief, with countless creatures living in his kingdom — fish and crabs, eels and shining things, more than anyone could count.

A Friendly Invitation

One day the Sun said to the Water, "Friend Water, I visit you so often, yet you never come to visit me. Why is that?"

"Ah," said the Water, "I would love to come, but there is a problem. My family and I are very, very many. If we all came to your house, I fear there would not be room enough for us. We would crowd you right out of your own home!"

"Nonsense!" laughed the Sun, who was warm and generous and did not like to think small. "You are my friend, and a friend is always welcome. I will build my house so big and so wide that there will be plenty of room for you and all your people. You must come!"

The Water still hesitated. "Are you quite sure?" he asked.

"Quite sure," said the Sun. "Come, and bring everyone."

So the Sun hurried home and told the Moon the good news. Together they set to work and built an enormous house, with a great wide yard around it, ready to welcome their friend.

The Visit Begins

When everything was ready, the Sun sent word, and the next day the Water came to visit.

But the Water did not come alone. First a little stream flowed up to the door and called out, "Sun, is it safe for me and my people to enter?"

"Yes, friend, come in!" said the Sun warmly.

So the Water began to flow in. With the Water came the fish, the crabs, the eels, and creatures of every kind. They poured through the door, splashing and swimming, filling the rooms. Soon the Water was knee-deep all through the house.

"Sun," called the Water, rising higher, "is it still safe to bring in more of my people?"

The Sun did not want to seem ungracious to his friend. "Yes, come along!" he said.

The House Overflows

More and more Water poured in. It rose past the windows. It rose to the tops of the doorways. Fish swam where the chairs had been, and crabs crawled along the high shelves. Still the Water kept asking, "Shall I bring more?" — and still the kind Sun, not wishing to turn anyone away, kept answering, "Yes, come in!"

At last the Water rose so high that the Sun and the Moon had to climb up onto the roof to stay above it. And even then the Water kept coming, lapping higher and higher, until there was no room left at all.

The Sun and the Moon looked at each other. There was nowhere on earth left for them to stand. So up, up they climbed — out of the flooded house and up into the sky itself, where the Water could not follow.

Where They Live to This Day

And there, high in the sky, the Sun and the Moon have lived ever since. From their new home they can look down on the whole wide earth, and on their friend the Water, gleaming far below.

To this very day, you can see the Sun shining brightly by day and the Moon glowing softly by night, both far up out of reach of the sea. They are happy enough up there — but they remember the day they learned that even the kindest invitation should be made with a little more care.

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The moral: It is good to be generous and welcoming, but think first about what you can truly make room for. A promise made in haste can fill your whole house before you know it.

Want more world folktales? Try How the Tortoise Got Its Shell or The Legend of the Northern Lights next.