10 Myths about eclipses, in different parts of the world, that many still believe

Recently a solar eclipse could be seen in its entirety in Chile and Argentina, in the afternoon and which left the sun hidden for a few minutes. Many people wanted to see the astronomical event. On July 16, another eclipse took place, but of the Moon, in almost the entire world. Before these phenomena became an event, many ancient peoples interpreted them as something completely different.

O awesome.club compiled a list of myths about eclipses and the meaning that many peoples gave them.

Eclipse is a phenomenon of light in which one celestial body is blocked by another. It can present itself in two ways: solar or lunar. Both occur when the stars align with the Earth at certain times. On the 2nd of July, Argentina and Chile were able to witness a solar eclipse, something that surprised many, as they had never seen one before. In addition, many traveled to areas where the eclipse would be best observed.

The study of the Moon, the Sun and celestial bodies has always fascinated human beings. However, Earth’s first inhabitants had misperceptions about eclipses. Chile was not far from that. “For our first ancestors, it was a phenomenon in which the vital source of energy disappeared, without knowing whether its abandonment would be transitory or definitive. For ancient peoples, deities lived in the sky, and an eclipse could mean the manifestation of divine fury”, says Mario Hamuy, National Prize for Exact Sciences of Chile, in his book The Black Sun🇧🇷

According to a survey by Dr. Roberto Castro, Mexico, it was believed that pregnant women were in danger when exposed to solar or lunar eclipses. The Mayans feared that babies would be born with malformations if they were “devoured by darkness”.

Another myth that the Mayans believed was that an eclipse had power over people’s lives, like the appearance of the tzitzimimewomen who flew and ate men and prevented the birth of the sun during the astronomical event.

An important event is the one that took place on March 13, 1325, baptized as the symbolic date of the combat between the Sun and the Moon, represented in the battle of Huitzilopochtli and Coyolxauhqui. “The legend of Coyolxauhqui and its dismemberment by Huitzilopochtli are the explanation of the phenomenon of the phases of the moon, which dies to give way to the birth of the Sun”, emphasizes the research.

Other cultures, such as the Vietnamese, believed that the eclipse was a demon that consumed the Sun and Moon. But this story has something more particular, since it surpasses other known myths, because that “demon” they feared so much was a giant frog, known as Raju, who caused eclipses.

In China, contrary to the first examples, it was believed that an eclipse was a black dog (Tiangou) that ate the Sun. The moment it happened, people would start screaming and be shocked to the point where they would start banging pots and drums to drive away the mythological image.

There is another story that says astronomers over 4,000 years ago couldn’t predict an eclipse because they were drunk and got killed. This prompted someone to write a poem honoring their story, which reads: “Here lie the bodies of Ho and Hi, whose fate, though sad, was visible; they were hanged because they failed to predict the eclipse.”

In that country, the view of the fact was a little more romantic, since the Tlingit tribe considered that the Moon and the Sun were a couple. Therefore, when the eclipse occurred, it meant that they needed a “dark moment”, says this article on the subject.

As in Vietnam, in India it was also believed that a frog ate the Sun, but the outcome is very interesting. The story goes that Raju pretended to be a god to steal immortality, but the Sun and Moon found out and betrayed him before Vishnu, the god of Hinduism. However, according to the story, Raju took a bit of eternal life, but before he finished swallowing it, Vishnu cut off his head and the thief received eternal punishment.

Egypt is a particular case, as so far no references to eclipses have been found during the time when Egyptian civilization worshiped the Sun. But there is documentation that supported the Cairo calendar in which predictions were made with descriptions of astronomical phenomena. Another theory says that, in the days of eclipse, the giant serpent Apep (queen of death) destroyed the boat in which Ra, the Sun God, sailed.

Although there is no written proof of what the Incas did in the face of eclipses of the Sun or Moon, they were very superstitious. In fact, they believed that an eclipse had serious consequences. But there is another version, identical to that of the Americans, which says that, possibly, the Incas also believed that the Moon and the Sun had a relationship and celebrated it until they couldn’t anymore.

Apparently, during eclipses, the Vikings made a lot of noise to scare away Sköll and Hati, brothers who were in charge of chasing the horses Arvak and Alsvid and the god Máni, as well as the Sun and the Moon. And that caused bizarre things! According to London Evening Post In 1748, an old woman was so frightened by the eclipse that she went into a room, cut her arm, and bled to death.

According to history, in 1504, Christopher Columbus and part of his crew were trapped in Jamaica. This fact caused great despair, because they were not welcome and had to stay there for months until they returned home.

A year earlier, in 1503, tension had begun between the Jamaican tribes and Columbus, who, in need of food, threatened the inhabitants with the possibility of hiding the Moon if they did not receive it. The navigator did not lie to them, because his ships had tools to predict the arrival of the eclipse. That’s why, when the lunar eclipse was about to appear, Columbus threatened them again, saying that if they didn’t feed him, “the Moon would be dyed with blood and the Sun would not appear anymore”. The Indians had no choice but to feed him, as they were terrified that this would happen.

Do you know of another cultural myth about eclipses? How has your experience with them been and what do you think of the phenomenon? Share your comments!