The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Elune

This article is a copy of "The Warcraft Encyclopedia," an official article by Blizzard Entertainment. It presented information about a variety of things in the Warcraft universe. The original article, formerly located at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/encyclopedia/index.xml, did not survive the overhaul of the World of Warcraft Official Website.

Also known as: the Mother Moon, the Night Warrior, Mu'sha (term specific to tauren)

One of Azeroth's few full deities, Elune is the goddess of the moon.

Facets of the Goddess
Strongly associated with healing, peace, and tolerance, Elune has been revered by the night elves and other races since ancient times. However, the Mother Moon is not a goddess who advocates peace at all costs. Indeed, one of Elune's aspects since ancient times has been the Night Warrior, who is said to take the valiant dead from the battlefield and set them riding across the evening sky as stars.

Long before the Great Sundering, an order of priests had dedicated itself to Elune's service. The highest echelon of this order is known as the Sisters of Elune, and as the name implies, membership in this echelon is open only to women. Their battle chants can call down Elune's wrath to smite an enemy, and their prayers can heal even the gravely wounded.

Beyond Divinity: Woman and Mother
Elune has never been observed in physical form on Azeroth. Indeed, she is as much a collection of ideals as she is a personality in her own right. A powerful and spiritual deity, she is fundamentally an incorporeal being. Nevertheless, she is often depicted as a beautiful night elf woman crowned with a simple platinum circlet and surrounded by dazzling luminescence. Artists also traditionally portray her with long, white hair, alabaster skin, and eyes of pure moonlight.

To the best of anyone's knowledge, Elune has only had one lover: the demigod Malorne. Together they conceived a child, Cenarius, who possessed a powerful combination of his mother's love for the creatures of Azeroth and his father's connection to the Emerald Dream. The tauren have a myth that purportedly relates the story of Cenarius' conception.

Rumors persist to this day on Azeroth that Ysera the Dreamer is the actual mother of Cenarius. The rumors are not true, though the close relationship that has been observed between Ysera and Cenarius has certainly led to some confusion.