The Solar Eclipse in Ancient China
The most spectacular total solar eclipse of the 21st century took place on July 22nd, 2009, and could be seen from locations throughout China.
Though today people regard the solar eclipse as a rare natural phenomenon, people in ancient times didn’t know the scientific reason behind it, considered it as an evil omen, and had various explanations for the situation.
By far, the most popular explanation for a solar eclipse in ancient China was known as “天狗吃日 (tiān ɡǒu chī rì),” or “the heavenly dog (天狗) devours the sun.” One of the earliest records of the 天狗 is in the 山海经 (shān hǎi jīnɡ), an ancient mythological and geographical work, which describes it as a white-headed, raccoon/dog-like animal that defends against evil.
There are many stories about the origin of this heavenly dog. Of these, one of the most popular explanations is that the 天狗 was a pet of 二郎神 (èr lánɡ shén), who was a god in heaven, and always helped his master fight against evil spirits and monsters. This 天狗 even appears in the Chinese traditional novel Journey to the West (西游记), in which he has a fight with one of the main characters, 孙悟空 (Sūn Wùkōnɡ), the Monkey King.
Some people believe that the 天狗 is actually the mother of 目连 (Mù Lián), one of the ten disciples of Sakyamuni (the founder of Buddhism). The story goes that Mulian’s mother frequently and deliberately broke the rules of Buddhism. As punishment, the Jade Emperor banished her to the lowest depths of hell and turned her into a fierce dog, known as “天狗.” Because he was a very filial son, Mulian then set out save his mother. He diligently cultivated himself and finally became a bodhisattva, making him powerful enough to open the door to hell. As he did so, his mother and other evil spirits escaped. Once free, Mulian’s mother, still in dog-form, wanted to take revenge. As she could not find the Jade Emperor himself, she decided the next best thing would be to swallow the sun, and cover the whole world with darkness.
Regardless of the origin of this heavenly dog, when a solar eclipse took place in ancient China, people would make a racket by beating drums, setting off firecrackers, etc., in order to scare it away. As even the longest solar eclipse lasts less than seven minutes, people at the time believed that this was, in fact, an effective way to drive the dog away and keep it from devouring the sun.
