Soma

god of the sacred draught and the moon

TraditionVedic

The cool nectar of night, sought and never wholly held.

Soma is both the sacred plant pressed in Vedic ritual and the deity of that exhilarating draught, praised in an entire book of the Rigveda. In later tradition Soma is identified with Chandra, the moon, keeper of nectar and of the mind's quiet tides. He carries the qualities of delight, inspiration, and gentle searching.

Presides over Mrigashira .

The identification of Soma with the moon is post-Rigvedic but firmly established in tradition.