Think the Earth

Sun and Sunspots:Creative Commons,Some Rights Reserved,Photo by
MarkGregory007 　

According to the ancient Chinese calendar with 24 seasonal divides, autumn has begun. But as has been the case in the past, it seems likely that the weather will stay warm for a little while longer. People often wonder if it has always been this hot in the summer. Interestingly, many Southeast Asian countries share a similar legend, about how there were many suns at one time. Perhaps people back then thought that the intense heat could only be explained by the presence of many suns.

The legend in Mentawai Islands located west of Sumatra Island, Indonesia, talks about how the sun had many children and so it was much hotter during the day in the old days. Because it was so hot, the moon ate some coconut peels, which turned her lips pink, and persuasively lied to the sun, "I ate my children, the stars, and they were delicious." The sun believed the story and ate her children. After that, the heat in the afternoon became more bearable and people could work even in the hot afternoon.

An ancient Chinese sun archer myth describes how there were once 10 suns. They all rose at the same time, causing severe drought. But the famous archer, Yi, shot 9 of them down leaving one sun. Tayal, the indigenous people of Taiwan also have a similar myth. There once were 2 suns, which rose and set one after another, day in and day out, but after a long struggle, 3 young men successfully shot one of them down, leaving one single sun. And last but not least, people of Mongolia believed that their people and horses suffered from drought caused by 7 suns.

These stories about the sun were compiled by the "Asian Myths and Legends of Stars and the Universe" project launched by the International Year of Astronomy 2009 Japan Committee. This year a book with beautiful illustrations from all over the world will be published by Manyo-Sha Inc. The book will feature 68 stories from 13 countries about the sun, moon, Pleiades star cluster ("Subaru" in Japanese), Venus and the constellations and other planets.

In Japan, we talk of a rabbit living on the moon, but the Ainu believe that it is an abducted child, and people of Vietnam talk of a young man who flew to the moon hanging from a magical tree. Some people on a southern island believe that it is a lady with a gourd. Moreover, the Tanabata Legend, which describes two lovers separated by the Milky Way who are only able to meet once a year, is common to, yet slightly different in countries like Japan, China, and Vietnam.

Emeritus Professor Norio Kaifu from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan thought that although the world knows much of the Greek and Roman myths, it is a shame that these astrological stories in Asia are hardly known. That is why he contacted numerous Asian astronomers and planetarium managers and launched this project.

From these stories about the stars passed down from generation to generation, we can learn about how the people of the past regarded the universe, the ties between countries in Asia, and even about their lives and how hot the sizzling sun must have felt back then.