The myth of the moon goddess - Cynthia Fay Davis

Dig into the Maya myth of the moon goddess, Ix Chel, and follow her story as she falls in— and out of— love with the sun god.

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The sun god was in love with the moon goddess, Ix Chel. But the goddess’ grandfather was very possessive, and would not let the sun god anywhere near his beloved granddaughter. Desperate to be together, they escaped and were ready to light up the sky with their powerful rays. Unfortunately, their love story doesn’t end happily ever after. Cynthia Fay Davis details the Maya myth of Ix Chel.

Lesson by Cynthia Fay Davis, directed by The Animation Project.

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Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Liz, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman, Karen Warner, Isorn Sookwanish, Iryna Panasiuk, Diane Gallin, Aaron Torres, Vasundhar, Eric Braun, Denka Wee, Sonja Worzewski, Amy, Michael Clement, Ghaith Tarawneh, Nathan Milford, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman, Kurt Paolo Sevillano, Ron Kakar, Jennifer Heald, Megulo Abebe, TAO7CADENCE, Olympia Buckingham, isolwi, Vedasheersh, Michael Chang, Waqar Sheikh, Irene Y., Kate Sem, VPpurplebelt, Ujjwal Dasu, Angel Alberici, Minh Quan Dinh, Sylvain, JasonD, Terran Gimpel, Talia Sari, Katie McDowell, Allen, Sarat Chandra Vegunta, Mahina Knuckles, Charmaine Hanson, Thawsitt, Jezabel, Abdullah Abdulaziz and Adriano Fontes.

[TheMcKenzieHaus]

Imagine thousands of years ago, Mayan parents telling this story to their daughters as a warning to never go back to an abuser. That’s so wild.

[Marsfi]

Ladies, don't get back with your abusers. It doesn't matter how much they beg, cry and swear they have changed. I know it's mithology but it does happen way too often in real life. By the way, I'm from El Salvador, one of the countries inhabited by Mayas and so nice to see these stories on TED! Keep up the good work!

[themicoism]

What I love about moon myths is that they always portray the sun and moon as lovers that eventually hated each other.

[Catatonica]

I feel so bad for the vulture king, like, imagine if your new wife that you love and cherish just disappears one day and you never see her again

[ThitutUhthalye]

This has to be of the most “human” of all the gods’ relation I’ve ever heard of.

[snakecharmer]

The art style and graphics of this video are so beautiful! Good to see more Mesoamerican myths!

[sarahcunha]

"Hey grandpa, can I have that bird?"
"Yeah sure just gimme a sec" *Hits it with a blow dart*
"NONO NOT LIKE THAT"

[masodemic]

Let's also give props to the Mayans for depicting the god of VULTURES as kind and fun-loving. Vultures are crucial to our ecosystem and it's thanks to them that the Earth isn't littered with rotting carcasses.

[hunnitbaehunnitbae]

How Ixchel's light was dimmed reminds me of the story of Mayari and Apolaki, the Filipino deities of the moon and sun respectively. In this version of the myth, the siblings fought over who would rule the sky. Apolaki struck Mayari so hard that one of her eyes popped out, dimming her light. Regretting what he did, Apolaki agreed to rule the sky with his sister.

[xillegal_alienx]

YES! ANOTHER MESOAMERICAN MYTH VIDEO! as an Indigenous Mexican, I Always Love these. The Animation, Art and Colors are Absolutely Beautiful! Thank You for making this TED-Ed! Beautiful Work as Always!

[ArtemisiaTodd]

The art style is fabulous and the voice is so clear and nice! A wonderful job as always!!

[enki_guate]

As a boy grown up in Guatemala, a country that is heir of Mayan culture, listeting to this Mayan story about Ixchel is just gorgeos amd amazing. Thank you for remind us what wonderful myths are, cos they are as mirrors for our ancestors cultural and way to see life.

[pixeldragon]

So beautiful, the story, the animation, Ixchel herself, everything. What a wonderful post for national women’s day! I love hearing mesoamerican myths, thank you Ted Ed

[Elena-lymy]

Ix Chel is easily one of my favorite goddesses, and has been since I was a kid.
There's an important bit that this retelling left out! In addition to typical 'moon goddess' stuff (being a goddess of healing, and fertility) Ix Chel is also supposed to be a fierce defender of women. Those who are dealing with an abusive spouse/partner are supposed to be able to turn to her for protection, and she defends women and children with an unwavering fierceness.
Absolutely, indescribably pleased to see her story here!!! I love it when you guys post myths from Mesoamerica!

[l.n.]

Great art, great morals, and great lessons to learn from this mythology. At the start, I was wondering if it would turn out nicely, given that it seemed like a much nicer version of the Zeus and Hera story (where Zeus transformed himself into a bird to trick Hera into falling in love with him). But it's actually a great moral cautionary tale about how you shouldn't get back together with an abuser. I wasn't expecting such an important lesson in this myth but I was pleasantly surprised!

[Letiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii]

4:12 its a small detail, but I appreciate the animators giving Ix Chel a nose thats more common with indigenous people! her side profile is very lovely~ my big nose and i thank you 😊😂❤

[matthewstanulet]

“My first girlfriend turned into the moon” -Sokka

[tekuaniaakab]

Love the detail of her holding the rabbit of the moon. Great work as always.

[shiwalikaushal]

"Mom why moon comes only at night? "
Mom: i have just the right story for that

[paa]

As someone who's partly Mayan, its amazing to see stories from my culture on the internet! Thank you ted ed!!