Moon Bird

A Japanese fisherman once found a robe of white feathers on the beach. No sooner had he picked it up than a beautiful shining girl emerged from the sea, begging him to restore her property. For, she said, 'Without my plumage, I cannot go back to my home in the sky. If you give it back to me, I will sing and dance for you.'

The fisherman took pity on her and returned her lovely robe of feathers. She put them on, took up her lute, and sang a hymn to the moon, where she had her palace. Gradually, as she danced, she rose up into the sky, where she unfolded her white wings and flew away towards the moon.

From The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, by John and Caitlin Matthews