In a land of perpetual night, where no moon or stars shone, three young travelers ventured forth. They discovered another kingdom where, each evening, a shining globe called the Moon was hung on an oak tree, illuminating the land. Learning it was bought and maintained by the mayor, they decided to steal it for their own dark homeland.
They successfully took the Moon, hung it on a tall oak at home, and brought light and joy to their people. The four men maintained it and collected a weekly fee. As each grew old and died, he willed a quarter of the Moon to be buried with him. Piece by piece, the Moon was cut and buried until darkness returned completely.
In the underworld, the buried pieces reunited. The revived dead, whose eyes could only bear the Moon's gentle light, resumed their lively—and often rowdy—former lives. The ensuing uproar reached heaven.
Saint Peter, mistaking the noise for a revolt, rode down to the underworld. He subdued the dead, ordered them back to their graves, reclaimed the Moon, and hung it permanently in the sky.