The Moon and Moonlight

The Moon and Moonlight (or in original Zeribian: Ximret ugrišmit i gem 'Moonlight and the eyes that he set') is a Zeribian love story.

Summary

Ximret 'Moonlight' was a middle class Zeribian man, who fell desperately in love with a handsome nobleman He was following him just to get a glimpse of him, and finally managed to get employed in his house. One day he was caught watching him while he was taking a bath, and was accused by the nobleman's House for offending his purity. He was sentenced to death on a stake, where he was left hanging for the night. But then the moon rose, and Haššiw the god of the Moon saw him, and taking pity on him, they released him and carried him away on their moon ship.

Variations

The name of the nobleman varies between the tellings of the story. One popular variation is, that the nobleman was actually Haššiw the god of the Moon in disguise, but they were unable to reveal themself and save their lover before the night came.
There is also a lot of variation about the relationship between the two men. In some tellings the love is one-sided, while in some versions the men have a long relationship before getting caught. The latter is more popular among the middle-class, for whom the homosexual relationships are less of a taboo.

Motivation of the story

On the other hand the story can be read as a warning against the taboo homosexual relationships, and inter-class relationships between the nobles and the commoners, that can lead into serious troubles. On the other hand, taken into account that Ximret the Impaled has become a popular demigod known to give good luck in the love affairs, the story can be read as an example of pure love that doesn't care about the safety or the rules of the society.

by pixabay

A statue of Ximret in his temple in Dergun (Portsmouth).