Plutarch · c. AD 46-after 119
On the Face in the Moon
Περὶ τοῦ ἐμφαινομένου προσώπου τῷ κύκλῳ τῆς σελήνηςOn the Face in the Moon (De facie in orbe lunae) is a dialogue, reported by Lamprias, on the face that can be seen in the moon's disc. Lamprias, Lucius, Pharnaces the Stoic, Apollonides the mathematician, Theon and Sylla debate whether it is an optical illusion, a reflection of the ocean, or a mixture of air and fire, and Lucius defends the view that the moon is an earth-like body with mountains and hollows. The dialogue closes with Sylla's myth of Ogygia, of the sleeping Cronus, and of the moon as the home of souls and daemons after death, in which Persephone rules the moon, souls are separated from the intellect, and daemons descend to Delphi and the oracles.
Contents · 12 passages
- 1–4Why the face in the moon is not an optical illusion or the ocean's reflection1240 words
- 5–7The Stoic view of Pharnaces; the Academy's reply2204 words
- 8–11The moon as earth: the middle of the universe and the distances of the heavens1508 words
- 12–15Natural and unnatural places: providence and the world as a living being1825 words
- 16–18Lucius: the moon is not a pure heavenly body; the half-moon objection2229 words
- 19–20Eclipses of the sun and the moon; the shape of the earth's shadow1882 words
- 21–22Pharnaces and Apollonides object; the size of the moon's spots1843 words
- 23–24Reflection and the light of the moon; the question of inhabitants1692 words
- 25Lamprias: the moon need not be uninhabited, or made in vain1875 words
- 26Sylla's story: Ogygia, Cronus asleep and the Greeks of the far continent1243 words
- 27–28Demeter and Persephone; man as body, soul and mind1052 words
- 29–30The moon as the home of souls; the daemons of the moon and Delphi1528 words
More by Plutarch
English translation by A. G. (1874). Original text: William W. Goodwin (ed.), Plutarch's Morals, translated from the Greek by several hands, vol. 5, Boston: Little, Brown and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874 (Greek text: Gregorius N. Bernardakis, Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, vol. 5, Leipzig: Teubner, 1893, as digitised by Perseus).
Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library); translation public domain. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.
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