Bali – A total solar eclipse will occur tomorrow, April 8 2024. Since time immemorial, this phenomenon has always been followed by myths that are believed to this day. What are the myths about solar eclipses?
Reporting from detikInet, Sunday (7/4/2024), ancient civilizations such as the Maya and ancient Greeks had their own mythology and traditions regarding solar eclipses. In general, they know that solar eclipses are caused by the Moon covering the Sun, but the meaning of this phenomenon is very different for each ancient civilization.
“Cultures other than our own, both present and past, have very different views of nature,” said Anthony Aveni, professor of anthropology and astronomy at Colgate University, quoted by detikInet from Space.
Following are the myths about the Solar Eclipse:
Mayan tribe
For the Mayans, when a solar eclipse occurred it was like they saw the Moon eating the Sun. They interpreted this as a view of the practice of cannibalism carried out by their ancestors, which had long been abolished by Mayan law.
“So for the Maya, eclipses, which occur in cosmic space, are a reminder that the social order is always in danger of losing balance,” said Aveni.
China Kuno
The Maya were not the only civilization to think they saw the Sun being swallowed by the Moon. In ancient Chinese mythology, a solar eclipse was said to occur when a dragon tried to devour the sun.
According to a NASA report, ancient Chinese people responded to a solar eclipse by taking to the streets and beating drums to scare dragons away. One ancient Chinese record — which likely refers to a solar eclipse in 2134 BC — reports that the sun and moon did not meet peacefully.
The NASA report said the hustle and bustle on the streets made the Chinese emperor see the eclipse occurring in the sky. The emperor was then angry because the two court astronomers failed to predict this event, and ordered their heads to be beheaded.
Ancient Greek
For the ancient Greeks, an eclipse was a sign that the gods were displeased with humans, and in return the Sun would leave Earth. According to Merriam-Webster, the word ‘eclipse’ or eclipse comes from the Greek ‘ekleipsis’ which means ‘abandonment’.
Responding to a solar eclipse that occurred in 647 BC, the poet Archilochus once wrote: “Zeus, father of the Olympian gods, made night in the middle of the day, hiding the shining light of the Sun, and great fear fell on men.”
This article was published on detikInet. Read more here!
Watch the video “The total solar eclipse phenomenon will occur this April”
(dpw/dpw)
2024-04-07 13:38:12
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