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Originally Posted by Rikae
why did Tolkien assign the gender of the sun and moon the way he did?
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In Myths Transformed, Tolkien states that the Moon had a more combative role - against the night - thus warranting, to some extent, a masculine presence. By and large, males do seem to take a more martial role:
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[The Moon] is to be a subsidiary light to mitigate night (as Melkor had made it), and also a 'vessel of watch and ward' to circle the world
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Moreover, Arien, as the brighter light, seems more fitting, seeing that Varda is the valie of the stars. It is an interesting coherence in gender symbolism.