Eclipses in History

Eclipses did not frighten some early civilizations, though. The Eskimo and the Aleuts, for instance, interpreted them as signs of good fortune. The Sun and the Moon would temporarily leave their natural places in the sky to reassure themselves that everything on Earth was going fine. Some eclipse legends are love stories and numerous others reflect local beliefs, as follows:

a) In most Aboriginal cultures, it was believed that the Moon and Sun were husband and wife respectively, pulling curtains in the sky to ensure privacy for their union.

Conjugal eclipse. Some people had a romantic view of eclipses. The Sun and Moon are lovers who, when they embrace, turn off the lights to assure inti- macy. Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), photo Jean-Loup Charmet.

b) The Athenians, in ancient Greece, considered an eclipse (solar or lunar) to be caused by angry Gods; therefore they were regarded as bad omens.

c) The Mayans, in Central America, believed that during an eclipse of the Moon, a giant jaguar was eating it. The Jaguar moved through the darkness, and its coat seemed a starry sky.

d) In Japan, wells were closed to prevent the sky poison, hidden by the eclipse, from falling into them.

e) In Scandinavia, two wolves named Skoll and Hat were believed to terrorize the Sun and Moon.

f) In India, a dragon named Rahu, would have the head of a dragon and the tail of a comet. It rode in a chariot drawn by eight black horses that represented the sky.

g) The Aztecs believed that Tzitzimine were star demons who caused eclipses when they waged battles with the Sun.

h) In Bolivia, it was believed that dogs chased after the Sun and the Moon and the tore the Moon’s face apart with their teeth. It was the Moon’s blood that would turn the Moon red. The people howled and wailed in order to chase the dogs away.

The fact is that humanity has never been indifferent to eclipses. Through the centuries, they have been mentioned as affecting or even determining important historical events. Empires would rise or fall, kings would be crowned or dethroned, and battles would be lost or won because of chance alignments of the Sun, Earth and Moon.