Princess Luna is a fictional character who appears in the fourth incarnation of

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herma ...

's ''

My Little Pony ''My Little Pony'' (''MLP'') is a toy line and media franchise developed by American toy company Hasbro. The first toys were developed by Bonnie Zacherle, Charles Muenchinger, and Steve D'Aguanno, and were produced in 1981. The ponies feature ...

'' toyline and

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, o ...

, beginning with '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' (2010–2019). She serves as the co-ruler of

Equestria Equestria () is a fictional kingdom and the main setting of My Little Pony (2010 toyline), the fourth and My Little Pony: A New Generation, fifth generations of the My Little Pony toy line and media franchise, including the Animated series, ...

alongside her older sister

Princess Celestia Princess Celestia is a fictional character who appears in the fourth incarnation of Hasbro's ''My Little Pony'' toyline and media franchise, beginning with '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' (2010–2019). She serves as the benevolent ru ...

. She is voiced by Tabitha St. Germain, who also voices Rarity. Princess Luna is depicted as a wise but initially troubled

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

alicorn who is responsible for raising the

moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

, and has the ability to enter and manipulate the dream realm. She is characterized by her dark blue coat, flowing ethereal mane that sparkles with stars, her tall stature, and her silver

regalia Regalia ( ) is the set of emblems, symbols, or paraphernalia indicative of royal status, as well as rights, prerogatives and privileges enjoyed by a sovereign, regardless of title. The word originally referred to the elaborate formal dress and ...

including a

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

and ornate

necklace A necklace is an article of jewellery that is worn around the neck. Necklaces may have been one of the earliest types of adornment worn by humans. They often serve ceremonial, religious, magical, or funerary purposes and are also used as sy ...

. Her

cutie mark A cutie mark is a symbol that appears on the Equine anatomy#External anatomy, flanks of ponies in the ''My Little Pony'' franchise, most prominently featured in the television series ''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic''. Each cutie mark repres ...

depicts a crescent moon.

Appearances

Fourth ''My Little Pony'' incarnation (2010–2021)

''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic''

A thousand years ago, Princess Luna once ruled alongside her older sister Princess Celestia, but her jealousy over ponies sleeping through the night and not appreciating her work led to her transformation into Nightmare Moon, which forced Celestia to banish her to the moon using the

Elements of Harmony The Elements of Harmony are six magical artifacts representing fundamental virtues of friendship in the television series ''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic''. Each element embodies a specific virtue: honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, ...

. Nightmare Moon first appears in the

series premiere A series premiere is the first aired installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. In the United States, many series premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or ...

, having returned from her banishment to plunge

into eternal night. After being defeated by

Twilight Sparkle Princess Twilight Sparkle is a fictional character who appears in the fourth incarnation of Hasbro's ''My Little Pony'' toyline and media franchise, beginning with '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' (2010–2019), and later in the fra ...

and her friends using the Elements of Harmony, she is restored to her original form as Luna and tearfully reunites with Celestia, who welcomes her back with forgiveness and love. Throughout the early seasons, Luna struggles to adapt to modern

n society after her long absence, initially speaking in an archaic, formal manner using the royal ''we'' and a powerful voice that frightens other ponies. The episode "

Luna Eclipsed "Luna Eclipsed" is the fourth episode of the second season of the animated television series '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic''. The episode was written by M.A. Larson. It originally aired on The Hub on October 22, 2011. In this episode, Pr ...

" focuses on her attempts to connect with ponies during Nightmare Night (Equestria's equivalent of

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

), where she learns to overcome ponies' fear of her Nightmare Moon persona. D As the series progresses, Luna develops her role of protecting the dream realm, often entering ponies' nightmares to help them overcome their fears. In the

series finale A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, ...

, she retires from her royal duties along with Celestia, passing their responsibilities to Twilight.

''My Little Pony: The Movie''

Princess Luna appears at the beginning of the film alongside Celestia and Cadance, preparing for the Friendship Festival in Canterlot. When the Storm King's forces, led by

Tempest Shadow This is a list of characters from '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'', an animated television series based on the My Little Pony toyline created by American toy manufacturer and multimedia company Hasbro. The series features characters ...

, attack Canterlot, Luna attempts to defend the city but is turned to stone by Tempest’s obsidian orbs. She remains petrified for most of the film until the Storm King's defeat releases all the captured magic, restoring her and the other princesses to normal.

''My Little Pony: Pony Life''

Nightmare Moon appears in a stain glassed window in the second season episode "Magical Mare-story Tour."

Equestria Girls alternate version

Luna's human world counterpart, Vice Principal Luna appears as the firm but fair vice principal of Canterlot High School with her older sister Principal Celestia as the school's principal.

Development

Author Mary Jane Begin wrote that "Princess Luna's coloration is an essential part of her overall design, reflecting her role as the pony who rules the night." She also wrote that "Nightmare Moon's overall body shape, wing design, and coloration reflect her more sinister demeanor."

Reception and analysis

In his 2014 article ''Reconsidering religion and fandom'', history professor Andrew Crome wrote that

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

fans had drawn fan artwork which depicted

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

supporting a weeping Princess Luna with a juxtaposition of Luna's redemption from her evil Nightmare Moon persona and

Bible verse Chapter and verse divisions did not appear in the original texts of Jewish or Christian bibles; such divisions form part of the paratext of the Bible. Since the early 13th century, most copies and editions of the Bible have presented all but the ...

s communicating Christ's

forgiveness Forgiveness, in a psychology, psychological sense, is the intentional and voluntary process by which one who may have felt initially wronged, victimized, harmed, or hurt goes through a process of changing feelings and attitude regarding a given ...

. Researchers Christian Valiente and Xeno Rasmusson wrote in their 2015 article ''Bucking the Stereotypes'' that Princess Luna demonstrated the show's challenges to traditional

gender roles A gender role, or sex role, is a social norm deemed appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their gender or sex. Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of masculinity and femininity. The specifics regarding these gende ...

and depictions of female authority figures as one of "two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land." The researchers observed that even as the antagonist Nightmare Moon, Luna represented a powerful female villain, and that "return from her imprisonment serves as the driving force of the story arc." They concluded that Luna's dual role illustrated how female characters play the roles of the heroes as well as the villains in what they described as the show's "truly female-oriented society." In her 2015 essay ''Everypony Has a Story'', author Priscilla Hobbs compared the sun-moon dichotomy between Princess Celestia and Luna to ancient concepts of duality like the

yin and yang Originating in Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (, ), also yinyang or yin-yang, is the concept of opposite cosmic principles or forces that interact, interconnect, and perpetuate each other. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary an ...

. Hobbs connected Luna's transformation into Nightmare Moon to

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

: Luna is "possessed by the nature of discord" despite having previously defeated

Discord Discord is an instant messaging and Voice over IP, VoIP social platform which allows communication through Voice over IP, voice calls, Videotelephony, video calls, text messaging, and digital media, media. Communication can be private or take ...

with her sister, drawing a parallel to

Hesiod Hesiod ( or ; ''Hēsíodos''; ) was an ancient Greece, Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer.M. L. West, ''Hesiod: Theogony'', Oxford University Press (1966), p. 40.Jasper Gr ...

's description of Eris as a force of

strife Strife may refer to: Mythology *Eris (mythology), in Greek mythology the goddess of discord, whose name means 'strife' *Bellona (goddess), Roman counterpart of Eris, and a war goddess *Enyalius, a son of Eris and god of strife * Tano Akora, god of ...

. In his 2018 article ''My Little Pony, Communalism and Feminist Politics'', media scholar Kevin Fletcher analyzed the backstory of Princess Celestia and Luna's defeat of Discord as "a feminist impulse," describing their actions as a form of

revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

where "the sisters fight against injustice and liberate the oppressed." Fletcher remarked that this backstory established Equestria as a matriarchal

diarchy Diarchy (from Greek , ''di-'', "double", and , ''-arkhía'', "ruled"),Occasionally spelled ''dyarchy'', as in the ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' article on the colonial British institution duarchy, or duumvirate. is a form of government charac ...

ruled by both princesses, which contrasted with Discord's previous autocratic kingship. Fletcher also examined Luna's role within the show's cosmic symbolism, observing that she and Celestia are part of a pattern where "three of the alicorns are linked to traditional images of planetary gods." He commented that Luna's responsibility for the moon represents her connection to natural forces, which he compared to Discord's disruption of these same cycles during his return to power. In a 2017 study of the ''Friendship Is Magic'' fan fiction community, researcher Sarah Evans examined discussions about Princess Luna's characterization within online writing groups. The study documented a case where fanfiction authors sought advice on writing Luna; community members provided various suggestions for her portrayal, including depicting her as out of touch with modern culture and technology, and debated the appropriate speech patterns for her character, with some clarifying that she spoke in

Early Modern English Early Modern English (sometimes abbreviated EModEFor example, or EMnE) or Early New English (ENE) is the stage of the English language from the beginning of the Tudor period to the English Interregnum and Restoration, or from the transit ...

rather than

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

. The researchers used this discussion as an example of how the ''My Little Pony'' fan fiction community engages in so-called "distributed mentoring". Carly Olsen, writing in ''

Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers. ...

'', ranked Princess Luna as the third most powerful magic user in ''Friendship Is Magic'', with her sister Princess Celestia ranked second and her

protégée Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

Twilight Sparkle ranked first.

In popular culture

Luna appears alongside Princess Celestia in the popular

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

series "Two Best Sisters Play", where they are portrayed as video game players. Luna is a popular character in merchandise and collectibles, with items like the ''Kotobukiya Bishoujo'' statue series featuring humanized versions of her character. In 2013, online store WeLoveFine sold

plush Plush (from French ) is a textile having a cut nap or pile the same as fustian or velvet. Its softness of feel gave rise to the adjective "plush" to describe something soft or luxurious, which was extended to describe luxury accommodation, ...

shoulder bags featuring Princess Luna. In 2019, Princess Luna appeared as one of three characters featured in a limited-edition '' Magic: The Gathering'' crossover set called ''Ponies: The Galloping'', released as part of a charity collaboration between

and

Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast LLC (WotC or Wizards) is an American game Publishing, publisher, most of which are based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science-fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail game stores. In 1999, toy ...

to benefit

Extra Life An extra life is a video game item that gives the player another life. Extra Life may also refer to: * Extra Life (fundraiser), a fundraising event * Extra Life (band), an experimental band from Brooklyn * '' Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter' ...

and

Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle Children's (previously Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center; previously Children's Orthopedic Hospital) is a children's hospital in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. The hospital specializes ...

. The silver-bordered trading card depicted both her Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon forms with artwork that blended the styles of ''Magic'' and ''My Little Pony''.

References

{{My Little Pony My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic characters Female characters in animated television series Fictional princesses Fictional unicorns Winged unicorns Fictional telekinetics Pegasi Animated characters introduced in 2010 Television characters introduced in 2010 Fictional characters with weather abilities