Random research day task

 Random research day task

For todays' day research task, in groups we have to pick a random word and research around it. The aim is to go on as many tangents as we can in order to find out some super niche facts; this will help me improve and find new ways of researching that can later inform the project. My group and I have chosen the word 'sun'. I have been given the role of researching around the folklore associated with the sun, as well as mythology behind it. 

Sun folklore

How Hou Yi shot the sun

In ancient Chinese mythology, there were not one but 10 suns. Every day, the sun goddess Shiho would pick one of these suns (who were also her suns) and put them in the sky. Whilst one of the suns was in the sky, the other 9 suns would play by the mythical Fusang tree. 

One day, the suns grew tired of their responsibility, so they decided to run along the sky all at once in order to generate enough heat and light to take a few days off. This ended up scorching the earth. 

The sun god Dijun took pity on the suffering mortals, so called in the expert archer Hou Yi to discipline the 10 suns. The archer stalked and killed 9 suns, but the last 10th sun survived as a young boy stole his last arrow, which saved the earth from being in eternal darkness. 

Dragon/ demons

Ancient Chinese myth also holds the belief that solar eclipses were caused by a demon or dragon devouring the sun. This myth led to the people of China banging drums around a solar eclipse to scare the demon or dragon away. 

Norse legend 

In ancient norse legend, the sun goddess Sol is chased through the sky by the wolf Skoll, who plans to devour her. Eclipses were said to be a sign of Skoll getting closer to Sol. In fact, the norse believed that one day, Skoll would finally devour Sol, tying into the myth of Ragnarok; this is the story of a great battle between all norse gods, where the world would be plunged into an apocalypse. 

The sun boat 

In Egyptian legend, the flacon headed sun god Ra would captain a crew on a boat across the sky every day. This boat was called Mandjet, meaning the 'boat of millions of years'. At night, Ra would return to the east via the underworld, where the serpent god Apep would attempt to stop Ra by devouring him. Solar eclipses were thought to be Apep getting an upper hand of Ra in their battle. 

Cherokee legend

According to Cherokee legend, the sun always grew jealous of her brother moon because the people of earth always looked up to her with twisted faces and squinted eyes, while they gently smiled at night. Angry at the humans for their ugly expressions, the sun began to use the opportunity to send down so much heat that people would die of fever.

The humans then turned to the little men; the little men were friendly, magical spirits who lived in the forest. The little men said the sun must die, so they turned one man into a rattlesnake and another into an antlered serpent called Uktena.

The rattlesnake arrived at the suns' daughters house to wait for her arrival. While he was waiting, the sun's daughter opened the door and he accidentally bit her, killing her. When the sun came to see her daughter, she wept, flooding the earth with tears.

To stop the sun from weeping, the people of earth made an attempt to rescue to the dead daughter from the land of ghosts, but failed. When they returned, the sun began to weep even harder. To stop her weeping and to make the sun happy again, the people of earth began to dance and play music, called the sun dance. 

Slowing down the sun

The Maori people of New Zealand tell a tale where the days are shorter than what they are now. The hero Maui often heard his brothers complain about the lack of light during the day, so he decided to solve the problem by taming the sun. Although skeptical, Maui and his brothers helped him weave a net to catch the sun.

Maui and his brothers went east to find the suns resting place, covering the entry to the suns cave and covering themselves in clay to protect themselves from the suns heat. When the sun emerged, it fought and struggled in the net, but the brothers held it firmly. Maui began to beat the sun until the star was so weakened it could no longer race across the sky. This is how the days were made longer.