Myth Notes #7 | The Moon: A Construct of the Gods?

“The moon we see today is the same one that once shone on the ancients,” wrote Li Bai, the most celebrated poet of China’s Tang dynasty (8th century CE). Reading this line now, I suddenly realized that Li Bai himself is already an ancient figure, 1,300 years gone. I wonder if, when he gazed at the moon, he too felt its mystery.

In Myth Notes #5 | Yi Shoots Down Nine Suns: The Collapse of Illusion and the First True Light, I proposed a bold idea: the moon might not be a natural celestial body. Instead, it could be the transformed remnant of a prehistoric Heavenly System — a Dyson-sphere-like shell that once covered Earth. After Yi shot down the suns, the gods dismantled this system, compressing it into what we now see as the moon, with mythic realms such as Kunlun Mountain sealed within.

Now, let’s examine the “strangeness” of the moon through historical records.

The Moon of Seven Treasures

One remarkable account appears in the Youyang Zazu, a Tang dynasty collection of tales (c. 854 CE) by Duan Chengshi. In one story, two travelers exploring Mount Song lose their way and stumble upon a man in white, asleep in the grass.

When questioned, the man explained:
“The moon is formed of seven treasures. Its surface is uneven, like a pill, and the…