# Epigraph explained — The First Men in the Moon

> Chapter companion for The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells.

## What happens

The epigraph quotes Lucian's Icaromenippus, referencing a journey from Earth to the Moon, setting a tone of fantastical lunar travel.

## Themes in this chapter

### Alien Encounter and Communication

The epigraph introduces the concept of a journey to the moon, foreshadowing encounters with lunar beings.

### The Limits of Knowledge

The quote hints at super-terrestrial topics, suggesting the boundaries of human understanding are about to be challenged.

## Key lines

> Three thousand stadia from the earth to the moon. … Marvel not, my comrade, if I appear talking to you on super-terrestrial and aerial topics. The long and the short of the matter is that I am running over the order of a Journey I have lately made.

The distance from Earth to the Moon is about three thousand stadia. Don't be surprised, my friend, that I'm discussing things beyond the Earth and air; in short, I'm recounting the details of a recent journey I took.

_This epigraph from Lucian's Icaromenippus establishes the theme of lunar travel and the wonder of exploring the unknown._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_first_men_in_the_moon_se/chapters