The Moon is made of green cheese
Encyclopedia
"The Moon is made of green cheese" is a statement referring to a fanciful belief that the Moon
is composed of cheese
. In its original formulation as a proverb
and metaphor for credulity with roots in fable, this refers to the perception of a simpleton
who sees a reflection of the Moon in water and mistakes it for a round cheese wheel. It is widespread as a folkloric motif
among many of the world's cultures, and the notion has also found its way into both children's folklore and into modern popular culture.
The phrase "green cheese
" in this proverb simply refers to a young cheese (indeed, sometimes "cream cheese
" is used), though modern people may interpret the color reference literally.
There was never an actual historical popular belief that the moon is made of green cheese (cp. the Myth of the Flat Earth
). Indeed, it was typically used as an example of extreme credulity
.
in diverse countries that concern a simpleton
who sees a reflection of the Moon and mistakes it for a round cheese:
This folkloric motif
is first recorded in literature during the High Middle Ages with the French rabbi Rashi
, who attributes it to the Talmud
ic era Rabbi Meir
; this may reflect the well-known beast fable
tradition of French folklore
or an obscure such tradition in Jewish folklore
; Rashi's version already includes the fox, the wolf, the well
and the Moon that are seen in later versions. The Iraqi rabbi Hai Gaon
also attributed a tale sharing elements of Rashi's story to Rabbi Meir. Petrus Alphonsi
, a Spanish Jewish convert to Christianity, popularized this tale in Europe in his collection Disciplina Clericalis.
One of the facets of this morphoplogy is grouped as "The Wolf Dives into the Water for Reflected Cheese" (Type 34) of the Aarne–Thompson classification of folktales, in the section devoted to tales of The Clever Fox. It can also be grouped as "The Moon in the Well" (Type 1335A), in the section devoted to Stories about a Fool
.
A variation featuring Reynard
the Fox appeared soon after Petrus Alphonsi in the French classic Le Roman de Renart (as "Renart et Ysengrin dans le puits" in Branch IV); the moon/cheese element is absent, but such a version is alluded to in another part of the collection. This was the first Reynard tale to be adapted into English (as "The Fox and the Wolf"), preceding Chaucer's "The Nun's Priest's Tale" and the much later work of William Caxton
.
claimed "the moon is made of a greene cheese." (Greene may refer here not to the color, as many now think, but to being new or unaged.) A common variation is "to make one believe the Moon is made of green cheese" (i.e., to hoax).
In French, there is the proverb "Il veut prendre la lune avec les dents" ("He wants to grab the moon in his teeth"), alluded to in Rabelais.
The characterization is also common in stories of gothamites
, including the Moonrakers
of Wiltshire.
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
is composed of cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
. In its original formulation as a proverb
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
and metaphor for credulity with roots in fable, this refers to the perception of a simpleton
Simpleton (folklore)
In folklore, a simpleton is a person whose foolish actions are the subject of often-repeated stories. Simpletons are also known as noodles, fools, and gothamites. Folklore often holds, with no basis in fact, that certain towns or countries are thought to be home to large numbers of simpletons...
who sees a reflection of the Moon in water and mistakes it for a round cheese wheel. It is widespread as a folkloric motif
Morphology (folkloristics)
Morphology, broadly, is the study of form or structure. Folkloristic morphology, then, is the study of the structure of folklore and fairy tales....
among many of the world's cultures, and the notion has also found its way into both children's folklore and into modern popular culture.
The phrase "green cheese
Green cheese
Green cheese is a name applied to several varieties of cheese that are green in colour. The term was first used in English to mean fresh cheese, not thoroughly dried. The Oxford English Dictionary gives a reference from the year 1542 of the four sorts of cheese...
" in this proverb simply refers to a young cheese (indeed, sometimes "cream cheese
Cream cheese
Cream cheese is a soft, mild-tasting, white cheese with a high fat content. Traditionally, it is made from unskimmed milk enriched with additional cream....
" is used), though modern people may interpret the color reference literally.
There was never an actual historical popular belief that the moon is made of green cheese (cp. the Myth of the Flat Earth
Myth of the Flat Earth
The myth of the Flat Earth is the modern misconception that the prevailing cosmological view during the Middle Ages saw the Earth as flat, instead of spherical....
). Indeed, it was typically used as an example of extreme credulity
Credulity
Credulity is a state of willingness to believe in one or many people or things in the absence of reasonable proof or knowledge.Credulity is not simply belief in something that may be false. The subject of the belief may even be correct, but a credulous person will believe it without good...
.
Fable
There exists a family of stories in comparative mythologyComparative mythology
Comparative mythology is the comparison of myths from different cultures in an attempt to identify shared themes and characteristics. Comparative mythology has served a variety of academic purposes...
in diverse countries that concern a simpleton
Simpleton (folklore)
In folklore, a simpleton is a person whose foolish actions are the subject of often-repeated stories. Simpletons are also known as noodles, fools, and gothamites. Folklore often holds, with no basis in fact, that certain towns or countries are thought to be home to large numbers of simpletons...
who sees a reflection of the Moon and mistakes it for a round cheese:
This folkloric motif
Morphology (folkloristics)
Morphology, broadly, is the study of form or structure. Folkloristic morphology, then, is the study of the structure of folklore and fairy tales....
is first recorded in literature during the High Middle Ages with the French rabbi Rashi
Rashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
, who attributes it to the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic era Rabbi Meir
Rabbi Meir
Rabbi Meir or Rabbi Meir Baal Hanes was a Jewish sage who lived in the time of the Mishna. He was considered one of the greatest of the Tannaim of the fourth generation . According to legend , his father was a descendant of the Roman Emperor Nero who had converted to Judaism. His wife Bruriah is...
; this may reflect the well-known beast fable
Beast fable
The beast fable or beast epic, usually a short story or poem in which animals talk, is a traditional form of allegorical writing. It is a type of fable in which human behaviour and weaknesses are subject to scrutiny by reflection into the animal kingdom....
tradition of French folklore
French folklore
French folklore encompasses the fables, folklore and fairy tales and legends of the Gauls, Franks, Normans, Bretons, Occitans, and other peoples living in France.-Folklore from the Middle Ages:...
or an obscure such tradition in Jewish folklore
Jewish mythology
Jewish mythology is generally the sacred and traditional narratives that help explain and symbolize the Jewish religion, whereas Jewish folklore consists of the folk tales and legends that existed in the general Jewish culture. There is very little early folklore distinct from the aggadah literature...
; Rashi's version already includes the fox, the wolf, the well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
and the Moon that are seen in later versions. The Iraqi rabbi Hai Gaon
Hai Gaon
Hai ben Sherira , was a medieval Jewish theologian, rabbi and scholar who served as Gaon of the Talmudic academy of Pumbedita during the early 11th century. He was born in 939 and died on March 28, 1038...
also attributed a tale sharing elements of Rashi's story to Rabbi Meir. Petrus Alphonsi
Petrus Alphonsi
Petrus Alphonsi was a Jewish Spanish writer and astronomer, and polemicist, who converted to Christianity....
, a Spanish Jewish convert to Christianity, popularized this tale in Europe in his collection Disciplina Clericalis.
One of the facets of this morphoplogy is grouped as "The Wolf Dives into the Water for Reflected Cheese" (Type 34) of the Aarne–Thompson classification of folktales, in the section devoted to tales of The Clever Fox. It can also be grouped as "The Moon in the Well" (Type 1335A), in the section devoted to Stories about a Fool
Simpleton (folklore)
In folklore, a simpleton is a person whose foolish actions are the subject of often-repeated stories. Simpletons are also known as noodles, fools, and gothamites. Folklore often holds, with no basis in fact, that certain towns or countries are thought to be home to large numbers of simpletons...
.
A variation featuring Reynard
Reynard
Reynard is the subject of a literary cycle of allegorical French, Dutch, English, and German fables largely concerned with Reynard, an anthropomorphic red fox and trickster figure.-Etymology of the name:Theories about the origin of the name Reynard are:...
the Fox appeared soon after Petrus Alphonsi in the French classic Le Roman de Renart (as "Renart et Ysengrin dans le puits" in Branch IV); the moon/cheese element is absent, but such a version is alluded to in another part of the collection. This was the first Reynard tale to be adapted into English (as "The Fox and the Wolf"), preceding Chaucer's "The Nun's Priest's Tale" and the much later work of William Caxton
William Caxton
William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. As far as is known, he was the first English person to work as a printer and the first to introduce a printing press into England...
.
Proverb
"The Moon is made of green cheese" was one of the most popular proverbs in 16th and 17th century English literature, and it was also in use after this time. It likely originated in 1546, when The Proverbs of John HeywoodJohn Heywood
John Heywood was an English writer known for his plays, poems, and collection of proverbs. Although he is best known as a playwright, he was also active as a musician and composer, though no works survive.-Life:...
claimed "the moon is made of a greene cheese." (Greene may refer here not to the color, as many now think, but to being new or unaged.) A common variation is "to make one believe the Moon is made of green cheese" (i.e., to hoax).
In French, there is the proverb "Il veut prendre la lune avec les dents" ("He wants to grab the moon in his teeth"), alluded to in Rabelais.
The characterization is also common in stories of gothamites
Simpleton (folklore)
In folklore, a simpleton is a person whose foolish actions are the subject of often-repeated stories. Simpletons are also known as noodles, fools, and gothamites. Folklore often holds, with no basis in fact, that certain towns or countries are thought to be home to large numbers of simpletons...
, including the Moonrakers
Moonrakers
Moonrakers is the colloquial name for people from Wiltshire, a county of South West England in the West Country.-Legend:This refers to a folk story set in the time when smuggling was a significant industry in rural England, with Wiltshire lying on the smugglers' secret routes between the south...
of Wiltshire.
Children's folklore and popular culture
- A 1902 study of childloreChildloreChildlore is the folklore or folk culture of children and young people. It includes, for example, rhymes and games played in the school playground...
in the United States found that though most young children were unsure of the Moon's composition, that it was made of cheese was the single most common explanation. - In the 1967 episode of Tom and JerryTom and JerryTom and Jerry are the cat and mouse cartoon characters that were evolved starting in 1939.Tom and Jerry also may refer to:Cartoon works featuring the cat and mouse so named:* The Tom and Jerry Show...
, O-Solar MeowO-Solar MeowO-Solar Meow is a 1967 cartoon featuring Tom and Jerry. It was the first of three outer space-related shorts to be released in the Chuck Jones era...
, Jerry ends up enjoying himself on the Moon, which is shown to contain large quantities of cheese. - Retro NES video game DuckTalesDuckTales (video game)DuckTales is a video game based on the Disney animated TV series of the same name. It was first released in the United States for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Capcom in 1989. In this game, Scrooge McDuck travels around the world collecting treasures to become the world's richest duck. The...
by CapcomCapcomis a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
has Uncle Scrooge obtain a chunk of green cheese from the Moon. - In Nick Park's short animated film "A Grand Day OutA Grand Day OutA Grand Day Out is an award-nominated 1989 animated film directed and animated by Nick Park at Aardman Animations in Bristol. This was the first adventure featuring the eccentric inventor Wallace and his quiet but smart dog Gromit...
", Wallace and GromitWallace and GromitWallace and Gromit are the main characters in a series consisting of four British animated short films and a feature-length film by Nick Park of Aardman Animations...
build a lunar rocket to go on a cheese-centered holiday.- Wallace: "Everybody knows the moon's made of cheese."
- In the short tale by Kenneth Lans, "A 'Rounders' Story about the 'Green Cheese' Moon", the story revolves around the green cheese made by giant spiders which is transported to the moon by leaf-cutting ants. It is a clever story of how the earth was formed. By using a simple narrative, giant spiders, a greedy rat, an old wise turtle, jealous mountains, and the main character "green cheese", the readers are introduced to the mountains, and volcanic eruptions, rivers and tides, the desert and the moon and stars which form the earth.
- The Milky Way (1940 film) was an Academy Award winning animated cartoon short subject. As "three little kittens who lost their mittens" explore a dreamland, space is made up entirely of dairy products (e.g., the Milky WayMilky WayThe Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
is made of milk and the moon is made of cheese). - In the film A Grand Day OutA Grand Day OutA Grand Day Out is an award-nominated 1989 animated film directed and animated by Nick Park at Aardman Animations in Bristol. This was the first adventure featuring the eccentric inventor Wallace and his quiet but smart dog Gromit...
Wallace and Gromit spend a bank holiday by building a rocket to the Moon to sample some cheese. - British television Apollo 11 coverageBritish television Apollo 11 coverageBritish television coverage of Apollo 11, man's first mission to land on the moon, lasted from 16 to 24 July 1969 . All the then three UK channels BBC1, BBC2 and ITV provided extensive coverage...
had interludes entitled "But What if it's Made of Cheese." - On April 1, 2002, NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
"proved" that the moon was made of green cheese with an expiration (or "sell byShelf lifeShelf life is the length of time that food, drink, medicine, chemicals, and many other perishable items are given before they are considered unsuitable for sale, use, or consumption...
") dateSee using doctored pictures purportedly from the Hubble telescope. - At the Science Writers' conference, Theoretical physicist Sean M. CarrollSean M. CarrollSean Michael Carroll is a senior research associate in the Department of Physics at the California Institute of Technology. He is a theoretical cosmologist specializing in dark energy and general relativity...
explained why there was no need to "sample the moon to know it's not made of cheese.” He said the hypothesis is "absurdAbsurdityAn absurdity is a thing that is extremely unreasonable, so as to be foolish or not taken seriously, or the state of being so. "Absurd" is an adjective used to describe an absurdity, e.g., “this encyclopedia article is absurd”. It derives from the Latin absurdusm meaning "out of tune", hence...
", failing against our knowledge of the universe and, “This is not a proof, there is no metaphysical proof, like you can proof a statement in logic or math that the moon is not made of green cheese. But science nevertheless passes judgments on claims based on how well they fit in with the rest of our theoretical understanding.”This hypothetical debate essentially a straw man proposalStraw man proposalA "straw-man proposal", also known as an Aunt Sally, is a brainstormed simple proposal intended to generate discussion of its disadvantages and to provoke the generation of new and better proposals. Often, a straw man document will be prepared by one or two people prior to kicking off a larger...
or argument ignores completely the personal observation and collection of 382 kg (842 lb) of moon rockMoon rockMoon rock describes rock that formed on the Earth's moon. The term is also loosely applied to other lunar materials collected during the course of human exploration of the Moon.The rocks collected from the Moon are measured by radiometric dating techniques...
by Apollo program astronauts. - The myth has spawned an apochryphalApocryphaThe term apocrypha is used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", ancient Chinese "revealed texts and objects" and "Christian texts that are not canonical"....
recipe for the preparation of "Moon cheese" in MouseHunt.
See also
- Amalthea (moon)Amalthea (moon)Amalthea is the third moon of Jupiter in order of distance from the planet. It was discovered on September 9, 1892, by Edward Emerson Barnard and named after Amalthea, a nymph in Greek mythology. It is also known as '....
- Cheese Factories on the MoonCheese Factories on the MoonCheese Factories on the Moon: Why Earmarks are Good for American Democracy is a book by American political scientists Scott A. Frisch and Sean Q Kelly. The title of the book was inspired by a quote by conservative Republican and former Senator Phil Gramm, who said:The book focuses on congressional...
- Cromwell's ruleCromwell's ruleCromwell's rule, named by statistician Dennis Lindley, states that one should avoid using prior probabilities of 0 or 1, except when applied to statements that are logically true or false...
- DuckTales (video game)DuckTales (video game)DuckTales is a video game based on the Disney animated TV series of the same name. It was first released in the United States for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Capcom in 1989. In this game, Scrooge McDuck travels around the world collecting treasures to become the world's richest duck. The...
The Moon - Green Cheese of Longevity - Face valueFace valueThe Face value is the value of a coin, stamp or paper money, as printed on the coin, stamp or bill itself by the minting authority. While the face value usually refers to the true value of the coin, stamp or bill in question it can sometimes be largely symbolic, as is often the case with bullion...
- Google Maps In honor of the 36th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on ... It also included an easter egg, displaying a Swiss cheeseSwiss cheeseSwiss cheese is a generic name in North America for several related varieties of cheese which resemble the Swiss Emmental. Some types of Swiss cheese have a distinctive appearance, as the blocks of the cheese are riddled with holes known as "eyes". Swiss cheese has a piquant, but not very sharp,...
design on the moon's surface. - History of cheeseHistory of cheeseCheese is an ancient food whose origins, predating recorded history, must lie in the practice of transporting milk in bladders made of ruminants' stomachs, with their inherent supply of rennet. There is no conclusive evidence indicating where cheesemaking originated, either in Europe, Central Asia...
- Ipse dixitIpse dixitIpse dixit is a Latin phrase meaning he himself said it. The term labels a dogmatic statement asserted but not proved, to be accepted on faith in the speaker....
-- compare - James Pond 3: Operation StarfishJames Pond 3: Operation StarfishJames Pond 3: Operation Starfish is a 1993 video game for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. The game was also released for the Amiga and Amiga CD32 platforms, the Super Nintendo and the Sega Game Gear. Operation Starfish is the third and last game in the James Pond series...
- List of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy episodes (redirect from Major Cheese)
- List of Nitrome Limited game
- Little CheeseLittle CheeseLittle Cheese is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe, an anthropomorphic mouse. Chester Cheese is a superhero who lives on the otherdimensional world of Earth-C, an alternate Earth populated by sentient animals...
(real name Chester Cheese), fictional character in the DC comic, a type of cheese found on the moon by astronaut - Moon in fiction
- Montes PyrenaeusMontes PyrenaeusMontes Pyrenaeus is a mountain range on the Moon. The range begins at the southwestern rim of the flooded crater Gutenberg at the northern end and extends southward bordering the eastern edge of Mare Nectaris....
Mountain on he moon named for a French Cheese - Normative statementNormative statementIn economics, a normative statement expresses a value judgement about whether a situation is subjectively desirable or undesirable. "The world would be a better place if the moon were made of green cheese" is a normative statement because it expresses a judgement about what ought to be...
- O-Solar MeowO-Solar MeowO-Solar Meow is a 1967 cartoon featuring Tom and Jerry. It was the first of three outer space-related shorts to be released in the Chuck Jones era...
- On the MoonOn The MoonAnything Can Happen on the Moon is a British Flash-cartoon web series animated by Peter Murray Hill of Auriol Productions and available on the website Weebl's Stuff...
- Paradoxes of material implicationParadoxes of material implicationThe paradoxes of material implication are a group of formulas which are truths of classical logic, but which are intuitively problematic. One of these paradoxes is the paradox of entailment....
- Positive statementPositive statementIn economics and philosophy, a positive statement concerns what "is", "was", or "will be", and contains no indication of approval or disapproval...
- Prawn To Be WildPrawn To Be WildPrawn to be Wild is a 12-part point-and-click adventure game, sponsored by T-Mobile, which delves into the backstory of Jonti Picking's animated web series, On the Moon. Focusing on Moon character Insanity Prawn Boy, PTBW is set before the crustacean moves to the moon and reveals some of his...
- SkepticismSkepticismSkepticism has many definitions, but generally refers to any questioning attitude towards knowledge, facts, or opinions/beliefs stated as facts, or doubt regarding claims that are taken for granted elsewhere...
- United States presidential eligibility legislationUnited States presidential eligibility legislationSection 1 of Article Two of the United States Constitution sets forth the eligibility requirements for serving as President of the United States:-Obama-era initiatives:...