In light of the semi-recent (partial) Solar Eclipse, here’s something I happened across earlier in the month from what’s known as the ‘Indiculus Superstitionum Et Paganiarum’ (which is exactly what it sounds like – an ‘Index of Superstitions And Paganism’, an 8th century compilation of the folkways and religious customs of the pre-Christian Continental Germanics which the Church was busy endeavouring to extinguish at the time).

The Latin for entry 21 reads : “De lunae defectione, quod dicunt uinceluna [Vinceluna].”

Effectively – Of the Moon’s ‘Defectio’ [‘disappearance’, ‘desertion’ or ‘fainting’ – ‘eclipse’ in an astrological context, as here], what they call ‘Vince-Luna’.

The McNeill & Garner translation affords us some greater clarity, phrasing it, succinctly:

“Of the Eclipse of the Moon, when they call, ‘Triumph, Moon!'”

“Vince” being an imperative for ‘Vincere’ (‘To Win’, ‘To Conquer’ … or, to reference the English derivative: ‘To Vanquish’).

I share this, in part, because I rather found it endearing – this idea of a whole host of Germanics fervently shouting out encouragement to the Moon along the lines of “YOU CAN DO IT, MOON!” during the course of an Eclipse.

This is not our only attestation for such a practice amidst the pre-Christian European religious sphere(s), of course.

And I’ve collected a few other examples which I may briefly comment upon within due course.