In Māori mythology, Rona was a woman who went to fetch water from a stream one night. When clouds obscured the moon, she stumbled and cursed the moon god, Marama. Angered by her disrespect, Marama seized Rona along with her water gourd and ngaio tree, pulling them up to the moon. To this day, Māori people say you can see Rona on the moon's surface, still clutching her gourd and tree. This story taught respect for the celestial bodies and explained the moon's markings, while also serving as a cautionary tale about showing reverence to the natural world.

Chang'e was the beautiful wife of the archer Hou Yi, who had saved Earth by shooting down nine of ten suns. As a reward, he received an elixir of immortality. However, Chang'e drank the elixir to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands and floated to the moon, where she has lived ever since in the Moon Palace with only a jade rabbit for company. The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates her story, and Chinese people look to the moon remembering themes of sacrifice, love, and immortality. Her tale represents the eternal connection between Earth and the celestial realm.

In Inuit mythology, Malina is the Sun goddess and Anningan is the Moon god—and they are sister and brother locked in an eternal chase across the sky. After a conflict during a celebration, Malina fled and became the Sun, while Anningan pursued her and became the Moon. He chases her across the sky but can never catch her. During his pursuit, Anningan forgets to eat, growing thinner and thinner (the waning moon), until he must stop to hunt and eat (the new moon), then the chase begins again. This story beautifully explains the lunar phases and the relationship between the sun and moon in the Arctic's extreme day-night cycles.