Bloody Moon: Myths from all over the world about lunar eclipse

During such an eclipse, the full moon moves to the shadow of the earth that the sun throws and darkens momentarily.

However, some sunlight still reaches the moon, refracted by the earth's atmosphere, illuminating it with a red glow, the color of which depends on the atmospheric conditions.

In terms of our culture, the term « bloody moon » shows some of the interesting ways in which modern society creates the stories of its sky.

Lunar eclipses have fascinated cultures around the world and have inspired several impressive myths and legends, According to The Conversation.

The wicked omen

For many ancient cultures, the « bloody moon » came with poor intention.

The ancient Incas called the goddess of their moon Mama Quilla and believed she was crying silver tears.

They believed that lunar eclipses were caused by an animal attacking Mama Quilla and interpreting the deep red color as a jaguar that attacks and eats the moon.

They believed that the jaguar could then turn his attention to the earth, so people were shouting, shaking their spears and put their dogs barking and screaming, hoping to make enough noise to drive out the jaguar.

The danger to the king

In ancient Mesopotamia, a lunar eclipse was considered an immediate attack on the king.

Given their ability to predict an eclipse with satisfactory precision, they put in place a substitute king for its duration.

Someone who was considered consumable was portrayed by the monarch, while the real king was hiding and waited for the eclipse to pass.

The moon and the demons

Some Hindu folk stories interpret lunar eclipses as the result of the consumption of the Demon Rahu's Demon.

The twin deities of the sun and the moon immediately beheaded Rahu, but after consuming the elixir, Rahu's head remains immortal.

Seeking revenge, Rahu's head chases the sun and the moon to devour them. If they catch them, it becomes an eclipse as Rahu swallows the moon, which reappears from his cut throat.

A more friendly person

But not all the myths of eclipse from such an ominous mood are possessed.

The Hupa and Luiseño Indian tribes from California believed that the moon was wounded or ill.

After the eclipse, the moon needed treatment, either by the women of the moon or by the men of the race.

Luiseño, for example, were singing and singing therapeutic songs to the dark moon.

Reconciliation

The legend of the people of Batammaliba in Togo and Benin, Africa, is also refreshing.

Traditionally, they regard the lunar eclipse as a conflict between the Sun and the Moon – a conflict that the people must encourage them to resolve.

Therefore, it is a time when old vendets have to rest, a practice that has remained to date.

The Moon of Islam

In Islamic cultures, eclipses tend to be interpreted without superstitions.

In Islam, the sun and the moon represent a deep respect for Allah, so special prayers are chanted during a eclipse, including a salat-al-khusuf, a « prayer in a lunar eclipse ».

A prophecy about the red moon

Returning to blood once again, Christianity has equated the lunar eclipses with the wrath of God and often associates them with the crucifixion of Jesus.

It is noteworthy that Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring, ensuring that an eclipse can never fall on Easter Sunday, a possible sign of crisis day.

Indeed, the term « Bloody Moon » became popular in 2013 after the release of the book Four Blood Moons by Christian priest John Hagee.

It promotes an apocalyptic belief known as the « prophecy of the bloody moon », referring to a lunar sequence of four total eclipses that occurred in 2014/15.

Hagee notes that all four fell on Jewish holidays, which has only happened three times in.

The prophecy was rejected by Mike Moore (Secretary General of Christian Witness to Israel) in 2014, but the catchy term is still used.