The moon has been called beautiful names by different races and cultures. Not all planets have moons, and earth has just one. It is popular as Luna, a name drawn from the Roman goddess of the moon, who is also addressed as Diana. In Greek mythology, the moon has been represented by godly avatars of Phoebe and Artemis.
The celestial body is a part of several customs in India, and festivals are celebrated around its different phases. Most festivals, such as Holi, coincide with the full moon, while Diwali - the festival of lights - is celebrated on a new moon.
If I could rename the moon, I would name it Llygor. This word is derived from two words, Llŷr and Gora. While Llŷr is a Welsh deity for the sea, gora refers to white in the Hindi language.
I have always fantasised about the moon as more than just planet Earth’s satellite. We forget in our daily humdrum that it is the celestial body closest to the earth. Its proximity to our planet makes it look bigger and more readily viewed than other planets and stars that seem distant and barely conspicuous.
I look at the moon as a great white sea. I imagine it as a celestial body that might have been once alive with a huge sea sitting on it, bigger than the ones we have on earth. The craters on the face of the moon, which are visible from the earth, are called Maria, which is Latin for seas. The moon shots, available from the photographs taken by spaceships on different missions and by astronauts from space, give us a breathtaking view of its great white Icelandic landscape.
I like to believe that what extends from the North Pole to the South Pole on the moon is frozen water. To describe this great sea that lies frozen on a celestial object, I have chosen the Welsh word Llŷr. It is a beautiful word that describes a heavenly deity of the sea. The word has also been associated with the famous character of King Lear in the Shakespearean story by the same name.
The other word I have used to coin the new name for the moon is Gora. Since I am Indian and the moon is an intrinsic part of our culture, I have used this word that describes a white tone. When combined, Llŷr and Gora describe the moon as the White Sea that I imagine it to be. And, hence the name, Llygor.
