Ancient Folklore And Mythology of Eclipses

Before the science of eclipses was known, many cultures had their own explanations for what was happening when the sun or moon disappeared into shadow. In one Chinese myth, it is a dragon that swallows the sun, and loud noises such as drumming, banging pots and pans, or gunfire must be made to frighten the dragon into giving the sun back. Folkloric variations on this myth include a heavenly dog that eats the moon and banging on mirrors to get it back. In Japan, it is customary to cover wells, so that poison from the darkened sky won’t fall into them. The Egyptians viewed lunar eclipses as the goddess Nut in her sow form swallowing the moon for a short period of time. The Serrano Native American tribe held the belief that the spirits of the dead were trying to devour the sun or the moon during an eclipse; they would avoid eating in attempt to starve the spirits and would shout to scare the spirits away. In Viking mythology, there were two wolves: Hati, who pursued the moon, and Skoll, who chased the sun. When either caught their quarry, an eclipse occurred. This myth also involves making lots of noise in hopes of frightening away the wolves.