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[Alexandr Korol]

The Quran directly rejects the idea that the sun and the moon are deities, and calls
for worshipping only Allah, who created them (Surah 41:37). Eclipses there are not
explained by myths about “devouring,” but are perceived as natural phenomena created
by God, sometimes as an occasion for prayer (salat al-kusuf).

Mesoamerican cultures (the Maya and the Aztecs)
The Maya were excellent astronomers and predicted eclipses with the help of tables in
the Dresden Codex. They called a solar eclipse “when the sun is eaten” (Chi’bal K’iin).
This was considered a bad sign — the wrath of the gods, a possible drought or war.
The Aztecs saw in it an attack by the Tzitzimime demons (star skeletons) on the sun —
if it were completely eaten, the end of the world would come. That’s why they
performed rituals and sacrifices.

Other interesting mentions
• The Incas: An eclipse is the wrath of the sun god Inti, requiring fasting and
sacrifices.
• The indigenous peoples of America (for example, the Choctaw): A black squirrel
gnaws at the sun — you need to make noise to frighten it off.
• In some African and Vietnamese myths — a giant frog or toad swallows the
luminaries.
In many cultures an eclipse was perceived as a battle of light and darkness, a moment
when one must pray, make noise, or perform rituals in order to restore order. But almost
everywhere the sun (or the moon) in the end returned — and this strengthened the belief
that “good conquers.”

The “Great Work” (Magnum Opus)
In classical alchemy an eclipse was not simply an astronomical event. It served as
a powerful symbol of inner processes of transformation. Here is how this looks in the
alchemical texts and illustrations:

Solar and lunar eclipse as coniunctio (the mystical marriage)
The alchemists saw in an eclipse the union of opposites — of the sun (Sol, the masculine
principle, gold, consciousness, the active force) and the moon (Luna, the feminine
principle, silver, the subconscious, the passive force). When the moon “covers” the sun