Abdullah Abu Deif (Cairo)
The cultures of peoples all over the world were affected by the phenomenon of the lunar eclipse, and many amazing legends and myths were associated with it, many of which depicted the event as an omen on the one hand or pessimism on the other.
Dr. Alaa Al-Nahri, Vice President of the Regional Center for Space Science and Technology at the United Nations, explained that the Inca peoples do not see the lunar eclipse as a good thing, and they believe that the jaguar was attacking the moon trying to devour it, so people were screaming and shaking their spears and making their dogs bark and howled, to make noise. Enough to drive away the tiger.
He pointed out that ancient Mesopotamia considered the lunar eclipse as a direct attack on the king, and accordingly a pseudonymous king would be installed, forming himself as a monarch, while the real king was hiding, and as soon as the eclipse passed, he would be returned.
He added that for many people in India, lunar eclipses are a bad thing, so food and water are covered and purification rituals are performed, and pregnant women in particular should not eat or do housework in order to protect their unborn children.
As for the legend of the “Haba” tribe of Native Americans in northern California, it is more fun, as it believes that the moon has 20 wives and many animals, most of them are mountain lions, bears and snakes, and when the moon does not bring them enough food to eat, those animals attack and make him bleed, and the eclipse ends. When the wives of the moon come to protect him, they collect his blood and restore health to him. In Southern California, the eclipse was a sign that the moon was sick, and the tribe members would recite some chants or prayers to restore health to it.
Al-Nahry revealed that the eclipse occurs when the moon, the Earth and the sun are in one plane, and when the moon passes through the darkest part of the earth’s shadow, and this astronomical phenomenon is known as the total eclipse of the moon and coincides with a separate event called the “giant moon”, as it appears larger than usual. As a result of being at its closest point to Earth.
#Myths #myths #lunar #eclipse