The full moon has long had an aura and mystery that has made it an integral part of humanity’s myths and legends. Such is the case of Sisters of the Moon, where the lunar cycles and their power have sway over the women who live in the convent of St. Gertrude. 

The moon is tied to the ever-changing cycle of women’s’ bodies. This may be why witches believed that magic is supposedly at its most powerful during the full moon, and since many women were associated with witchcraft and healing, the moon became their symbol. 

The beginnings of giving the moon a female essence go back to the ancients when Luna in Latin and Selene in Greek, both female names and deities in the Roman and Greek pantheons, were attributed to the moon. The Incas in South America have a myth where a brother and sister, the moon maiden, and the sun man are the ancestors of their people. Native Americans share similar folklore where the woman’s role is portrayed as dark and influenced by the moon’s cycles. The sun is considered masculine because of its life-giving power and endurance Sol in Latin and Sunne in Old English and is deemed masculine by astronomers. Many mythologies have male solar deities–the Greek god Apollo, the Roman god Sol, the Mesopotamian god Utu, and the Egyptian god Ra. It would seem women remained in the shadows of the sun even among the gods.