Sacred Symbol: Crescent moon cradled in cupped hands
Sacred Animal: The Rabbit
Colors: Light Blue, White and Silver
Sacred Weapon: Dagger
The youngest of the Astral Children is often referred to as the Mother of the Children. Nissa'Lune takes on the vital role of being the caretaker of the Children, and she is often depicted as a mother in divine glow. Artistic paintings of the goddess often define the features of Nissa'Lune that would further express her motherly, these images often include her having braided, long black hair and poses that seem to express love and attention. The goddess is also depicted wearing simple white robes, often adorned with gold stoles or with silverly jewelry. Bards across the land have a tendency to describe the goddess of the Moon as aloft, but always watching, not too overbearing and not to distant. Modern depictions of Nissa'Lune may also paint her as being much older and having two other forms, one younger and one as an adult woman. This idea is derived from the fact that she is a part of the Trinity Goddesses that watch over women. In actuality, the other two forms of these paintings are representations of the sister goddesses: Lyri'Lliah and Calust'Reah. These modern interpretations of the goddess define her a gentle old woman, wise with age and a sage mother of the family. Both of these are entirely artistic liberties. As the patron god of mothers, small statues of her, alongside her brother, Solis'Rae, are often found in households to symbolize safety and protection. Children will often go through bathing rituals to re-anoint the blessings of Nissa'Lune.
Nissa'Lune came forth as the last of the Astral deities, right after her older brother Solis'Rae, and their eldest sibling, Stell'Arya. The third child of Thana'Tomos and Aes'Thera took what little Light there was left in the Primal and made her Domain the soft glow of a disc that she would call the Moon. For this reason, she was given the Domain of the Night, also with ever changing celestial body that changes with her presence and absence. It is said that the reason the Moon changes phases has to do with the passing of Nissa'Lune into her healing waters every cycle. In the scriptures, she is described as having brought forth the waters of Lumis, so that she may dip into them and restore her essence. As the moon wanes and fades in the night sky, it is believed that the goddess descends into the depths of the Seas. There, she embraces her divine lover, Meri'Diana, goddess of the Seas.
Having Dominion over the realms of Night and the Moon also mean that during the turning of the Wheel, her domain stretches deeper into the hours of the day. This time of year is known as Winter, where the Night extends further and further and daylight sets earlier. The goddess of the Moon takes on the aspect of Frost Mother, and she dons a cloak of snow and cold. This narrative describes her as the goddess of Winter and Ice. Similar to her counterpart, Solis'Rae, this power she gains during the winter months gives her dominance over the Court of Winter. Her gentle embrace over the land envelopes all of life in a state of stasis and death. Some scholars believe that Thana'Tomos himself gave his daughter the task of inducing the long rest of life during the Winter months. The Winter Court concerns itself with rituals of passing, coming together as families, and ushering in the end of the Wheel, so that it may once again turn again into a new dawn of Light. These rituals and celebrations fall under a time of year, called Frostlight.
The ancient scriptures tell us that Nissa'Lune 'made women in her image.' It was the goddess of the moon that helped shape the first of the Children, and she took on the rule of First Mother. She would be the one to soothe the hearts of women and share of her enveloping embrace so that mothers may do the same with their children. It is this symbolic essence of the goddess found in notherhood that gave her dominion over the affairs of Women and Mothers. She is thought to play the central role in the Trinity of Women, as the one who guides the other two goddesses, Lyri'Lliah and Calust'Reah, in the rites of passages for women.
It is a popular practice of many places to depict Nissa'Lune as a watcher over those who seek protection, or those who seek to nurture others. This makes the moon goddess a popular figure of worship and reverence by many healers and midwifes who take oaths to mend and heal others. The tenants of the Moonbearers are an order of Healers who, like the great Nissa'Lune herself, travel the lands to help those in need of a warm fire to heal by. They take a sacred oath to aid and nurture the weak, and taken in the sacred 'Moonwater' to show their commitment and loyalty to the order.
Nissa'Lune has often been written about in new testaments as a goddess who believes that life's greatest passion should be to one another and to offer a home those that are in need and most vulnerable. She offers her hidden wisdoms to those who seek to be mentors and keepers. There are some scholars that argue the necessity for organizations dedicated to the moon goddess, because many of the temples of care under the watchful blessings of Nissa'Lune are essential to the welfare of individuals who have nowhere else to go. Some groups, for example, like the Midnight Mothers, perform a necessary service of traveling across the lands and cities at night. Though their methods may seem vigilant in nature, they watch over individuals who may be victims of crimes that are performed at night. They use the idea that the goddess of the moon watching over the night, guiding her chosen and shining light over those that try to hide in her shadows with malice in their hearts. They have been marked on many occasions as an extreme organization, taking the name and symbolism of Nissa'Lune in a questionable light.
As the Wheel turns, and days begin to wane, with frost enveloping the land, it marks the passing of HarvestHall and the coming of FrostLight. FrostLight, a celebration that is observed throughout the winter, celebrates the hard labor of the autumn, and prepares the realms for times of cold and celebrations of community, with promises of a new dawn as the Wheel ends and begins again. It's zenith takes place on the Winter Solstice, where the annual FrostLight Festival is held.
FrostLight Festival commemorates the last lights of life, many traditions of FrostLight involve the honoring of the dead and the gathering of families, homes and communities. The symbolic passing that Nissa'Lune watches over is represented by celebrations and feasts that families and towns hold by their shrines to the moon goddess or temples to Nissa'Lune. Some places may perform ceremonial baths within freezing lakes and bodies of waters, to cleanse themselves of the worries of the old days and embrace the cold promise of the moon goddess. They ceremoniously return to their families, who then welcome their cleansed membewrs back to the household for feasts by the warm fires. Many places throughout the realms celebrate FrostLight in different forms. Some rites of passages include the preserving of food and wines by many people, in order to endure the long winter with little reason to leave their warm homes. They take this time to make prayers to the god of Abundance, Eris'Neas, and for fruitful growths during the spring, by the god of the Wild, Cor'Neas. Those who are not long for this world, in some areas, may decide to go on journeys across the cold snow lands to seek the temples of Nissa'Lune. They do this because they desire to have their final resting days in the embrace of the mother goddess, before taking their last nights of rest. One celebration that is known through many regions involves the tradition of gift giving near or on the day of the Winter Solstice.
FrostLight is symbolic of enduring bonds, embracing love that is founded on resilience, and believing in a gentler idea of death and renewal. Weddings held during this time of year are often marked as moments of cementing a bond that has withstood many hardships. Funerals held during Frostlight often are solemn affairs, where the diseased are placed on vigils in the cold outside, so that loved ones may say their final goodbyes. Though these rituals may be sad, they also hold a seed of hope, as the Wheel ends and begins again, so too individuals pray for their loved ones to be reborn anew.
