Good day, dear Take in Mind readers! As a starting point, let us share with you a story that happened on June 19, 528 AD, somewhere in the territory of ancient Britain with Hank Morgan from Connecticut (Well, of course, we are going to quote the wonderful novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain).
In the story, Morgan has been accidentally trapped in the VIth century Camelot and recognized by Merlin as an evil sorcerer. He was is sentenced to be burned on June 21st at noon. However, remembering that a solar eclipse will take place on June 21, 528, he invents a plan of salvation. The Yankee sends a warning to King Arthur and his retinue that at exactly 12:03 he will extinguish the Sun and plunge the whole world into eternal and mortal darkness. Despite a series of confusions, the American has still to be burned on June 21. However, the eclipse finally provides Hank Morgan with a cool magical reputation and a very influential position in King Arthur’s court.
We hope that you have already guessed that today we are going to talk about one of the most unusual and impressive spectacles, which Nature generously gives us – about solar and lunar eclipses.
Solar eclipses turn the ordinary daytime world into an ominous twilight. It looks like some powerful force begins to control time, by stopping, speeding, or even turning it back. Or, when a bright Moon suddenly darkens, leaving a disturbing void in the night sky. By the way, before the eclipse, the Moon often acquires a specific reddish tint (“bloody”, as will note especially impressionable people) due to the sunlight scattered in the atmosphere of our planet. Are you scared already?
These terrible associations are also reflected in folklore. The legends of many nations claim that dragons, evil spirits, various sorcerers, or terrible animals try to destroy the Sun and the Moon from time to time. For example, the tribes of northern Altai associated lunar eclipses with the activity of the star cannibal. Inhabitants of some Caribbean islands blamed Maboya the devil for the eclipses. New Zealand’s Maori described a solar eclipse as a sudden attack by demons devouring the sun. The Icelandic sagas mention two celestial wolves that hunt the sun and moon. Similar stories are common among the Mayan Indians, the Caucasian peoples, and in China. However, despite the fatal outcome of the incident, the Sun or the Moon always manage to resurrect.
According to the ancient Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, it all began during the preparation of the elixir of immortality. This process involved the labor of enchanted demons. When the drink was ready, Vishnu collected it from the demons and distributed it among the gods. Soon, the demons awakened from the spells and began to fight the gods for their share of the elixir. One of the demons named Rahu succeeded to steal one sip of the sacred drink and swallowed it. But his act was noticed by the Sun and the Moon, who immediately reported to Vishnu about the crime. Vishnu cut off the demon’s head before the elixir could slip into Rahu’s stomach. The demon’s body died and fell to the ground, but the head had already become immortal and remained in heaven. Since then, driven by revenge, Rahu has been chasing the Sun and the Moon. From time to time, the demon’s head swallows one of them (and that causes an eclipse), but each time they fall out of his severed throat and run away.
Of course, we all perfectly understand what is the matter – the Sun, the Moon, and Earth are located on the same line, and either the Moon is on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun and hides in its shadow (lunar eclipse), or our natural satellite closes the Earth from the Sun (solar eclipse).
Enough of scaring our readers! Better, let’s recall a few entertaining eclipse-associated stories. Knowledge is power, but, alas, it does not always serve humanistic and non-mercantile goals. The hero of Mark Twain’s book later recalled that he adapted the trick from some known person…
And here is the original story. During one of his expeditions, Christopher Columbus’s crew lived for one year in Jamaica island, where the natives supplied them with food. Over time, they began to bring less food and water. Columbus’s people were threatened with starvation. So, Columbus used his knowledge of astronomy to influence the situation. The astronomical tables revealed that a total lunar eclipse would occur on the night of February 29, 1504 (according to the modern Gregorian calendar), and Columbus informed the aborigines that he was going to get rid of the Moon forever if they will persist in their unwillingness to trade. The natives were skeptical about his words, but the moon began to “turn reddish”, and the stricken “Indians” began to ask for forgiveness. After waiting for the end of the eclipse, which lasted no less than 45 minutes, Columbus left his cabin and said that the native Americans were forgiven. From that day on, food supplies resumed at the same level.
Such astronomical knowledge was sometimes used for political and military purposes. According to a famous legend, the Greek mathematician and astronomer Thales of Miletus (c. 624–c.545 BC) helped to stop a war by predicting a total solar eclipse (presumably May 28, 585 BC). In The History, the ancient Greek historian Herodotus describes a long and bloody confrontation between the Lydians and the Medes. In the fifth year of the war, there was an event ending the conflict. According to Herodotus, Thales predicted a solar eclipse, interpreting it as a bad omen for both sides. When, in the midst of another skirmish, the day suddenly turned into night, the two shaken armies turned to each other with a proposal for immediate peace.
However, as the experience shows, Europeans could not always rely on their “secret” knowledge about eclipses, deceiving naive natives. Thus, in Beyond the Blue Horizon. Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets, Edwin K. Krupp describes the case of an English official who tried to outwit the Sudanese tribe leader. Demanding the fulfillment of his conditions, the Englishman threatened that otherwise, he would personally bite off a large piece of the moon the next night. To that, he received an answer that if the official means the expected lunar eclipse, then it will not come tomorrow, but the day after tomorrow…
As a conclusion and a future step: In 2021, we will witness two solar eclipses (June 10 and December 4) and two lunar eclipses (May 26 and November 19). However, those who want to enjoy these spectacles will have to spend a fair amount of money. Thus, the June 10 solar eclipse will be observed in Northern Canada, Greenland, and Russia, and the December eclipse will be visible in the southern waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and Antarctica. In any case, let’s stock up some special glasses or find a link to an online Internet channel – and… we shall wait for the start of the magnificent heavenly shows!
Featured photo by Apachewolf of Pixabay
Related Articles: