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| The Oct 14 2023 annular solar eclipse, as viewed from SLC. |
These are all from the book Popular Beliefs and Superstitions from Utah (1984), compiled by Anthony S. Cannon.
The locations and dates in parenthesis are where/when the belief was cataloged.
- If a pregnant woman sees an eclipse, her baby will be born cross-eyed (SLC, 1963).
- If a person is born during an eclipse, they will suffer poverty and misfortune (SLC, 1938,); …they will be poor (Provo, 1947); … the mother will be stricken with poverty and misfortune (Helper, 1925).
- Looking at an eclipse of the sun will make you blind (Bountiful, 1962).
- If you and your lover look at an eclipse together you will be together forever (SLC, 1959).
- If an eclipse of the sun occurs on the 29th day of the month, there will be many deaths on the first day of the next month (Helper, 1959)
- An eclipse of the sun means destruction of the world (SLC, 1959)
- When there is an eclipse there is going to be a war (SLC, 1964)
- The world is going to end in 1972 because of the eclipse of the sun at that time (SLC, 1959)
Bonus beliefs, eclipses of the moon:
- If a pregnant woman touches her body during an eclipse, the baby will have a birthmark where she has touched (Bountiful, 1971)
- If a pregnant woman goes outdoors on the eclipse of the moon, her baby will have a harelip (Magna, 1961); …a cleft palate (Magna, 1949)
- An eclipse is the pursuit of the sun and moon by two enormous wolves who now and then nearly succeed in devouring our chief sources of light (SLC, 1963).
- An eclipse is caused by an enormous bear that is trying to devour the sun and now and then nearly succeeds in doing it (SLC, 1950s).
- The solar eclipse is caused by a great dragon attempting to swallow the sun (Vernal, 1959).
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