List of appearances of the Moon in fiction

The Moon has fascinated people for thousands of years, and it has appeared in many stories, artworks, and songs. In fiction, the Moon is often a symbol of mystery, change, or wonder. Writers and artists use the Moon to create magical settings, tell exciting tales, or share important ideas.

Many famous books, movies, and songs feature the Moon in important ways. For example, some stories show people traveling to the Moon, while others describe magical events that happen because of the Moon. The Moon in fiction shows up in many different kinds of stories, from adventures to myths.

Learning about how the Moon appears in fiction helps us understand how people imagine the night sky. It also shows us the creativity of writers, artists, and musicians who use the Moon to inspire their work. Whether it’s a tale of lunar explorers or a poem about moonlight, the Moon continues to capture our imagination.

Before the telescope was invented (–1608)

The Moon has inspired many stories and artworks long before telescopes were invented. In the 2nd century AD, the writer Lucian imagined adventures in his works Icaromenippus and True History, where people traveled to the Moon. Much later, in the 10th century, a Japanese folktale called The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter told of a beautiful princess who came from the Moon and lived on Earth before returning home.

One famous early story is from the Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto in his epic Orlando Furioso from 1516. In this tale, a knight named Astolfo flies to the Moon in a magical chariot to find lost items, including a hero’s lost sanity, which he brings back in a bottle. Another fun story, The Buried Moon, describes the Moon as a character who walks on Earth, gets trapped, and is saved by humans and a wise old woman.

From the first telescope to Apollo 11 (1608–1969)

The invention of the telescope helped people believe the Moon might be a place where humans could live and travel to one day. Many stories and poems from different times have imagined adventures on the Moon.

Some famous examples include Pan Twardowski, a magician from Polish stories who ended up living on the Moon. There’s also "The Galoshes of Fortune" by Hans Christian Andersen, where magic shoes take a man to the Moon. In science fiction, books like The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells imagined insect-like creatures living there, while From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne described early ideas about space travel. Movies such as Le Voyage dans la Lune from 1902 showed exciting, imaginative journeys to our nearest neighbor in space.

After Apollo 11 (1969–)

The Moon has inspired many stories across different forms of media since the late 1960s. In books, plays, music, TV shows, and movies, the Moon often plays a central role, whether as a setting for adventure, a symbol of human achievement, or a mysterious place with secrets.

In literature, the Moon appears in fantasy stories like Rabbit and the Moon, where a character journeys to the Moon, and in science fiction novels such as The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov, where a lunar settlement exists in the future. Films like Moon Zero Two imagine the Moon being colonized, while others, such as Flash Gordon, feature the Moon in dramatic scenarios. Television series like Star Trek explore life on a colonized Moon, and animated shows such as Sailor Moon incorporate lunar themes into their storytelling. Video games also use the Moon as a setting, from exploration in Destiny to action-packed adventures in Super Mario Odyssey.