Moon

The Moon in the outer space

The moon was Earth's only natural satellite, and the fifth largest natural satellite in the Solar System. The lunar phases were very useful and important in the merpeople world, and could be used to amplify and manipulate their inherent magical elemental powers and abilities. The moon shone so brightly in the night sky as it reflected light directly from the sun.

Once at every fifty years, all the planets of the Solar System occured to be in a perfect conjunction with the moon, which released great natural and mystical forces upon the Earth and its Moon Pools. There were at least three such planetary alignments before the return of the Comet Eva once at every one-hundred and fifty years.

An unknown precious gemstone can hold the power of the moon itself.

Lunar phases

New Moon

The new moon was the first phase of the lunar cycle, when the Moon and Sun had the same ecliptic longitude. At this phase, the lunar disk was not visible to the unaided eye, but its presence might be detected because it occulted stars behind it.

First Quarter Moon

In the lunar cycle, the first quarter moon phase occured halfway between the new moon and the full moon. During this lunar phase, the first quarter moon appeared like a half-illuminated circle. One side of the moon was illuminated, and the other half was shadowed.

Full Moon

Full Moon in the night sky

The full moon was the phase of the cycle when the Moon appeared fully illuminated from Earth's perspective, though there was still some dark spot when there was not a lunar eclipse. This occured when Earth was located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon differed by 180°). This meant that the lunar hemisphere facing Earth – the near side – was completely sunlit and appeared as a circular disk. The full moon occured roughly once a month. It is connected to the type of caves where the Moon Pools are located, including the Mako Island and the Sea Caves of Ireland, and the lunar phases could influence merpeople powers in a variety of different ways.

There is also a "Blue Moon" which is described as the second full Moon in any calendar month with two full moons

When a merperson looked at the Full Moon directly or in the reflection in any sort of liquids, they were bewitched by its mesmerizing gaze. They don't remember anything that happened while bewitched by the moon. Sometimes the Full Moon will make a merperson's powers go out of control or turn temporarily a mermaid into a Siren.

Last Quarter Moon

A last quarter moon, also known as a third quarter moon, rises around midnight and sets around noon. The Moon was nearly back to the point in its orbit where its dayside directly faced the Sun, and all that we see from our perspective was a thin curve.

Other lunar occurrences

There also existed various other lunar and celestial occurrences related to the moon in various ways that were able to affect a celebrant merperson in different ways.

Elemental Moon

The Elemental Moon

During a rare planetary alignment, the moon increased the water-affiliated powers of any human-metamorphosed-merperson that entered the waters of any active Moon Pool while the full moon was still up, granting them elemental and weather-related versions of their original inherent magical powers. They also received the powerful ability to alter and manipulate the various aspects of the state of weather to varying degrees, which was very common among the merpeople, either alone or together in numbers more than one.

It was once implied that the Elemental Moon was at least indirectly related to the planetary conjunction of Venus.

Lunar Eclipse

Partial Lunar Eclipse

When Earth was positioned precisely between the Moon and Sun, Earth's shadow fell upon the surface of the Moon, dimming it and sometimes turning the lunar surface a striking red over the course of a few hours. Each lunar eclipse was visible from half of Earth. During a partial Lunar Eclipse, any human-metamorphosed-merperson that entered the waters of any active Moon Pool while the Eclipse was still up were temporarily reverted back into their old human self once more, and stripped of their magical powers for the duration of a period of twelve hours. After this period, the Eclipse's effects on a bewitched merperson wore off on their own, and a bewitched's true merperson self, magical power, and connection to the specific Moon Pool were fully restored. It was unknown what the effect and difference between the partial and total Lunar Eclipse on a bewitched merperson was to result in.

In the animated counterpart, the Lunar Eclipse functioned differently. When a merperson briefly gazed at the Eclipse, their powers over the water were removed for a short period of time but their metamorphosis was not affected. After a few hours, the effects wore off on their own, and a bewitched's magical power were restored.

Moon of Fifty Years

The Moon of Fifty Years in 1957

Once at every fifty years, all the planets of the Solar System occured to be in a perfect conjunction with the moon, and it was known to create and release the great natural and mystical forces upon the Earth and its moon pools. During the Moon of Fifty Years, any human-metamorphosed-merperson that entered the waters of any Moon Pool in its active state while the Moon of Fifty Years was still up, were reverted back as a regular human being, and stripped of their magical powers permanently, which severed their connection to the specific Moon Pool of their metamorphosis, and it was still unknown if they were able to re-undergo their metamorphosis following their fate, though it was apparently uncommon and unlikely. There also existed a very potent and dangerous potion that amplified the power of the full moon to fifty, and could be used to replicate its effects on a bewitched merperson at other times.

As of 2007, the next Moon of Fifty Years was set to occur in 2057.

Seventh Lunar Cycle

Zac Blakely, a merman native from the Northern Pod completing his seventh lunar cycle since his true merman self and magical power were restored

During a seventh lunar cycle in the life of a new-born or a recently human-turned merman hatchling, it was believed that a fledgling merman's magical powers and connection to the specific Moon Pool that served as the source of their metamorphosis was to escalate to greater levels of strength than before. It was not known whether this cycle was truly cyclical, and could be repeated more than once in a fledgling's lifetime.

Creatures

There, in addition to it, existed some marine creatures, including a water dragon and the water tentacle, which awakened from their lunar hibernation-like cycle for the duration of a full moon, and targeted merpeople for different purposes. For example, a water dragon was bewitched and cursed to destroy the merkind race across the seas with its cold breath that turned any bewitched merperson into a human being permanently with no known cure, and the water tentacle was actually created from the waters of a moon pool to warn nearby merpeople of the impending danger of the Comet Eva when the latter re-entered into the Solar System once at every one-hundred and fifty years.

Locations

Moon Pool

An active Moon Pool at the heart of Mako.

During the full moon, any human being that entered the waters of any Moon Pool in its active state was to undergo their first metamorphosis into a merperson, and granted magical powers over water and the elements of the natural world. It was speculated that different moon pools across the globe were to give different water-affiliated and elemental abilities, such as the moon pool at the heart of Mako Island that served as the source of power for the Mako Pod, and the Irish moon pool found in a sea caves at the Irish coast.

During Full Moons, some fledgling mermaids are tasked by the Mermaid Council's elders of their respective pod to protect the Moon Pool from the natural reaction (also known as Metamorphosis) it has on land people when it is active.

Every merpeople also have a special connection with the moon, as they are linked with the Moon Pool that turned and bestowed Merpeople Powers upon them. After a land person undergo Metamorphosis in any active Moon Pool, the Full Moon will cause unexpected phenomenal effects on them (known as the Moon Spell) which is different every month due to lunar cycles and planetary alignments. However, once they learn to let the power flow through their bodies, the moon's power become easier to control afterwards, though it is said to still be very intense at times.

Merman Chamber

Zac Blakely in the Merman Chamber

There existed an ancient chamber at the heart of Mako Island that was constructed by Nerissa's merman ancestor during the war between mermaids and mermen. Its entrance only activated and opened at the time of the full moon, or when activated by any other suitable source of moonglight.

The chamber itself only activated at the time of the full moon, and if a merman descendant of the ancient kinder merman activated the chamber's magic with the Trident's central stone, they were able to siphon all of the island's Moon Pool's Moon Water, thus stripping the Mako Pod's source of magic, and killing its every mermaid member. However, since the Trident's stone was recently destroyed on April, 2014, the Chamber's threat was permanently neutralized, and it could no longer be accessed.

Trident Cave

Like the Merman Chamber, the entrance to the hidden cave near the volcano of Mako Island, where the ancient Trident was hidden eons ago during the war between mermaids and mermen, was only activated and opened at the time of the full moon, or when activated by any other suitable source of moonlight.

Magic

Merpeople were also known to utilize various phases of the lunar cuycle in their magical practices. For example, the Fifty Moons Potion was created by the members of the Northern Pod, and amplified the power of the full moon to fifty. In addition to it, a merperson was able to channel the power of the full moon or any other suitable source of moonlight in orde to cast the Legs Spell, and presumably the Tailless Spell. There also various mystical artifacts made of a pure gems that held the power of the moonlight, including the Moon Rings, the Trident, and the Jiao Long Bracelet.

Pre-Series

Sometime around 1955, three human girls; Louise Chatham, Gracie, and Julia traveled to the heart of Mako Island, and eventually went through their metamorphosis via entering the waters of Mako's Moon Pool in its active state when the full moon passed overhead.

Over two years later, sometime during 1957, the Moon of Fifty Years occurred, and Gracie, tired of her mermaid life, entered the waters of Mako's Moon Pool in its active state, and willingly removed her mermaid self and magical power permanently.

Over four decades later, sometime during the late 1990s or early 2000s, a human girl, Isabella Hartley traveled to the strangely familiar set of sea caves at the Irish coast, and entered the waters of its moon pool under the apex of the full moon. As she was alone at the time of her metamorphosis, she was granted the power to gellify another liquid-like substance, and to harden it into another solid substance similar to glass.

Sometime around the time, the Eastern Pod also found itself under attack by a rebel mermaid, Aurora, who used a powerful spell to curse Nerissa into turning into a fearsome and devastating water dragon in order to destroy the ancient pod and bewitch and turn every member of the pod into human beings with the dragon's cold breath, with only few escaping and remaining unharmed, including a hatchling named Weilan, and her elderly grandmother. As the water dragons are only naturally capable of awakening from its lunar cycle-long deep slumber via being exposed to any suitable source of moonlight, and their mysterious nature was not initially known, it could be implied that the final disbandment of the pod occurred at the time of the full moon.

Through the Series

H2O: Just Add Water

Season 1

The Full Moon over Mako Island

The Moon Pool was the source of the powers that Emma Gilbert, Cleo Sertori and Rikki Chadwick received when they became mermaids, on a Full Moon night. The moon also affects each of them in different ways, at various moon cycles.

The Full Moon has very strange effects on the girls and these effects are explored over a number of episodes. It seems that not only does the full moon give them an opposite take on their original personalities, (Emma: outgoing, and disobedient; Cleo: amazing singer, self-centered; Rikki: vulnerable and self-guilt), but makes them quite romantic and seductive, seeing as Cleo, Emma and Rikki have all kissed their love interest for the first time while under the moon's influence. These effects only last for as long as the full moon is in the sky. During a full moon, the moon pool on Mako Island sometimes protects the girls from the moon's strange effects. The girls usually don't always remember what happened to them when they were under the influence of the full moon.

Dangerous Moon Reflection

Emma is the first to fall under the effects of the full moon, which turns her into a wild and carefree mermaid; exactly the opposite of her normally organized self. In this state, she freely tells everyone exactly what she thinks of them, regardless of whether it would offend them or not. It also causes her to change into a mermaid and is unable to transform back. While under the effect of the full moon, Emma feels inexplicably drawn to water and to Mako Island. She develops a craving for fish as well as a craving for Byron. She becomes somewhat seductive and kisses Byron on several occasions. By the time the moon is completely gone, everything is once again normal and Emma remembers nothing.

Cleo is the second to fall victim to the full moon. Her powers resemble myths about sirens attracting sailors with their song to a watery doom. Cleo uses her song to attract many boys. In this effect, Cleo is more self-centered compared to her normal, compassionate self. While under this spell Cleo does not change into a mermaid when wet. Rikki is the third to experience the effects of the full moon, which causes her Hydro-Thermokinesis powers and abilities to lose control and overload. Instead of merely heating liquids, she begins to heat up the air and set fire to objects around her by touch and by sight (Pyrokinesis). During this time, Zane comes to Mako Island to try and find the "sea monster", and discovers Rikki sitting amongst a circle of flames. Rikki then kisses him, causing Zane to quickly overheat and pass out, becoming dehydrated and gets slightly burnt. The girls realize that Rikki's mermaid power and ability is the most volatile and must be tightly controlled.

The Lunar Eclipse over the Moon Pool

Miss Chatham reveals to the girls that they are able to lose their mermaid powers if they are in the moon pool of Mako Island during a lunar eclipse takes place. The girls, knowing that Dr. Denman and her assistants would not let them rest until they got what they wanted, decide to take this opportunity and fight off Dr. Denman's men just before jumping into the pool and letting the moon draw away their powers. This helps the girls trick Dr. Denman into believing that they are no longer mermaids. Lewis later reveals that Miss Chatham told him that their powers and abilities are only lost for twelve hours, not forever, and that Miss Chatham did not tell them so that they would truly believe they had lost their mermaid powers and abilities and being mermaids forever.

Season 2

Cleo creating strong wind

Emma freezing the kitchen

Rikki creating lightning which sets fire to her clothes

All three girls are affected by a very special full moon, which causes them to swim to the moon pool on Mako Island. Because of a particularly rare planetary alignment which was taking place at the time, their powers and abilities are greatly strengthened and increased to even higher power levels, and they use their newfound powers and abilities to attack and blow away Lewis, who followed them to make sure everything was okay. Following their reversion to their normal state, the girls struggle to control the effects of these new powers and abilities: Cleo creates a windstorm while upsetting a glass of orange juice her younger sister is carrying, Emma manages to freeze the entire kitchen bench as well as the fridge and freezer with solid ice, and Rikki manages to set her laundry on fire while trying to speed up line drying on her clothes line. She repeats this later with Lewis' shorts.

The next full moon is on the same date as the camping trip for the Sertori family. Their choice of location could not have been any worse: Mako Island. To ensure that none of the girls fall under the spell of the full moon, Cleo brings Emma and Rikki along. Lewis joins the trip as well, bringing Charlotte at her insistence. Even though the girls sleep in a "moonlight-proof" tent, Cleo is affected once more when Kim opens the tent, while searching for Charlotte, who had gone into the forest with Lewis. When Lewis comes back and warns the other girls, the two girls decide that they have been afraid of the full moon for too long, and venture outside to rescue their friend despite the danger. Both are instantly struck by the moonlight, but somehow manage to channel the effects and find Cleo. Rather than exhibiting ridiculous or flamboyant behavior, they become single-minded and emotionally indifferent, as well as being somewhat vicious in their reaction to threats. Charlotte follows Cleo to the moon pool and is about to touch the magic mystical water, but Emma freezes it just before she does, preventing Charlotte from becoming a mermaid. This is one of the two times that the girls remember what they did, as Rikki and Emma later talk about how Emma managed to freeze the water just as Charlotte touched it.

By the following full moon, the girls have finally sealed off the house completely. Things are spoiled when Ash pays a surprise visit to Emma, and Cleo catches a glimpse of the full moon, causing her to become giddy and childish in her behavior. While Emma has her "date" with Ash, Rikki keeps Cleo locked up in the bedroom because she has been "moonstruck". However, Cleo causes Rikki to see the moon as well by pulling down the cardboard covering the window and the second mermaid falls into a similar state of giddiness. Together they lure Emma into the bathroom, toss her in the bath and make her fall under the moon's spell as well. They plan to let Ash see Emma as a mermaid, and he is on the verge of entering the bathroom when Lewis, being called earlier by Emma, bursts in and stops him. Later on in the episode, Emma admits her feelings for Ash and the two kiss.

Charlotte becoming a mermaid

By the next moon, Charlotte has become aware of her grandmother's past and uses the moon pool to become a mermaid herself. The other girls remain in Cleo's room and manage to avoid seeing the moon. When Charlotte becomes a mermaid there is a normal full moon but the strange thing is that not only does she have all three original powers and abilities but for some unknown reason she develops the additional powers and abilities as well.

Max reveals to Lewis that every fifty years an extremely special full moon occurs, during which all the planets are aligned with the moon and earth, making its effect extremely strong and powerful enough to take away a mermaid's powers and abilities forever if they enter the moon pool while it is in its active state. However, this full moon also greatly strengthens and amplifies a mermaid's powers and abilities and makes them much stronger and more powerful, as shown during this episode when Charlotte suddenly develops a fit of anger, and uses her powers and abilities to make the plumbing and water system of Emma's house go haywire, out of spite toward the girls. Because Ash was in their presence, the girls were unable to fight back.

Charlotte losing her powers

Leading Lewis to believe that she was under the influence of the full moon, Charlotte lures him to Mako Island in order to trick the girls into coming after them. At the end of the episode, while the moon is over the moon pool, a big showdown begins at Mako Island. Charlotte tries to push all three girls into the moon pool while it is active, in an attempt to make them lose their powers and abilities forever, so that she will be the only "true mermaid." However, they then combine their powers and abilities to fight back and win, making Charlotte fly into the air and drop into the moon pool, resulting in her losing her powers forever. During the battle, Charlotte reveals that this full moon event is how Gracie, her grandmother, and one of the original three mermaids in the 1950s, gave up her powers and abilities fifty years ago.

Season 3

A Water Tentacle

In the following year, the girls are now immune to the effects of the full moon. However, a strange waterfall creates a Water Tentacle that attacks the girls, dragging them into the ocean. The Water Tentacle captures Rikki and brings her to the Moon Pool. Cleo and Bella combine their powers and temporarily destroys the water tentacle.

The creature later captures Bella and attempts to turn her into water. Cleo uses her power to keep Bella's body together until the moon passes over. Afterwards, Bella says while she was turning to water, she felt safe and at home. Rikki goes to confront the water tentacle after a heated argument with Zane. She is the first to confront the creature and connect with it. While it tries to communicate with her, Will walks in on them and interrupts them. The creature attempts to attack Will, but Rikki stops it before it can touch him. After the moon passed, the water tentacle disappears. The mermaids find out that the water tentacle is a friend. They confront it together, and it shows them a hologram of a comet moving toward Earth, but before the hologram can show everything, Zane and Will walk in and interrupt it. The Comet Eva is about to fall toward Earth and collide with the Moon Pool when Sophie and Ryan plant explosions on the cave and subsequently destroy the magic within, as well as the mermaids' best shot at stopping the comet. Knowing the comet will destroy the entire world when it collides with the Moon Pool, the mermaids create Tower of Light to alter its course using their own powers.

Mako: Island of Secrets

Season 1

A boy named Zac falls into the Moon Pool when the full moon passes over it, breaking a spell cast by his mother that made him tailess. It also opens a rock tunnel leading to the location of the Trident. On the first full moon after his transformation, Zac feels strongly drawn to the moon's pull as it rises and changes into a different personality when he gets hit by moonlight, and goes toward Mako Island. After the full moon, Zac returns to his regular self but develops the power of invisibility.

On the second full moon, the same thing happens again and he goes to Mako to claim the trident. Unlike the first time, he remembers everything that happened, including the mermaids' true identities. It is unknown whether or not Zac has developed any other powers.

On the third full moon, Zac lures away the mermaids to obtain the Trident.

When the next full moon arrives, Cam Mitchell attempts to use this opportunity to become a merman himself and take full mastery over the Trident and the island. Lyla, Nixie and Sirena utilize their Moon Rings and hold him off, despite the Trident being more powerful, before Zac appears and destroys the Trident. Nixie then holds Cam in the air until the moon passes and the pool's power deactivates.

Season 2

Evie falls into the water

On the night of Zac's seventh full moon, Mako draws him back to the Moon Pool where his connection to the island is expected to deepen. New mermaids, Mimmi and Ondina, plan to use this as an opportunity to draw out his powers. Worried for Zac's safety, Evie McLaren dives in to save him just as the moon is passing, only to be turned into a mermaid herself the next morning.

Zac is drawn to an entirely new Merman Chamber on another side of the island while camping with Rob Blakely, Cam and Erik when the full moon rises. He walks into the cave and begins to activate the platform before he is stopped. When the moon passes, the chamber begins to close up and Zac loses most of his memory of the night. In the meantime, Evie falls under the spell of the moon, and similarly to Cleo, Emma and Rikki, begins to act the opposite her normal self (overexcited, childlike, immature). Under the moon's influence, she is drawn to Zac, who almost attacks her in the Merman Chamber. She is automatically restored to normal the next morning.

During the next full moon, Sirena takes Evie to the Moon Pool where she teaches Evie to control the power of the moon. She manages to stay in complete control this time and rejoices the beauty of the moon. Meanwhile, Zac and Erik go back to Mako to learn more about the chamber, but before they can go further, the mermaids Veridia, Ondina, and Mimmi arrive to stop them. Rita then arrives to stop Veridia from hurting Zac. Veridia expresses concern of "Nerissa's son" taking control of the chamber, revealing that Zac was born a merman to a powerful mermaid and also Mimmi's brother.

Ondina, under Veridia's orders, talks Zac into going to the Merman Chamber to activate its power, hoping to redirect the chamber's energy on itself to destroy it once and for all. When the chamber is near activation, a hologram of the trident appears, but Zac cannot touch it. They realize that the chamber can never be activated now that the trident is destroyed. After reporting this to Veridia, the leader agrees to let the pod return to Mako.

Zac under the Moon Spell

Erik hears about the Trident Stone still existing and comes to believe that all he needs is the rock to activate the chamber. When Zac refuses to do it, Erik takes matters into his own hands and goes to search for it until he finally finds it and uses it to absorb Zac's powers, which gives him full access to the chamber. Knowing that activating the chamber will destroy all mermaids across the world, Zac, Mimmi, Ondina, and Sirena attempt to stop him when the full moon begins to pass. Their efforts fail and the stone begins to drain the magic from the Moon Pool, along with every mermaid's life force (excluding Evie). Erik attempts to deactivate the chamber when he realizes his mistake, but the rock knocks him away, forcing Zac to stop it himself. Though he is successful, his efforts nearly cost him his life until Mimmi uses the stone's power to save him. Once he is saved, the stone is turned to ash, thus the chamber is deactivated forever.

Season 3

During the following full moon, Chinese mermaid Weilan comes across the water dragon that destroyed her pod. When she relocates to Mako the following month, the dragon followed and encountered Mimmi, Ondina and Evie on the night of the full moon, and try to fight it off to no avail. Joe and David's boat accidentally encounter the dragon and their lights distract it long enough for the mermaids to escape. The others want to stay and protect David and Joe issues, but Weilan, who has followed Zac to help, tells them that the dragon is only interested in mermaids and ushers them to warn the pod.

On the night of the next full moon, Weilan tells Veridia to have the pod wait for the dragon on the other side of Mako Island, saying the dragon will appear in the shadow of the moon. This is a lie to send them away while Zac lures it into the Moon Pool in attempt to destroy it. Evie, having overheard their plan before, rushes to the Moon Pool, where she and Zac fight the dragon. Unfortunately, it strikes Evie with its fire and Evie is rendered human once again.

Veridia and two other mermaids enter the Moon Pool on the following full moon where they conjure up a storm to destroy the dragon. Mimmi, Zac, Weilan and Ondina find an ancient Chinese bracelet that has the power to revert the dragon to its prior form, and rush there to save Zac and Mimmi's mother, Nerissa, whom they learn was the dragon itself. They successfully save Nerissa and the threat is neutralized.

Trivia

• According to Mimmi, the magical Moon Water hold the power of the moon itself.
• Louise Chatham once implied that different lunar and other celestial phases and occurrences were able to bewitch a celebrant merperson in a variety of different ways. Max Hamilton once explained to Lewis McCartney that once a human-turned-merperson was bewitched by the power of fifty moons in an active moon pool, a bewitched's true self and magical powers were removed permanently, although the results of the next attempted metamorphosis on a bewitched merperson were unclear, as neither Charlotte Watsford nor Gracie had seemingly attempted and been willing to in the first place after making peace with their true original human self.
  • It was unknown if merpeople native from the sea were completely immune to these lunar and celestial occurrences on an active Moon Pool itself, but they were most likely not.
  • However, it was implied that only the specific Moon Pool that served as the source of one's metamorphosis was able to revert a bewitched merperson back into a human being permanently, as was the case with Gracie, and Charlotte.
• The Moon of Fifty Years' effect on a bewitched merperson are very similar to the Water Dragon's cold fire, as they are both used to remove a merperson's true self and magical abilities via reverting and transforming them into a human being permanently with no known cure. Although apparently only the cold fire acts on any merperson, regardless of the origin of their power.
  • The Lunar Eclipse and the Tailless Spell were also able to revert a bewitched merperson into a regular human being, however, unlike the above methods, it could be cancelled, or was only temporary and passed by itself.