JWTroemner.com

Hello all!

Today is the day of a total eclipse over, among other places, Indianapolis.

(Image from Nasa)

Historically, a number of cultures tied a mythology to eclispes that they were the result of a dragon (or dragonlike creature) swallowing the sun.

According to ancientegyptonline.co.uk:

Apep would swallow the sun god, but they would cut a hole in the belly of the snake to allow the sun god to escape. If they failed, the world would be plunged into darkness. … Like Set, Apep was also associated with various frightening natural events such as unexplained darkness caused by solar eclipse, storms and earthquakes.

https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/apep/

According to exploratorium.edu:

A recurring and pervasive embodiment of the eclipse was a dragon, or a demon, who devours the sun. The ancient Chinese would produce great noise and commotion during an eclipse, banging on pots and drums to frighten away the dragon. The Incas, too, tried to intimidate the creatures who were eating the sun. In India they took a different tack — people would immerse themselves up to the neck in water, an act of worship they believed helped the sun fight off the dragon.

https://annex.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/dragon.html

That was the image in my mind when I was writing the Urban Dragon series, when I made the Order’s long name the Order of St. Michael of the Sun, and why I named my imprint Swallowed Sun Books. The image was just too perfect to pass up.