Moon Made of Cheese?

Oh yes! There are many stories about the moon being made of cheese! Is there any truth to this and, if not, where did the story come from?

Interesting Stories enlightens us:

“Today, the idea of the moon being made of cheese is a deeply -embedded fanciful trope appearing in everything from children’s books to B-movies to tasty snacks.  It’s central to the premise of the Wallace and Gromit cartoon “A Grand Day Out”. But where did this cutesy reference to the moon’s appearance come from?

There’s no evidence of a widespread historical belief that the moon was actually made of cheese. Its origins lie in various folktales passed down in many cultures’ oral traditions.

In some, a fox tricks a wolf into believing the reflection of the moon in a well is cheese, which convinces him to dive in. In others, it’s a human simpleton who dives into the well. The Aarne-Thompson Index, a folktale classification system, even has specific listings for “the Wolf Dives Into the Water to Eat Reflected Cheese” (34) and “Diving for Cheese” (1336). Variations of these myths appear all over the world, from the Zulu Kingdom to the Scottish Highlands. Typically, the person or creature thinking the moon is cheese is the butt of the joke.

“The Moon Is Made of Green Cheese” (referring to the freshness to of the cheese, not its color) evolved into a figure of speech describing an easily duped person (think “I have a bridge to sell you”) as early as 1546, when it appeared in a proverb by English writer John Heywood. The trope remained incredibly common for centuries to come. 

The term has also been used as a variation of “when pigs fly,” as in German playwright Bertolt Brecht’s play Good Person of Szechwan. 

Well, we realize that there have always been “stories” down through the years! No different now!

We trust your week is full of joy, abundant joy!