Welcome to An Lánurú … or Will It Be Ragnarök?

Our Tradition honors both the Celtic and Norse deities and practices.  We also acknowledge the importance of cosmic events in our lives.  On April 8, 2024, those of us in the United States will experience a total solar eclipse, the likes of which we will not see again for 20 years.  I was curious how our Celtic and Norse ancestors viewed such events in their culture.  The answers were intriguing.

Celtic:

Our Celtic ancestors were the first to record eclipses both in ancient times and Common Era.  The oldest known record of an eclipse was discovered on a cairn in County Meath, Ireland, and dates back more than 5,000 years ago.  The ancient Celts understood that, scientifically, the eclipse was an alignment of the Sun and Moon.  It even appears that they were able to predict the eclipse, which is unsurprising given the very detailed astrological documentation kept by the Celts throughout millennia.

Culturally, the Celts viewed an eclipse as an opening of the door to the spirit realm where the Tuatha dé Danann and the sidhe-folk dwell as well as those who departed from this realm.  This was a time to communicate with those beyond that separating veil.  As such, they didn’t fear the eclipse.  They used this event as an opportunity to commune with their dearly departed and their deities.  Some even speculate a Festival of Lights was created for this event.

Norse:

Our Northern European brethren believed that an eclipse was a time when two wolves would catch up to and eat the Sun and the Moon.  Who were these wolves?  None other than Fenrir’s sons, Hati and Sköll*.  According to legend, there are certain events that must happen to begin Ragnarök.  The catching and devouring of the Sun by Sköll and the Moon by Hati (Hróðvitnisson) is one such event.

As a culture, the Norsemen, also sometimes referred to as the Vikings, understood that both the Sun and the Moon were needed for life to flourish.  They believed that if the wolves ever caught their prey, Ragnarök would begin.  So at the approach of every eclipse, the Northern folk would hoot and holler to the sky to chase away Hati and Sköll.

Other Cultures:

Many other cultures have similar legends that involve the Sun being eaten by otherworldly beings.  It’s fascinating when cultures around the globe and far back into ancient times have similar tales relating to astrological events.

Here in the United States, we will approach the day with caution and wonder as some of us will only experience this event once in our lives.

May your Eclipse Day bring joyous celebration and communing with those beyond the gateway and much hooting and hollering as we try to avoid Ragnarök!

Blessings,

Lady Kaltem

*Some sources believe that Sköll is really Fenrir himself, as it is Fenrir who is prophesied to eat the Sun and contribute to Ragnarök.