In general, as will be seen, the eclipse, by a natural association of ideas, reinforced by the survival of the primitive sense of terror at the startling phenomenon of the moon passing into a shadow, was generally regarded as an evil omen, and it was merely a question which quarter of the world was to be affected. The frequency of inun- dations in a land like the Euphrates Valley made it safe to hazard a prediction of an overflow of the Tigris and Euphrates ; and a single coincidence of an eclipse in the spring, with particularly heavy floods during the rainy season, would be sufficient to establish in the minds of the people a connexion
* Thompson, No. 268.
+ Here used apparently for Assyria.
{ Thompson, No. 271.
§ The night and day were ordinarily divided into three watches of four hours each. See Delitzsch, Zeitschr. Siir Assyr. vol. iv. pp. 284-287.
|| 4.e. many will die.
4] A country to the north-east of Babylonia. The omen means that Babylonia need not fear an attack from this region.
** The third month.
tt z.e. the country will be so deeply inundated that the fish will swim about in all directions.
tt 7.e. there will be failure of crops,
between the two events. Indeed, so unusual an occurrence as an eclipse would necessarily prompt a closer attention to events—such as poor crops, or the death of a king, or even a military expedition with its inevitable result of greater or lesser loss of life—that at other times would be taken for granted as perfectly normal occurrences, or, if not normal, at least not of an extraordinary character.
The principles underlying the omens derived from other conditions observed in connexion with the moon are of the same general character — natural association of ideas and conclusions drawn from past events coincident with the conditions in question. Thus, in an interesting series of reports regarding the significance of a halo around the moon, a favourable or unfavourable interpretation depends upon the character of the halo, whether bright or dark—the latter being regarded in general as an indication of rain—or whether the halo was continuous or interrupted, and what planets or stars were to be seen within the halo. One of these reports,* which begins with the omen to be derived from the conjunction of the moon and sun on the 16th day, passes on to halo omens, and furnishes the following data :—
‘If the moon has a halo, and the sunt stands within the halo of the moon, throughout the land one will speak justice, the father with his son will speak justice, the hosts will be successful. If the moon has a halo, and Mars stands within it, there will be destruction of cattle throughout the land, the planting of dates will not prosper, or it portends that Amurru will be diminished. If the moon has a halo, and two stars stand within the moon’s halo, it portends along rule. If Mars and a planet stand facing each other [within it], it portends an attack on Elam. If Mars passes out (?) of the halo, the king of Elam will die.’
It thus appears that Mars, which bears a name (Mushtabarru mutdnu, i.e. ‘portending death’) that suggests ill-luck, is an unfavourable planet, whereas the ‘sun’ planet, Saturn, carries with it associations of good fortune and prosperity. The presence of Mars with another planet suggests a conflict ; while Mars leaving the halo, again by a natural association of ideas transfers the ill-omen to Elam, the hated rival of Babylonia. Likewise, from omens derived from observation of the move- ments of the planets, we learn that this distinction between favourable and unfavourable planets is maintained, though there are circumstances under which a favourable planet like Marduk - Jupiter may become a portender of evil, while Nergal- Mars may under certain conditions change his forbidding aspect to one of good fortune. Thus, when Marduk - Jupiter appears at the beginning of the year, it portends a good crop of corn;* whereas, if the moon casts his shadow on Marduk,§ it means that a king will die in that year, or that an eclipse of the sun or moon will take place, and a ‘great king’ || will die; and, again, it is interest- ing to observe the combination of favourable with unfavourable omens in the approach of a planet like Jupiter towards Mars, or in their position towards each other. We learn { that when Marduk stands in front of Nergal there will be prosperous crops, but also that it portends a slaughter of men. The approach of Nergal to Marduk means devas- tation, death among cattle, or that the king of Akkad will die in that year ; but at the same time it indicates plentiful crops. The evil suggested by Nergal is therefore compensated in a measure by the favourable indications associated under
* Thompson, No. 99. See the general remarks on the halo of the moon, in the Introduction, vol. ii. pp. xxiv-xxvi.
t By sun is here meant the ‘sun star’ or the planet Saturn, as the text, No. 176, rev. 3-4, specifically states.
t Thompson, No. 184. § Ib. No. 192.
_|| The ‘great king’ in these reports means apparently the king of Babylonia, or perhaps also Assyria; whereas ‘a king’ means a ruler of some smaller country.