Hi guys, as we all know, today we will be experiencing an eclipse. A solar eclipse is a rare phenomenon that is a once in a lifetime experience to many people. Do you have your eclipse glasses yet? Because I sure don’t and I will be busy working. But make sure to be careful and not look at it directly because it can cause severe harm to your eyes.
Moving on, today I will talk about some myths and folklore surrounding solar eclipses. We all know the science of why solar eclipses happen but in ancient days, many people were baffled and came up with their own theories which mainly involved demons eating or stealing the sun. Lets commence…
Hungry Demons, thieving dogs
Vietnam – The people believed that a giant frog devoured the sun, that is the cause of the solar eclipse. Some Norse cultures believed wolves were eating the sun.
Ancient China – The believed that a dragon was having lunch on the sun. The Chinese word of an eclipse is chih or shih which means to eat
Hindu mythology – Believed that the deity Rahu is beheaded by the gods for capturing and drinking Amrita, the gods’ nectar. Rahu’s head flies off into the sky and swallows the Sun causing an eclipse.
Korean folklore – offers another ancient explanation for solar eclipses. It suggests that solar eclipses happen because mythical dogs are trying to steal the Sun.
Traditionally, people in many cultures get together to bang pots and pans and make loud noises during a solar eclipse. It is thought that making a noise scares the demon causing the eclipse away.
Hindu God drinking the nectar
Native American Myths about Solar Eclipses
“The Pomo, an indigenous group of people who live in the northwestern United States, tell a story of a bear who started a fight with the Sun and took a bite out of it. In fact, the Pomo name for a solar eclipse is Sun got bit by a bear.
After taking a bite of the Sun and resolving their conflict, the bear, as the story goes, went on to meet the Moon and take a bite out of the Moon as well, causing a lunar eclipse. This story may have been their way of explaining why a solar eclipse happens about around 2 weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.” – www.timeanddate.com
Angry Sun
“The ancient Greeks believed that a solar eclipse was a sign of angry gods and that it was the beginning of disasters and destruction. The Tewa tribe from New Mexico in the United States believed that a solar eclipse signaled an angry Sun who had left the skies to go to his house in the underworld.” – www.timeanddate.com
Quarreling Sun and Moon
“According to Inuit folklore, the Sun goddess Malina walked away after a fight with the Moon god Anningan. A solar eclipse happened when Anningan managed to catch up with his sister. The Batammaliba, who live in Benin and Togo, used a solar eclipse as a teaching moment. According to their legends, an eclipse of the Sun meant that the Sun and the Moon were fighting and that the only way to stop them from hurting each other was for people on Earth to resolve all conflicts with each other.” – www.timeanddate.com
Modern Day Sun Superstitions
“Fear of solar eclipses still exists today. Many people around the world still see eclipses as evil omens that bring death, destruction, and disasters.
A popular misconception is that solar eclipses can be a danger to pregnant women and their unborn children. In many cultures, young children and pregnant women are asked to stay indoors during a solar eclipse.
In many parts of India, people fast during a solar eclipse due to the belief that any food cooked while an eclipse happens will be poisonous and impure.
Not all superstitions surrounding solar eclipses are about doom. In Italy, for example, it is believed that flowers planted during a solar eclipse are brighter and more colorful than flowers planted any other time of the year.”
This information in my post was taken from the website:
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar-eclipse-myths.html
Solar eclipses are magical and amazing. Make sure to use the right glasses when watching it. We may know the cause of eclipses in modern days but that doesn’t stop many cultures from having certain beliefs about it. What is your belief? If you liked my post, you can check out my recent folklore post about Jamaica.
https://thenyceffect.wordpress.com/2017/08/20/scary-folklore-from-the-caribbean-jamaica/
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