Once upon a time, in a small fishing village, there was a young man who owned a small rowboat. He was a good fisherman and every day he would head out to sea, cast his net and return by evening, with what he had caught to sell in the market.
However, every time he would return to shore, there was no one to greet him. No fair maiden to call his own, for none desired to be the wife of a fisherman with such a small boat. No matter what he tried, how many fish he could catch and bring back, it never earned enough riches to catch the eye of a woman to make his wife.
One year, the fishing turned terrible. No matter how everyone tried, there was no fish to be had. Even the good fisherman had no luck catching what he needed. Now, the village started to starve, for the crops would not grow in winter and without the fish, there was little to eat. The young fisherman had a good heart and he could not watch the village starve. Thus, the man waited until the next full moon to ask it for a favour.
"Dear moon." He said. "My village starves and I need fish in my net. Can you show me where they hide?" The moon thought on this for long and finally agreed. "Very well, fisherman." The moon said. "I shall show you where the fish hide. In exchange, I ask that you care for my daughter. She is lonely and wishes to live with the mortals, grant me this and I will aid you." The man was confused by this, but agreed.
That night the man set out on his boat and as promised, the moon lit up the waters far from the shore where he'd usually fish. This night, however, it wasn't just fish that got caught.
In his net, there was a beautiful woman. Her skin as pale as the moonlight, her hair woven from gold, eyes a deep ocean blue and a voice so fair that any songbird would be green of envy.
The fisherman was shocked, but he knew who this was. The daughter of the moon he had promised to care for. With a boat full of fish and the lovely woman at his side, the man returned and come morning, the whole village gathered and praised his haul. Indeed, the village was saved.
This continued for many years. Every night the moon would shine its light to where the fish hid, except during the new moon, when it would not show itself. Over time the man fell deeply in love with the maiden of the moon, and she - with him, then every night during the new moon, the two would head out to eat, dance and enjoy what the night would bring while the moon could not see.
But the fisherman was a good man and soon came the day that he travelled to the highest mountain, to ask the moon for the hand of the maiden he had fallen for. The moon refused. "She shall not wed a mortal man." The moon said. The fisherman, disappointed, made his way back home with the news. Neither were pleased with this.
And so the young pair decided to get married when the moon couldn't see and hid it well. Another year passed and the moon knew nothing.
It wasn't until the moon-maiden was with child that a seagull flew to the moon, to tell it what had happened. This angered the moon greatly and so he asked the seagull to fly to the end of the world and find a flower with two crowns to bring to the pair. The seagull did as he was asked.
"What is this flower?" The fisherman asked when the flower was given. "A flower for a fisherman and his wife." The seagull replied. "Split the flower and give one to your wife while you keep the other. The flowers will be forever linked and you shall feel each other's warmth while you are parted." This intrigued the fisherman, who accepted the gift and thanked the bird.
The fisherman split the flower in two and gave one half to his wife, the other he kept for himself. He continued his work, every night he would go to find the fish and every night the moon would show him the way. The flower bloomed each night and the two lovers could feel each other even while the fisherman was away.
One night the man went out, he gave his wife a kiss and his farewells before heading off to sea. It was only an hour later that it was time for the woman to give birth. It was a painful night, with the moon's face concealed behind heavy clouds.
The maiden of the moon was never meant to give birth to a child of a mortal. Out the child came, disfigured and wailing in pain. The mother, in tears, had no choice but to end its suffering.
The morning came and the fisherman hadn't returned. The daughter of the moon sought the shores of the sea and it was in the light of the sun that she could see that the flower had withered. She felt her heart tear from her chest, for the withered flower could only mean that her beloved husband had drowned and the salt of the ocean killed the flower. She could no longer feel his warmth. Without one half, the other did not survive.
The woman fell to her knees, she had lost two this dreadful night. Her husband and child. The grief was far too much to bear for the fragile maiden of the moon. In her grief she took to the sea where she had come from, never to be seen again.
There are sailors who say that on a moonless night you can hear her cries, grieving her child and husband far out at sea while her father cannot see her.
[Original story by the player of Gefjun]
