Eclipses and civilizations

This article describes how various Civilization S interpreted and explained the eclipses of the sun and moon through their respective Mythologie S.

The Sun always fascinated various civilizations during the millenia. Often the Men dedicated a worship without slackening to him. The eclipses frightened ancient civilizations, people were afraid of this phenomenon, fear which the sun disappears forever. But sometimes also, the eclipses were synonymous with festivals and sumptuous ceremonies. Finally during historical fights, an eclipse changed the course of the battle as at the time of the catch of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453.

But beyond these religious, mythological explanations or symbolic systems, the eclipses also were in the beginning many scientific interpretations. This celestial phenomenon divided the scholars during centuries but fine observers of the sky like Aristote or Hipparque, then of large scientists as Einstein knew to give to the world a rational and scientific explanation of the eclipses.

Today, an eclipse, that it is of the Moon or Sun, causes the passion of crowd as it was the case at the time of Sun the total eclipse of August 11th, 1999. Certain admirors of the stars go even until “driving out” the eclipses all around the world.

Mythological or religious interpretations of the eclipses by various civilizations

The mystery of Stonehenge

Before they control fire, the prehistoric men attached an major importance has their only source of light: sun. Then, one can imagine at which point the eclipses could be impressive and even take dramatic turnings: one could sometimes attend true scenes of terror. It was necessary that they are repeated without having consequences, to convince them that they did not have any disastrous continuation. In this context the celestial phenomena, without any doubt, constituted for the prehistoric men of the experiments of an amazing power which contributed to forge their religions and mythologies little by little.

One generally associates the Stone Age at a very primitive stage of humanity. But of the vestiges like Stonehenge, with the techniques of the time, remain rather mysterious as well by their architecture as by their possible uses in Astronomie. Indeed in the Sixties certain scientists like Gerald Hawkins, Alexander Thom, Fred Hoyle… thought that Stonehenge was an astronomical observatory, a gigantic computer able to envisage the eclipses. Hawkins imagined a system which makes it possible indeed to calculate the “periods at the risks” where can occur eclipses of the Moon or Sun at the time of the solstices and equinoxes, and to even envisage all the movements of the the Moon several centuries in advance. Hoyle on its side, which is one of the most famous astronomers in the world, did not hesitate to declare that, to have conceived Stonehenge for such an astronomical use it had been necessary a “Newton of prehistory”.

One can indeed remain admiring or perplexed vis-a-vis this marvellous Cromlech and all the possibilities of observations which it reveals.

Eclipses in American mythology

a) In Amazonia: loves of Etsa and Nantu

At the Indians Jivaros, the eclipses are at the base of the creation of their people. The legend tells that at the time of an eclipse, the Creator blew of mud on his son the Sun, Etsa. Mud was transformed into woman, the named Moon Nantu was created. Etsa wished to be linked in Nantu but the latter refused and flees in the sky. Etsa, insane of rage tracked the Moon and ends up finding it. A violent argument burst then between the two stars. The Sun (Etsa) struck the Moon (Nantu), which caused a eclipse the Moon. But the latter counteracted and was with the turn of the sun to eclipse. Finally, Etsa took the top on Nantu, the two celestial bodies married, this union gave rise to a son who will be the ancestor of the Jivaros. But the quarrel in love between Etsa and Nantu reproduces periodically thus producing eclipses.

b) At the Incas: the fall of the Moon and the celestial Puma The Incas dedicate a true worship with the Sun, their temples are dedicated to him, their prayers are addressed to him. Imagine then a little when a eclipse occurs which can be the fear of these South American people? According to the popular culture, the Moon eclipses take place when this star, plunged in a too major sleep, leaves its usual way and is likely to fall, to be lost or be eaten by a famished monster. To avoid such a catastrophe, the Incas make the most possible din by beating the dogs, the children, the pans, the drums, in order to awake the Moon.

At the time of an eclipse of the sun, Int, God of the Sun and wire of Viracocha, would be devoured by a celestial monster: a Puma. This cat-like is not any animal, it always had a particular status in the zone of the the Andes: it represents the supernatural beings from its force and its courage. In the most remote regions, one thought that the storms were related to its anger, the Thunder being associated with its howling, and the Flashes with reflections of its eyes. The pumas were seen like the representatives of the Gods of the mountain. It is thus seen that an eclipse of the sun is for the Incas a fight between the Sky and the Earth. When this celestial phenomenon occurred, there the peasants of the the Andes made still a maximum of noise but this time, to frighten the cat-like one.

At the Mayas, the eclipses of Sun are about interpreted in the same way put aside that the “devourer” is named “black Sun” and that it is compared to a jaguar. For the eclipses of the Moon, the difference is larger: it appears that it would be the Sun which would try to devour the the Moon. That would cause the concern of the expectant mothers who feared that their children transform themselves into mouse…

Eclipses in African mythology

a) the revenge on the the Moon stained

In the area of the Zambezi, one tells that the the Moon wanting at all costs to be the most beautiful star of the Sky, was jealous with the idea that the Sun with its gold feathers, could be more beautiful than it. It thus decided to steal its gold feathers to him during the night, but three small stars were pilot scene and, in the small hour, went to prevent the Sun. This last, very upset, went to find the the Moon and threw to him a mud handle to the face before recovering its feathers. The the Moon was washed in vain and to rub, it could not remove the mud traces and remained stained for always. Ten years later, she was avenged by throwing mud for her face on the Sun, which spent two hours to be wiped completely. Since then, the Moon continues to watch for the Sun with mud and is able to surprise it every approximately ten years. The Africans of this zone, anxious, think of each time the gilded star is lost for always, but fortunately, each time it reappears.

This legend explains the duration of an eclipse of the sun as well as the periodicity of this phenomenon.

b) the Sun and the the Moon divorce

Krachis of the Togo tell that the Sun married the the Moon and that they gave rise to a great number of stars. But the the Moon wearied little by little her husband and took a lover. The Sun was seriously offended by it and refused to live longer under the same roof as his wife. It divided its goods with her and kept part of the children. The the dissatisfied Moon of this arrangement, penetrated on the grounds of her husband causing thus an eclipse of Sun. The children who had remained near the Sun fought the Moon and its stars. But the the Moon did not support to see his/her children between-tearing. It sent to all stars a messenger of peace which agitated a multicoloured fabric, packs that one calls Arc-en-ciel today!

Rahû the maker of eclipses

the Indian myth of Amrita, elixir of immortality

the legend tells that the malefic powers incarnated by ensured (demons or anti-gods) threatened to submerge the forces of represented well by the dévas (gods).

In this time there, dévas and ensured, which delivered a war without mercy since thousands of years, were mortals like the human ones. There was an elixir able to offer the immortality to which would drink it: Amrita. This drink was creates by Narayana (or Vishnu) at the request of Indra, the king of the gods. “The preservative one” (thus Narayana was named) wished that the dévas (gods) triumph definitively over ensured (demons). But ensured them seized this beverage at a meeting between gods and anti-gods. The disabled dévas required again of the assistance to Narayana. This last was transformed then into Mohini, a goddess of an extraordinary beauty. By using any sound charms, it succeeds in recovering the cut containing the nectar of immortality. She stated to want to proceed to the distribution of the elixir between the gods and the anti-gods, his intention was obviously to deprive some ensured them. For that it made lay out the two camps in two distinct columns. But Rahû, one ensured which had included/understood the stratagem, slipped discreetly into the column of the gods. Whereas the demon was on the point of drinking Amrita, the god Sun (Surya) and the goddess the Moon (Chandra) uncovered it and informed Narayana which sliced the head of Rahû. But this last had succeeded in drinking some drops of nectar and its head, become immortal, was projected in space. Since Rahû only one idea has at the head, to be avenged by continuing the moon and the sun in order to devour them. When it reaches that point at the time of the eclipses, it swallows them but its head being separated from its body, it cannot digest the stars which arise at the end of a few minutes.

The myth thus explains why the eclipses occur regularly and why they never last a long time, the light of the good always ending up overriding the forces of the evil which attack it.

Egypt: The fight of the Sun and the dragon

Egyptian civilization, for several millenia, maintained a system politico-monk where the Astronomie had a big role. We have today testimonys of the interest of the Egyptians for the sky in remarkable alignments which one can note in several temples like Karnak or Abû Simbel like in the pyramids of Kheops and Gizeh whose orientation was conceived according to mystico-astronomical considerations. Because of bringings together between inscriptions raised on megaliths and the Hiéroglyphe S Egyptians, some believed to be able to advance that the Egypt was the original hearth of widespread megalithic civilizations throughout the world. It is impossible to affirm it today or to cancel it, one can however note the homonymy between Karnak and Carnac.

The Egyptians with a strong solar culture, would have observed, between 2780 before J.C and 200 before J.C, more than 373 solar eclipses and 832 lunar eclipses.

Popular mythology speaks about a dragon which attacks the God-sun. This monster is presented in ancient Egypt in the shape of the dragon Apophis sworn enemy of Re (the snake on illustration Ci against). Apophis is always represented as the incarnation of the chaos towards which the Univers tends. Having a frightening power, the snake tries to capsize “the solar boat” which crosses the sky, thus bringing the end of time and space. The fight is without mercy between Thot and Apophis, sometimes it is Seth (the brother and future fatal of Osiris), representing the solar aggressiveness, which pushes back the dragon.

The Chinese and eclipses

In the ancient China the Chinese empire was perceived as the center of the ground and the emperor like the son of the Skies. It was charged by the divinity with maintaining the harmony between the Earth and the Skies, it had, for that, to follow the divine regulations, to achieve the ritual suitable ones and to control in an adequate way. The inappropriate conduits of human (in particular sovereigns) caused disorders in the skies. The eclipses, in this context, were perceived as the result of a bad government which had not achieved the ceremonies of uses correctly.

eclipse is represented by monster which devours the Sun and the the Moon (it has in him this double nature luminous and obscure, illustrated by the head and the tail which represent the nodes north and south of the moon) or represented by a mythical creature called you ao you IE (= glouton), semi-ram, semi-owl (this double nature represents the solar aspect (ram) and the lunar aspect (owl)). Then to prevent that the sky breaks out, the emperor was to follow several old rites of 4000ans: the emperor and his dignitaries were to fast. The night of the come eclipse, the mandarins were armed with their arcs; the emperor himself played of the drum while the princes stripped their arrows towards the sky to mortally reach the monster, which, up there, “devoured” the the Moon or the Sun, and to make him release its prey. But oddly in all knowledge of the phenomenon of the eclipses, they continued to practice this tradition.

According to the Taoism, philosophy aiming at maintaining an social order harmonious, all manifestation of large the CAT (all) is illustrated in the polarity of the yin and the yang. For example the moon and the night represent the yin whereas the day and the sun represent the yang. But yin and yang are not solidified and change constantly with the day and the night, but also seldom with the eclipses. The yin becomes the yang and vice versa, the two principles are contained mutually thanks to this potentiality for each one to generate the other (it is illustrated by the small circles inserted in the color opposed on the symbol opposite).

Other civilizations

To interpret this celestial phenomenon, other civilizations (arabo-Islamic and graeco-latin) left the irrational character of the religious beliefs to advance in the pure scientific discipline. Thus the large scientists like Thalès or Al Hazen were at the origin of the scientific and astronomical fame of these civilizations there.