The Secret Mountain - The Sun Disappears

[Timmy-the-dog]

We had typical Bank-holiday weather on Sunday so I did the obvious wet weekend thing - read an Enid Blyton book. I haven't read The Secret Mountain for ages and must admid I had forgotten much of the details - age - arghhh!!!

The bit where Captain Arnold makes the sun disappear is brilliant and the childhood memories of that remained - and then I thought - "that's familiar!" Sure enough, got out my old Tin-Tin collection and found the same thing in "Prisoners of the sun" The memory was well-and-truely jogged by then and I also vaguely remembered seeing a similar scene in a movie - I think it was either "King Solomon's Mines" or certainly something very close.
Apocalypto uses almost the same thing to save good old Mel ~Gibson from a darstardly death

Interesting how the same idea gets used through the ages - anyone know of any more examples of this or where the eclipse idea actually originated from?

cheers
Timmy

[Lucky Star]

It was certainly used in H Rider Haggards novel King Solomons Mines. The hero's there also used it to defuse a sticky situation in which an African tribe were about to kill them. It even followed a similar pattern to Blyton's scene with the hero (cant remember his name offhand) shouting at the sun before "killing" it. I'm not sure but I think he shot it with a rifle as opposed to capt. Arnold's throwing of a knife. In any case that novel was published in 1885 so I would hazard a guess that that was the first instance of the eclipse being used as a plot device. I loved that book as a child, perhaps Blyton had read it too and the scene stuck in her famous undermind?

[Timmy-the-dog]

Hi Lucky Star
I thought it was "King Soloman's mines" but couldn't really remember. Yes Maybe Enid did read the novel and the idea stuck. I don't think I've ever read it so I may give it a go.

I've since done a bit of research and it seems as if Christopher Columbus used a similar trick - trying to find out more......
cheers
timmy

[Anita Bensoussane]

I've since done a bit of research and it seems as if Christopher Columbus used a similar trick

Fascinating. It's amazing what we learn on these Forums!

Anita

[Lenoir]

There was also an eclipse during a well-known battle between the (victorious) Zulus and the British. I’m referring to the battle of Isandlwana (22/01/1879).
The battle was at its most intense at about 2.00pm, and a partial eclipse of the sun at about this time added an eerie quality to it.