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706 SKY AND STAES.
extensively this tradition prevailed, has already been shewn
(pp. 2:44-5) ^ A parhelion or mock-sun (vadersol) is in Swed.
called solvcvrg, salulf, sun-wolf, Ihre s Dial. lex. 165.
One of the most terrific phenomena to heathens was an eclipse
of the sun or moon, which they associated with a destruction of
all things and the end of the world ;; they fancied the monster
had already got a part of the shining orb between his jaws, and
they tried to scare- him away by loud cries. This is what Eligius
denounces (Supeirst. r A)
(
nullus, si quando^ luna obscuratur,
> vociferare praesumat it i& the cry of vince luna !
3
that the
Indicul. paganiar. means in cap. 21 de defectione lunae, and
Burchard (Sup. C, 193 b
) by his damioribus aut auxilio splendorem
lunae deficientis vestaurare. The Norse writings, while minutely
make no allusion to the
describing the threatened deglutition,
shouting :. it may have been more customary
with Celts and
Romans than, with Teutons* A 5th cent, father, St. Maximus of
Turin, in a Homilia de defectu lunae, preaches thus : Cum ante
dies plerosqiue de vestrae avaritiae cupiditate pulsaverim, ipsa die
circa vesperam tanta vociferatio populi exstitit, ut irreligiositas
ejtts penetraret ad coelum. Quod quum requirerem, quid sibi
clamor hie velit, dixerunt mihi, quod laboranti lunae vestra vocife
ratio subveniret, et defectum ejus suis clamoribus cwljuvaret. 3 The
same laborans (in distress) is used by Juvenal 6, 442 :
Jam nemo tubas, nemo aera fatiget ;
una laboranti poterit succurrere lunate. 4*
I may safely assume that the same superstitious notions and
practices attend eclipses among nations ancient
5
and modern.
The Indian belief is, that a serpent eats up the S4in and moon
when they are eclipsed (Bopp s Gloss. 148 a
), or a demon (rahus)
devours them (Bopp s Nalas, pp. 153. 272. Somadeva2, 15. 187).
L I add from Fischart ^ Garg. 130 b : sah den wolf des> monsS Kabelais 1, 11
has : la kine des tiovps. In old calendars, eclipses are represented by two dragons
holding the sun and moon in their mouths, Moae s Untersueh. p. 183.
2 This would be in OHG-. Karih mano ! in Goth. jiukai mena ! but we
find nothing of the kind even later.
3 Ducaiige 6, 1618 quotes the passage sub v. vinceluna ; but the reprint of the
Horn. Maximi taurin. De defectu lunae (in Mabillon s Mus. Ital., torn. i. pars 2,
pp. 19. 20) has it not.
< Conr. Tac. Annal. 1, 28 and Boeth. de consol. 4 metr. 5 : lassant crebris
pulsibus aera.
6
It is only among Greeks and Slavs that I have not come across them.