Myths and legends surrounding lunar eclipse from across the world
Have you ever witnessed an eclipse? Yes, solar eclipse can be quite exciting, considering the Moon decides to come in between the Earth and the Sun, and ends up shrouding the latter. But we have lunar eclipses too, which occur more frequently. However, a total lunar eclipse when the moon turns bloody (you may have heard about the Blood Moon!) is really a rare occurrence.
In fact, one such uncommon event took place recently on 8th November this year, making it the last total lunar eclipse for a while now. The next one will occur on 7th September 2025. Following one of the highly-anticipated celestial events of the year, let us take you through some of the myths and legends surrounding lunar eclipse from across the world.
Bringing the Moon back to health
According to a northern California-based Native American tribe called Hupa, the Moon had as many as 20 wives who all had pets of their own, most of them being mountain lions and snakes. Anyhow, the myth says that the Moon often forgot to feed the pets, which is when they unitedly attacked him and even made him bleed (yes, in case of a Blood Moon!). In fact, this is when the Moon got incapacitated and an eclipse occurred. Guess how the Moon got rid of the hungry assailants? When he managed to summon all his wives and they came together to rescue him, in turn restoring his health and healing him.
Similarly, a southern Californian tribe called Luiseno also believes that an eclipse indicated that the Moon was suffering from a serious ailment. They also believe that it is their duty to help the Moon recover by praying for him.
An assault on ancient Mesopotamian king
Legends have it that in ancient Mesopotamia, people believed that the king was the representative of the Moon God on Earth. As a result, lunar eclipse was deemed as an attack on not only the Moon, but also their King. In fact, they also believed that the assault on the Moon was the doings of seven demons. However, the good news was, Mesopotamians were expert in celestial predictions and could easily deduce when the upcoming lunar eclipses would happen. Guess what they did to safeguard their King as well as the Moon? They simply appointed a surrogate king, a person who was expendable. The intention was to make sure that any or all attacks went through him, while the real King remained sheltered, often disguised as an ordinary citizen making it hard for the demons to recognise. In order to compensate, the people even took great care of the substitute king and only when the eclipse was over, did the real king come back to action. Wondering what happened to the interim king? He disappeared!
Saving the Moon from a jaguar
Do you know about the Inca tribe? Yes, they are one of the oldest Latin American tribes who were spread across the entire South American continent. Now, one of the earliest myths surrounding lunar eclipse comes in reference to the Incas. Turns out, the Incas believed that during a lunar eclipse, a jaguar attacked and tried to eat the Moon. In fact, that was the reason why the Moon turned blood-red during a total lunar eclipse. Now, apart from killing the Moon, the Incas often feared that the animal would come and attack the Earth’s residents. As a result, the Inca tribe took it among themselves to try and scare the predator away. Guess what they did? They shot spears at the Moon while making a lot of noise. They even made their dogs howl and bark, so that the jaguar thought that its own kind was commanding it to stop!
Fight of Sun and Moon
You will be glad to know that besides these negative myths and legends, lunar eclipse also signifies a fresh start. How? Well, as per an African tribe named Batammaliba, based in Togo and Benin, lunar eclipse is a time when old friends Sun and Moon engage in a fight. However, at the request of earthlings, they decide to resolve their differences and reignite their friendship. No wonder, many parts of Africa still hold on to this belief till date. In fact, people there often go back to resolving their own old feuds and come together to celebrate the joys of life.