Page 23 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - August/September 2017

Eclipse Superstitions Past and Present 23

Eclipse Superstitions Are a

Thing of the Past, and the

Present

By Calla Cofield, Space.com Senior
Writer

All around the globe, ancient cultures and
religions attempted to explain solar and lunar
eclipses. Many of those stories involved gods,
demons, dragons and other creatures that
prowled through the sky and threatened to
devour the sun or the moon. People prayed,
made offerings or hurled things into the sky to
chase off the invaders.

Today, as the U.S. prepares for the total solar
eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, when the moon will
cover 100 percent of the sun's disk, areas that lie
in the path of the total eclipse are planning
festivals and multiday celebrations. In the
modern age, scientists can predict when and
where these cosmic events will occur, and
skywatchers can appreciate their beauty rather deeply terrifying to ancient groups, Krupp said, that these celestial events were a sign from
than fear that the events might bring devastating but the lives of those people would have relied another world.
consequences. It seems that humanity's deeply on the "fundamental rhythms of the sky." Take, for example, the story of a Roman
perception of eclipses has changed over the Things like sunrise and sunset, the lunar cycle, emperor who witnessed a total solar eclipse in
centuries. and the change of seasons gave order to the A.D. 840. In his book "American Eclipse"
And yet, the stories and superstitions of world, traced the passage of time, and in many (Liveright, 2017), journalist David Baron
ancient times haven't completely gone away, ways determined people's ability to survive, he reported that the emperor was "so unnerved" by
said E.C. Krupp, director of the Griffith said. the sight of the eclipse that he stopped eating
Observatory in Los Angeles and an expert on "So, when a tremendous break in the and eventually starved to death, "plunging his
cultural aspects of astronomy including eclipse rhythm happens, like the sun going even realm into civil war."
folklore and superstition. And even though most partially out or the moon disappearing, it is more On a somewhat happier note, in the sixth
people today have access to science-based than just an astronomical inconvenience. It's century B.C., a battle in Asia Minor between the
information about eclipses, misinformation, actually serious business for them," he said. Medes and the Lydians came to a halt when a
myths and superstitions continue to surround The people who held these beliefs about total eclipse darkened the sky, Baron wrote;
these celestial events. eclipses also carried out rituals included following the event, the soldiers were eager to
shouting or wailing at the sky during an eclipse, make peace, believing the eclipse was a sign for
Serious trouble firing arrows into the heavens to chase off them to stop the fighting, reports say.
beasts, or making offerings to the creatures Total solar eclipses continued to have
What causes the moon to turn a deep shade of responsible for these events. "The myth and the such dramatic effects on people at least into the
red during a lunar eclipse? A story from the Toba ritual are all part of interpreting and engaging 19th century. In the summer of 1878, a total
people of South America claimed it was because the forces that make the world the way it is," solar eclipse swept down through the continental
the spirits of dead people had taken the form of Krupp said. U.S. In his book, Baron chronicled the deep
jaguars and attacked the Earth's lunar In his book, Krupp excerpted a passage impact this eclipse had on 19th century
companion, leaving it bloody in the sky, Krupp from a book by a Spanish priest named astronomy, due largely to observations of the
wrote in his book "Beyond the Blue Horizon: Bernardino de Sahagún, who lived with Aztecs eclipse performed by a young Thomas Edison,
Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars and in ancient Mexico. According to the priest's and the scientists James Craig Watson and Maria
Planets," (HarperCollins, 1991). When the Toba account, when a solar eclipse became visible in Mitchell.
people saw the moon turn red, they would have the sky, there was "tumult and disorder. All were But despite relatively extensive news
to shout and make their dogs bark at the sky in disquieted, unnerved, frightened. There was a coverage of the event, and despite the fact that
order to scare off the jaguars and stop the weeping. The common folk raised a cry, lifting astronomers knew not only when the event was
slaughter. their voices, making a great din, calling out, coming but also where it would be visible, some
There is great variety in the world's shrieking … People of light complexion were of the people who witnessed the event swore it
many myths and folktales that attempt to explain slain [as sacrifices]; captives were killed. … It was a sign of the end times, Baron's book said.
the occurrence of solar and lunar eclipses. But was thus said, 'If the eclipse of the sun is A man named Ephraim Miller believed the
these ancient stories tend to have a few things in complete, it will be dark forever! The demons of eclipse marked the coming of the apocalypse,
common, Krupp told Space.com: They often darkness will come down; they will eat men.'" and rather than stay to see the horrors that were
involve eating or biting, and they tend to portray Fear of eclipses didn't end with the dawn sure to follow, he took his own life, right after he
the eclipse as bad news. of the scientific era. Krupp noted that total solar murdered his son with an axe.
"There's certainly a uniform response — eclipses can be somewhat unsettling to behold "The way beliefs work, it's rare that
and by that I mean worldwide — that most because they are "an extraordinary reversal from someone suddenly lifts the shade and everybody
people, most of the time, thought eclipses of the what should be" — specifically, day turning into changes their mind," Krupp said. "There's a
sun or the moon were trouble. Serious trouble," night. Modern skywatchers have reported being spectrum of understanding across any culture."
he said. "And the nature of the trouble had to do so hypnotized by these events that they
with the fact that the foundation of their world completely forget to do things like snap a (Continued on Page 24)
seemed to be at risk [during an eclipse]." photograph or execute a scientific experiment. For ALL Your ‘X’ Zone Radio Show
People living in the modern world might Skywatchers who have witnessed total solar Gear, Visit
not often think about why eclipses would be so eclipses may understand why people throughout www.thexzonestore.com
history, and even into the modern era, have felt