What did people in the past think of solar eclipses?

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Angels would come and drag our souls to hell.

Time to get a bonfire together and burn some witches.

>Asia

Among Hindus, the most common myth associated with eclipses is that of the sun and the moon being consumed by the demons, Rahu and Ketu. While Rahu is said to devour the sun, Ketu is believed to be the destroyer of the moon. Hindu belief also notes that poison drips down from the sky on the occasion of an eclipse and that it is also a period of ceremonial pollution which necessitates taking a ritual bath.

>North America

Among the Tslascaltec tribes of America, the sun and the moon are regarded as husband-wife and an eclipse a result of a quarrel between them. Among the Kwakiutl tribe on the other hand, eclipses were believed to be the result of being swallowed by a demon. As a ritual to repel the demon therefore, the tribe would burn something that could give out a bad smell.

Among the Choctaws of Southeastern United States, the common belief is that an eclipse occurred because a black squirrel tried to eat up the sun at intervals. Consequently, each time an eclipse would occur they would make a lot of noise and beat pans, the rationale being to scare off the squirrel. A similar myth existed among the Creek Indians who thought an eclipse occurred because a toad or a pig attempted to devour the sun or moon.

>Europe

Among the British, the traditional practice was to beat kettles and pans during eclipses with the intention of driving away the demon that had caused it. In some German provinces on the other hand, an eclipse was believed to be the time when poison fell from heaven and hence vessels carrying water had to be kept covered as a precaution. Among the Bavarians of Germany, drinking of water was prohibited owing to the myth of it being poisoned during an eclipse.

>South America

The primitive tribes of Mexico believed that an eclipse occurred when a jaguar ate up the sun. Among Mexican women, it was believed that children born during an eclipse would turn into mice. The belief persisted in Mexico as late as the 19th century.

>>3273579
>Among Mexican women, it was believed that children born during an eclipse would turn into mice.
true story

>>3273579
Africa?

>>3273607
>The Fon people, of Western Africa, and Tahitians, in the South Pacific, avoid viewing the eclipse, not out of fear but modesty. The sun and moon are sacred to these and many other native peoples. Viewing any eclipse, solar or lunar, is taboo for the Navajo, who instead stay inside with family and refrain from eating or sleeping. This is a sacred time when the “sun, moon, and Earth are in an intimate position."

>In parts of Western Africa, people gather in the streets shouting, “Go away!” Chinese beat on a mirror or fired cannons to scare away the beast devouring the sun. In the middle ages, historians recorded Germans chanting, “Win Moon!”

>>3273619
>G*RMANS

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>>3273619

>This is a sacred time when the “sun, moon, and Earth are in an intimate position."

I never knew injuns could be so lewd.

>>3273619
>This is a sacred time when the “sun, moon, and Earth are in an intimate position."
So they thought the Sun, Moon, and Earth were engaging in a threesome?

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>>3273579
>Among Mexican women, it was believed that children born during an eclipse would turn into mice. The belief persisted in Mexico as late as the 19th century.

That's so fucking stupid, how do you make that shit up?

>>3273619
>This is a sacred time when the “sun, moon, and Earth are in an intimate position."
holy shit

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>>3273646
>>3273648
And everyone is looking, voyeurs the lot of us.

>>3273670

Retards gonna retard. South Africa has child rape statistics up the wazoo because they think they can cleanse themselves of HIV by transferring it to a virgin.

>>3273699
To be fair some other africans have that thought too
you can blame Zuma and his fucked up tribe

>>3273670
Who knows man, maybe that's where manlets came from.

>>3273579
>Among the British, the traditional practice was to beat kettles and pans during eclipses with the intention of driving away the demon that had caused it.
Funny. I hear in China they did the same thing, except to drive away a dragon eating the sun.

>>3273565
NIKKKKIIIAS YOU KIDNEY AILING FUCK

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>>3273996
For context see pic related. As an athenaboo i am extremely triggered by solar eclipses

>>3274000
>triggered by solar eclipses
>pic is about lunar eclipse
What did he mean by this

>>3273619
>This is a sacred time when the “sun, moon, and Earth are in an intimate position."

Absolute best eclipse myth out there. R34 when?

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>>3274015

>>3273579
interesting how multiple cultures had rituals to chase away the eclipse.

>>3274027
The shit we say today is cringey tomorrow. Stop battering on ancient meme you hipster

Aristotle considered the beginning of natural philosophy to be the prediction of an eclipse by Thales of Miletus around 600 BC. Before that (and for a good while after) the cosmos wasn't seen by Greek intellectuals as something that could be understood, and an eclipse basically confirmed the ultimately chaotic nature of a world controlled by the arbitrary will of the gods. The poet Archilochus expressed that viewpoint after seeing an ecclipse in 648 BC.

>Nothing is unexpected, nothing is foresworn and Nothing amazes now that father Zeus the Olympian veiled the light to make it night at midday even as sun was shining: so dread fear has overtaken men. From this time on everything that men believe will be doubted: may none of us who see this be surprised when we see forest beasts taking turns in the salted field with dolphins, when the echoing waves of the sea become Dearer to them than the sand, and the dolphins love the wooded glen...

>>3273573
Nice name. Sauce on the image?

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>>3274015

>>3274981
Hah haha hahaha.....hmmm.

>>3273579
Hmm

>>3274012
woops

>>3274240
Yes, I do agree, I wonder why?

>Looking at the eclipse can blind you

I'd imagine that an eclipse would have totally captivated the attention of older populations, so did entire generations go blind/suffer serious visual impairment in the past? I can't imagine a Sumerian seeing an eclipse and going "oh, that is cool, I'm gonna carry on with my day." Wouldn't almost everybody stare at it for a long while?

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>>3273699
>they think they can cleanse themselves of HIV by transferring it to a virgin.

What the fuck

>>3275769
People used to listen to their elders anon, somewhere back in the line people realized staring at it was bad.

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>>3273579
>South America
>Mexico

>>3275873
It's practically South America.

>>3275873
Yes, it's south of America.

Apocalypse.

>>3273683
BLACKED

>>3273565

Idk but there's a very rural village close to my hometown (in Peru), where people dance and sing when an eclipse happens, seems pretty odd to me.
I wonder if ancient people did something similar.

>>3275617
The sun is the giver of life, teller of time, and dispenser of warmth. It's only natural for tribes to worship this odd orb whose might is so strong the human eye is incapable of witnessing it in its glory without irreversible damage. The moon's territorial overreach onto the sun is seen as an affront.

-1 stability

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ancient Greeks collected data and used it to compute size and distance of sun and moon

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>>3273607
They went up and checked it out

>>3276103
>Pretty odd to me
Is it really though? I mean it's a rare occurrence that won't kill you unlike a volcano or earthquake.

>>3274981
Fucking macrofags.

>>3274981
That's p. hot

>>3274727
Not sure who the artist is - but its called an Ophanim, a living creature, depicted as such in the bible.

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>>3273565

>>3273646
>south pacific
>injuns
Polynesians are lewd as fuck.

>>3273579
>South America
>The primitive tribes of Mexico
GTFO of here you degenerate.

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>>3275952
>>3275916
>>3275873
Aztecs are a native of NORTH AMERICA.

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Hitler didn't know what that was!

He lived 20,463 days and never saw one in his life. Not even the lunar kind.

>>3275916
>>3275952
holy shit... this... this is the power.. of american education?