Old legends based on real events

Around the year 1006, astronomers around the world spotted what they described as a “guest star” in the sky. The Persian scholar Ibn Sina, however, gave a much more detailed account of the events than most of the others.

In Kitab al-Shifa (the Book of Healing), he explains how the transient object, visible in the sky for months, changes color. He added that he threw sparks before finally fading. For a long time the object was suspected of being a comet, but we now know that Sina was looking at a supernova, a supernova that took place 7,200 years ago and whose visible light only reached Earth beginning of the first millennium.

Although its visible wavelengths have since disappeared from view, the high-energy remains of the SN 1006 can still be seen through NASA’s Chandra X-ray observatory. The color change in this case may refer to the fusion of two white dwarfs. Which would create a particularly energetic and overflowing supernova of color. This is exactly what Sina has described, which means that not only is this legend true. But he has provided modern astronomers with details that could have been lost otherwise.

Thunderbird and the whale

Another Native American tale tells of a Thunderbird, a benevolent supernatural being. Diving into the sea and seizing a murderous whale, which deprived the Quileute tribe of its resources.

During this fight, powerful waves formed and many people were killed in chaos on dry land. Eventually, the Thunderbird successfully lifted the whale out of the sea before dropping it on land with a loud, loud noise.

Incredibly, in the 1980s, geologists discovered evidence that a powerful earthquake occurred in the Pacific Northwest in 1700. An earthquake that dislodged the ocean enough to cause a tsunami. Not only did it hit the American coast, but it was so powerful that it managed to reach Japan.

In addition, Aiornis, a giant prehistoric bird that early North American settlers saw, may have been the inspiration for the Thunderbird. With a wingspan of up to 5 meters (16 feet), he used to throw himself on whale carcasses to feast on. Although it is unlikely that he raised one on dry land.

Old legends based on real events

Also read: Incredible tales told by igbos

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