On August 21, 2017, the most talked about event in human history will occur. A total solar eclipse will sweep across a wide swath of the world. This will be the first total solar eclipse to pass over North America in the 21st century as well as the first to pass over the continental United States in almost four decades.

The rise of social media will allow an uninterrupted stream of information from each person affected by the eclipse. There will be countless photos, videos, and new scientific discoveries.However, for the majority of human history, this has not been the case. The knowledge that a solar eclipse is caused by the Moon passing between the Earth and the Sun would likely have never crossed the minds of many of our ancestors.

To explain the sudden darkness of the Sun, these ancient civilizations crafted a variety of legends and stories.

10 Norse

The Norse believed that the Sun and Moon were personified by the siblings Sol and Mani. The sister and brother rode across the sky in chariots and decided upon the length of a day and the seasons of the year. They were the animating forces of the Sun and Moon and were integral to the natural order of the world.As the two fly across the sky, they are chased by the wolves Skoll and Hati.

These wolves are said to constantly pursue both the Sun and the Moon and will eventually catch them. Norse legend states that when the wolves devour both the Sun and Moon, the sky will grow dark and Ragnarok, the Norse apocalypse, will begin.

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