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Moon Phases Form Mirror-Image Pairs, With Haliax and a Luminous Woman as the Extremes

fringe symbolism · popularity 51 · 1 source thread

The eight lunar phases pair as inverted reflections, with a faceless shadow-man (Haliax) and a luminous woman as the new-moon and full-moon opposites.

About: The Moon, Haliax

Also involves: The Fae, Felurian, Aleph, Myr Tariniel

The theory§

Temerant's moon is pulled between the mortal world and the Fae, and the portion of it that appears 'missing' on any given night is not in shadow but physically present in the other world, across the looking-glass. This theory arranges the eight lunar phases as symmetrical mirror pairs, first quarter against third quarter, waxing crescent against waning gibbous, each phase seeing its inverted reflection in its opposite, much like particle and antiparticle. The new moon and full moon stand as the special extremes around which the whole story turns. They are read into Auri's dream-vision as the faceless hooded shadow-man, identified with Haliax, standing over a mirror and a span of moons, opposed by a luminous half-clothed woman taken as the personified full moon. The pairing motif is extended to Aleph's transformation of the angels, who are given paired wings of fire and shadow, iron and glass, stone and blood. Imagery on the Mauthen pot, which surrounds Haliax with the moon's phases, and the chapter 'Lanre Turned,' are drawn in to suggest the lunar cycle governs who controls Haliax.

Evidence§

  • Alright you see how each phase has a symmetrical pair? An opposite? Like 1st quarter and 3rd quarter complete each other to create a full moon. … Think of them as particle/antiparticle pairs.
    OP's core claim: lunar phases form symmetrical mirror/antiparticle pairs. — u/Smurphilicious
  • Because the dark part isn't just covered in shadow, in KKC the part of the moon that's missing is in the other world / reality. It's on the other side of the looking glass
    Mechanism: missing moon-portion is physically present in the Fae mirror-world. — u/Smurphilicious
  • he pulled the moon, but could not make her stay. so now she moves ’twixt mortal and the fae.
    Book quote (in post) grounding the moon's pull between mortal and Fae. — u/Smurphilicious
  • But the full moon and the new moon are the exception, and that's what the whole story revolves around. The new moon staring at his inverted reflection, the full moon.
    New moon and full moon are the special extreme pair the story turns on. — u/Smurphilicious
  • The voice came from a man who sat apart from the rest, wrapped in shadow at the edge of the fire. … shadow pooled around him like thick oil. … His symmetrical pair, his antiparticle, would be a luminous woman completely naked.
    Identifies shadow-man (Haliax/new moon) opposed by luminous woman (full moon). — u/Smurphilicious
  • There was one with no face, just a hood with nothing inside. There was a mirror by his feet and there was a bunch of moons over him. … And there was a woman…. … With some of her clothes off.
    Auri's dream-vision: faceless hooded man, mirror, moons, and a woman as evidence. — u/Smurphilicious
  • Wings of fire and shadow. Wings of iron and glass. Wings of stone and blood.
    Aleph's paired wings extend the pairing motif to the angels. — u/Smurphilicious
  • I think you're 100% right about Haliax having the luminous woman as an opposite. … I can't help but think that it is the personification of the moon. Maybe he is part of the "push/pull" of the moon between mortality and fae.
    Commenter affirms the Haliax/luminous-woman pairing and ties it to the moon's push/pull. — u/turnerz

Book refs: WMF

Tier reasoning§

tier unchanged; pattern-matching on symbolic imagery

Contributors§

Source threads§