Fear of the eclipse.

[SleepingStandingUp]

The summer has already been long and hot. The ancients speak of a previous summer in their youth when the rain gods abandoned them like this, but for most people, this is the longest, hottest summer of their lives. The sun has stolen the green from the leaves and the grass, and has stolen the cool from the Moon so that it seems even she will melt.

And then it happens.

One day the sun starts to disapoear. Slowly, incrementally, without reason or logic, the sun is eaten up. Some of the elders recall it happening once before, and they try to recall what they did to stop it.

They gather the goats, slaughtering the best one and offering up prayers to the gods but still, the Sun is disappearing. It gets darker, quieter. More goats are gathered and offered up. And yet the Sun is still in decline. More goats. More prayers.

Is this the Moons revenge??

What more can they sacrifice?

It just have so bloody weird back when people had no idea what was happening or why, if it woukd ever end, if it would come again, but also maybe a little more exciting too?

Its given me the creeps. The birds have stopped singing. It must have felt like the world was going to end back in the days before anyone knew what an eclipse was.

According to AI early humans and ancient civilizations generally viewed solar and lunar eclipses with deep fear, awe, and confusion, frequently interpreting the sudden midday darkness as a terrifying cosmic threat, a divine omen, or a battle between celestial monsters and God's. 😣

Don't worry, for tonight there will be stars flying through the sky- a promise from the Gods to restore the harvest. As long as you slaughter all your remaining livestock. Or something.

I've just ordered a bucket of chicken & chips if it helps ❤

We're only human, as they were. I find that link amazing - the same sun, the same moon. Celestial events like this remind us that we have very little control, much as we like to think we do.

And tonight followed by the sky raining stars. 💫

I’ve been out banging saucepan lids and that seems to have fixed it

It remained sunny here throughout. I'm not sure about the wolf eating the sun, more a chihuaha having a light snack

😂

I told DH I am no longer a virgin so it can't be me

What? Why are the gods making the stars fall? When? I had to bed the children down after all the excitement of the goat slaughter!

I was a bit sad how bright it remained.

Meh, we'll all be OK!

It only went a bit dark here - not as much as if the sun had gone behind a cloud - and the woodpigeons kept calling throughout.

Well I am absolutely furious about it all and fuminnggggg over the lack of eclipse (most likely due to living in the NW UK but we'll leave that out here)

It was nothing to be excited over or buy new glasses n shit ! Total anti climax. Even my very excitable puppy did fuck all in response. People now posting about trees or something? Can we now move onto the next big news story thanks 😂😂

There is a great book called The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker- here is a synopsis

On an ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia awakens to discover that something has happened to the rotation of the earth. The days and nights are growing longer and longer; gravity is affected; the birds, the tides, human behavior, and cosmic rhythms are thrown into disarray. In a world that seems filled with danger and loss, Julia also must face surprising developments in herself, and in her personal world: divisions widening between her parents; strange behavior by her friends; the pain and vulnerability of first love; a growing sense of isolation; and a surprising, rebellious new strength. With crystalline prose and the indelible magic of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker paints a breathtaking portrait of people finding ways to go on in an ever-evolving world.

Awww it was actually quite good here and the neighbours all chatted as we swapped glasses to try and home made devices etc. It went quite dark (enough to need light on inside) and the birds definitely went a bit weird…
I can imagine in ancient times it would be scary though and maybe there would be other changes seen as they had people studying the skies etc. Thankfully no slaughtering required tonight.

It was very underwhelming. Absolutely nothing happened 🙈

Well I'm an ancient who remembers clearly the eclipse of ancient yore in 1999. No goats were slaughtered then, only a Tesco chicken. Maybe that's where I went wrong cos eclipse of today was not a worldly wonder 🤔

This is why science matters.

That’s a superb book

Well it sounds like you are all doomed in the south of England I’m afraid. You poor souls.

But up in Scotland the gods must still love us, our grass is still green, our rivers are flowing, we have had rain, it remains cool, the gods even protected our eyesight by sending us cloud cover for the eclipse.

😆

The Age of Miracles is a bloody fantastic book

Doing God’s work, babes 🍟

Haha love it!
I must admit this week has been nice as I’m off but today at 24 degrees C I was glad we hadn’t had the heatwave all summer after all… a day or two is fab and I get to the bottom of my washing basket, but more than that? Nope.

I worry about all the people in ancient times who must have looked up at the phenomenon and done their eyes some damage - not having all the warnings and no advice about colanders and pinholes in paper….actually no colanders or paper, either, or pins.