Peace,
Remember I'm talking about human reactions.
'' Chinese astrologers wrote of an eclipse occurring over 4 000 years ago. Historians and astronomers believe that this was an eclipse that happened on 22 October 2134 BC. Two astrologers at the time, Hsi and Ho, had apparently failed to predict this eclipse, and as a result were beheaded.
Another eclipse recorded in ancient history was in Mesopotamia (now Iraq and Syria), and was seen in the town of Ugarit. It is now known to have occurred on 3 May 1375 BC.
People tend to react to a total solar eclipse according to their cultural beliefs.
In ancient China, the Chinese believed a dragon was swallowing the Sun during an eclipse, and therefore they banged drums and symbols and shot arrows skywards to scare the dragon away.
The Athenians of ancient Greece saw an eclipse (solar or lunar) as being caused by angry gods, and therefore they were regarded as bad omens.
The last book of the Christian Bible [Revelations, Chapter 6, Verse 12] predicts that an eclipse will occur, accompanied by earthquakes.
Emperor Louis, head of the Frankish Empire of Western Europe, is said to have been so awestruck by the total solar eclipse of 5 May 840, that he died shortly afterwards."
By the way, as recent as couple of years ago, some Anatolian villagers banged drums and shot rifles skyward in the 21st century , for reasons unknown to me, chanting Allahuakbar!