The Enduring Allure of Eclipses

This coming Monday, April 8th, a spectacle will take place that is unparalleled in its grandeur. It’s a total solar eclipse. And we’re not talking about a solar eclipse video game or rap song. We’re talking the real thing. Like when the moon physically passes between the Earth and the Sun sort of solar eclipse. A cosmic ballet, where the moon, the Earth, and the sun align in a dance that dates back to the dawn of time itself. It's an event that has captivated humanity for millennia, inspiring both reverence and fear in equal measure.

From ancient civilizations to modern-day scientists, solar eclipses have been the source of countless myths, legends, and scientific inquiries. The darkness that descends in the middle of the day, the sudden chill in the air, and the eerie feeling of witnessing the natural world momentarily disrupted - these are all ingredients that stir primal emotions within us. Since antiquity, humanity has been captivated by the enigmatic allure of eclipses. They're not mere interruptions of daylight; they're portals to the sublime, evoking emotions of wonder, reverence, and humility.

Our ancestors regularized their lives by the order of the world around them - half of which was the sky - and events like an eclipse were an intrusion of chaos into that order. They often interpreted eclipses as omens or signs of impending doom, their fears compounded by the seemingly inexplicable disappearance of the sun.

But amidst the fear and superstition lies a profound sense of wonder. Solar eclipses remind us of our place in the universe, of the intricate dance of the celestial bodies that govern our existence. They compel us to pause our daily routines and gaze skyward with awe and curiosity, to contemplate the mysteries of space and time.

And we thought this week that we’d use that celestial event as an excuse to explore the science, mythology, historical importance, and enduring allure of eclipses. Diving into the depths of human fears and fascination of the cosmic spectacle that continues to captivate our imaginations.

Science

A total eclipse occurs on average every 18 months when the dark silhouette of the Moon completely obscures the intensely bright light of the Sun, allowing the much fainter solar corona to be visible. During any one eclipse, totality occurs at best only in a narrow track on the surface of Earth. This narrow track is called the path of totality. (Here’s a great site to follow this upcoming solar eclipse’s path of totality - https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/april-8-2024 ).

That we often get such impressive solar eclipses is purely a lucky chance of nature. The Sun is much larger than the Moon - its diameter is about 400 times the Moon’s. But the Moon is roughly 400 times closer to Earth. This makes it possible for the Moon to almost perfectly block out the Sun when everything aligns. However, this fortunate state of events won’t last forever. It is, after all, a dance of precision and perfection that’s orchestrated by the gravitational forces that govern our universe.

The Moon started its existence much closer to Earth and has been slowly drifting outward at the rate of about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) per year. Once it makes it past 14,600 miles (23,500 km), it’ll appear too small from Earth to cover the Sun. But don’t panic. If you haven’t seen an eclipse yet you’ve got another 600-million-plus years before that border is breached. 

Myths & Legends  

Humans are story creatures. From ancient cave art to the internet, stories are the way in which we communicate and make sense of the world. Before cell phones, before the internet, before television and movies, before books and words, there were stars. Our ancestors used them to navigate, to grow crops, to hunt, to pray, to explain their existence on this planet. Over the centuries, people have associated these solar eclipses with gods, transcendental forces, demons, and a surprising menagerie of animals.  

In Chinese mythology, it’s a dragon that devours the sun causing a solar eclipse with the lunar eclipse being caused by magical dogs that eat the moon.

Among the Choctaw Indians in North America, it is a black squirrel that gnaws away at the sun. Among the Cherokee it’s a frog. 

According to Hindu mythology, the cunning demon Rahu disguised himself as a god in order to steal a taste of an elixir that grants immortality. The sun and moon see what Rahu is up to and they report his crime to the god Vishnu. Vishnu slices off his head before the elixir can slide past his throat. As a consequence, Rahu's head turns immortal, but his body dies. The demon's head continues to move through the sky, chasing the sun and the moon for revenge. Every now and then he catches them and swallows them.

But since Rahu has no throat, the sun and the moon fall out of the hole where his neck used to be.

The Inca of South America worshiped Inti, the all-powerful sun god.

Inti was generally believed to be benevolent, but solar eclipses were understood to be a sign of his wrath and displeasure. Following an eclipse, spiritual leaders would attempt to divine the source of his anger and determine which sacrifices should be offered. Although the Inca rarely practiced human sacrifice, it is thought that an eclipse was occasionally deemed serious enough to do so. Fasting was also common, and the emperor would often withdraw from public duties during and following an eclipse.

In Vietnam, legend has it that a giant frog swallows the Sun. Its master, the lord of Hahn, then convinces the frog to spit it out.

In Javanese mythology, the god of darkness, Batara Kala, swallows the Sun. Javanese villagers try to make Batara Kala release the Sun by offering sacrifices and beating drums.

Among the Apapocúva-Guaraní people of eastern Paraguay and northern Brazil, eclipses are caused by the Eternal Bat, or in some cases the Celestial Jaguar, which gnaws the Sun or the Moon.

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.

In Andean mythology, a puma devours the Sun. To prevent the Sun’s death, the puma must be frightened away by the screams of children and the cries of animals.

Korean eclipse mythology involves fire dogs that try to steal the sun or the moon. On orders from a king, the mythical canines try their best to capture the fiery sun or the ice-cold moon. They always fail, but whenever they’re able to bite either orb, an eclipse results.

In Suriname, the Kalina tribe believed that the sun and moon were brothers, and an eclipse meant their sibling rivalry had gotten violent and one was knocked out.

The Tatars of western Siberia said that a vampire tried to swallow the sun, but he spat it out when it burned his tongue. Same for the “fire dogs” of Bolivian tradition, which were sent by an evil king to steal the sun but couldn’t hold it in their mouths for very long.

In a Transylvanian folk tale, it’s us that’s at fault because the sun turns away from humankind’s horrible behavior during an eclipse, and a toxic dew falls. (Dew does appear during some eclipses because of a temperature drop, but it isn’t poisonous.)

The Pomo people of Northern California’s name for a solar eclipse is “Sun got bit by a bear.” They tell a story about a bear who goes out for a stroll along the Milky Way. The bear meets up with the Sun, and the two begin to argue about who will move out of the other’s path. The argument turns into a fight, which then ends in an eclipse or what might be considered the very first case of road rage in California.

Vikings believed that the evil enchanter Loki is chained by the gods. He gets revenge by creating wolflike giants, one of which swallows the Sun. Another of the giant wolves chases the moon, trying to eat it.

The Ojibwa and Cree peoples of North America have a story that a boy (or sometimes a dwarf) named Tcikabis seeks revenge on the Sun for burning him and catches it in a snare. Various animals try to release the Sun from the trap, but only the lowly mouse can chew through the ropes and set the Sun back on its path.

Native Alaskans interpreted an eclipse to mean that the sun was sick, so they turned over their pots and cooking utensils to avoid the sun’s illness and any laundry left out to dry was considered contaminated.

The Japanese thought that poison would drop from the sky during an eclipse and would cover their wells.

The Bella Coola tribe of Canada had another explanation which, though less ominous than others, was far from comforting. They figured that the sun was merely a little clumsy and would occasionally drop its torch.

Not all superstitions surrounding solar eclipses are about doom and “gloom”. In Italy it was believed that flowers planted during a solar eclipse are more colorful than flowers planted any other time of the year. Italians always look on the brighter side of things!

The Navajo regard the cosmic order of the universe as being all about balance. Something like an eclipse is just part of nature's law. You pause to acknowledge that this is a special time, and to reflect on the cosmic order. Some Navajo still observe traditions associated with an eclipse by staying inside with their family, singing special songs, and refraining from eating, drinking, or sleeping.

Sex

“Trying to explain what seeing a total eclipse is like is like trying to explain what sex is to a virgin. You won’t understand it until you see it,” said NASA astrophysicist, Fred Espenak.

In the cosmic drama, even the celestial bodies themselves are not immune to passion and desire. In some of the ancient myths from around the world, the sun and moon engage in a timeless dance of love and longing, their celestial embrace culminating in the breathtaking beauty of an eclipse.

According to some Inuit myths, the moon god (Anningan) is in love with his sister, the sun goddess (Malina). She (the sun) isn’t interested but he (the moon) continues to try and catch her. This is why the sun and moon appear at different times in the sky. Occasionally, the moon-god catches the sun-goddess and an eclipse occurs.

Anningan is so tenacious in his eternal pursuit of his sister that he neglects to eat, becoming more and more thin until he’s forced to come down to Earth and hunt for food. It’s during these hunts for food that the moon disappears from the sky for three days each month.

A German myth has the cold and lazy male moon, ignoring the fiery passionate female sun during the day most of the time, except for a few bits of passion during an eclipse. After a short time, they'd squabble, the moon would be on his way and the sun would resume her shining again.

In West Africa, it's the occasional and furtive rendezvous but this time between the male sun and female moon, with the couple modestly turning out the lights during an eclipse.

Australian aboriginal oral traditions say the sun and moon were a man and woman in love, and eclipses darkened the world when they got together so they would have a little privacy.

In Tahitian mythology, the sun and the moon are lovers who join up – the eclipse – but get lost in the moment and create stars to light their return to normalcy.

Andean people used to speak of the male moon whispering lies in the female sun's ear - the crescent in the eclipse. So, they would bang drums and make dogs howl to alert the sun that "the moon is a liar and he's lying to the sun" about the people of Earth.

Defenses Against the Dark Arts?

Throughout history, eclipses have been viewed with a mixture of awe and trepidation. They’ve been seen as a disruption of the natural order, and many groups have believed them to be bad omens. Because of this, people often came up with creative ways to appease the cosmic forces at play and try and end them.

The Chippewa of North America shot flaming arrows into the sky to rekindle the sun. Ancient Mayans ate a certain type of snake. Hindus immersed themselves in water - particularly the Ganges River, which is considered to be purifying - to encourage the sun to fight off the evil spirit. 

According to the Batammaliba of northern Togo and Benin, an eclipse is caused by fighting between the Sun and the moon. When an eclipse would occur, the Batammaliba come together as a community to end their own fighting, resolving old feuds and anger, as a way of encouraging the Sun and moon to do the same.

Native people in Colombia shouted to the heavens, promising to work hard and mend their ways. Some worked their gardens and other projects especially hard during the eclipse to prove it.

North Maluku people of Indonesia respond to an eclipse by beating dolo-dolo (wooden tubes) hard. They believe the eclipse is caused by a dragon swallowing the sun. The noisiness of dolo-dolo is expected to make the dragon throw up the sun in the sky.

In ancient China it was thought that a celestial dragon attacked and devoured the sun.

To frighten away the dragon and save the sun, people banged drums and pots and made as big a racket as possible. Chinese astronomers kept meticulous records of eclipses, in part because they were considered to be a cosmic referendum on the emperor, and not in a good way. It’s said that at least two palace astronomers were beheaded for being drunk on the job and, depending on the story, either failing to predict an eclipse or failing to show up when one appeared.

By the third century B.C., Greek astronomers could accurately predict an eclipse to within 30 minutes, but the celestial phenomenon still spooked them. (the word “eclipse” comes from the Greek word meaning “abandonment”) Like the Chinese, they thought eclipses were dangerous to the person on the throne. In the days before an eclipse was due, commoners or prisoners were chosen to stand in for monarchs - with all the perks of royalty - in hopes of tricking the eclipse so that no bad luck would befall the real king. After the eclipse, the substitutes were usually executed. 

The Aztecs believed that on a certain date in their calendar year - 4 Ollin, to be specific - a solar eclipse accompanied by an earthquake would cause the end of the world. When that date rolled around every 260 days, priests performed a ritual human sacrifice to feed and strengthen the sun and ward off the eclipse.

Conveniently, a solar eclipse could not occur on 4 Ollin until at least the 21st century - something the priests, who were also astronomers, probably knew.

Historical Blindness

In Mark Twain's 1889 novel, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, the protagonist Hank Morgan is knocked unconscious and wakes up in 6th-Century England.

He soon finds himself in trouble and is sentenced to be burned at the stake. Luckily for him, his execution is scheduled for the same day as an eclipse. Knowing it's coming up, Morgan tricks the King and his people into believing he controls the Sun and Moon. “For a lesson, I will let this darkness proceed, and spread night in the world; but whether I blot out the sun for good, or restore it, shall rest with you.” His foreknowledge wins him a pardon.

That’s a fictional tale but in the annals of history, eclipses have left an indelible mark on the course of human events. From ancient battles halted by the sudden onset of darkness to scientific breakthroughs that have reshaped our understanding of the universe, eclipses have been catalysts for change, reminding us of the inexorable march of time and the profound interconnectedness of all things.

One of the earliest known examples of an eclipse provoking a different outcome was during a battle more than 2,000 years ago. Writing in 430BC, the Greek historian Herodotus told of a war between the Lydians, who occupied regions of modern-day Turkey, and the Medes, an ancient Iranian people. After six years of fighting, the opponents met again. This time, however, "day suddenly changed into night," wrote Herodotus. "The Medes and Lydians, when they observed the change, ceased fighting, and were alike anxious to have terms of peace agreed on."

Another account by Herodotus described how Xerxes, the leader of the Persian army, in 480BC saw an eclipse before invading Greece. Xerxes was alarmed enough to consult his Zoroastrian priests. They told him God was warning the Greeks about their cities' imminent destruction. The Sun foretells for them, and the Moon for us, they supposedly suggested. "Xerxes, thus instructed, proceeded on his way with great gladness of heart," wrote Herodotus.

It turned out to be terrible advice. Xerxes successfully attacked Athens, but after his navy was destroyed, he was forced to withdraw. On returning, his armies were crushed.

Fast forward more than a thousand years, and Christopher Columbus was on his final voyage. In 1503, he beached his worm-eaten, sinking ships on Jamaica with his crews in despair. Fearing both starvation and conflict, Columbus forbid his crew from leaving their base, and tentatively traded Spanish trinkets and jewelry for food and water with the people living there.

After weeks of this, the locals lost their patience and the trade of food ceased. Columbus and the remaining crew faced imminent starvation. But Columbus remembered an astronomical event was approaching: a lunar eclipse. On 1 March, he gathered leaders of the local communities, reproached them for withdrawing provisions, and warned them, "The God who protects me will punish you… this very night shall the Moon change her color and lose her light, in testimony of the evils which shall be sent on you from the skies."

It worked. The fearful locals relented, providing food again. Columbus promised to perform a rite that would "pardon" them and return the sun and moon to their proper places in the heavens.

In 1919, a solar eclipse proved that Albert Einstein was right about general relativity and made him one of the most famous scientists of all time. The solar eclipse allowed scientists to see that the Sun’s gravity was bending starlight, a key prediction of Einstein’s.

So What?

Eclipses have influenced humanity in many ways, becoming entwined with myriad cultures, belief systems and mythology. Today we know that Monday’s total solar eclipse will not be caused by a bear biting the sun, a dragon swallowing it, or an X-rated get-together between the heavenly bodies. And yet, as our ancestors have for millennia, we are freaking the heck out.

“The hair on the back of your neck is up, you’ve got goosebumps…It’s just absolutely beautiful and at the same time a little terrifying because there’s nothing you can do about this. There’s no power on Earth that can stop this.” That’s how former NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak describes the visceral feeling of a total solar eclipse.

And if a NASA astrophysicist in 2024 finds the experience overwhelming, imagine what a guy herding goats 3,000 years ago thought when the sun suddenly went dark in the middle of the day.

During a total eclipse, many strange things happen. Temperatures drop. The horizon is filled with colors of the sunset. Birds stop singing. Nocturnal animals start to prowl. In the three to four minutes that this eclipse’s totality will last, the veil will be peeled back, our reality will shift, and we’ll have no choice but to notice, to look up at the stars we so often ignore. To have the visceral experience of realizing that we’re actually looking at the solar system in motion.

As it has been for millennia it will be a powerful moment, a deeply emotional event spread out over a narrow thread of time where millions of people across three countries will set down their cell phones, step out of their houses and gaze skyward. For those fleeting moments of totality will provide a chance to feel the stretch of infinity, the expansion of possibility, the expectation of hope, a glimpse of the eternal. And when it’s over, when the moon continues its orbit and the sun reappears, we too will have a story to tell. A story that connects us to one another, but also to the people who came before us, as well as to those who will come after.

Have you seen an eclipse? Where will you be for next week’s eclipse? Share your stories with us in the comments below.

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