Total Lunar Eclipse Of Jungle Tales Of Tarzan

I was intoduced to Tarzan by my father in the second grade at age 6 in 1961 He was a big Johnny Weissmuller fan. My father worked second shift, so during the school months my sister and I saw little of him except on the weekends. It became a weekend family tradition that when it was time for him to get up my mother would send us in to wake him.

Johnny Weissmuller & Maureen O'Sullivan 

When we woke him he pretended to be Tarzan and that we were natives or other apes. He roared loudly, beat his chest, give the ape call, and wrestled and tossed us about. Naturally I also became a Tarzan movie fan by seeing TV reruns on Saturday 

Johnny Weissmuller 

When I was age 9 someone abandoned a small comic collecton which ended up in my hands. Several were Tarzan and they became the foundation of a lifetime of collecting ERB.

Gold Key Tarzan

At age 12 in 1966 I discovered a used book store near my new school. There I started buying Tarzan and Korak comics at .5 cents each. In that store I also discovered the ERB, ACE and Ballentine paperbacks that I had no idea existed. I started buying them at .50 cents each. I also discovered Robert E. Howard and Doc Savage that I also began to collect and buy for .50 cents.

Tarzan & The Jewels Of Opar

In those books I discovered ERB fanzines that I had no idea existed. At 15 years old in 1969 I started subscribing to ERB-dom, ERBania, The Jasmoon, and Burroughs Bulletin. From them I discovered a subject called the "Tarzan Chronology"and "The Korak Time Descripensy".

ERB-APA Reprints By JMM

This subject addressed the question of "How Old Is Tarzan"? Sounds simple enough.

  • Tarzan born. The exact date left unrecorded but most accept the year as 1888.
  • Tarzan sees his 1st man at age 18 in 1890.
  • In Jungle Tales Of Tarzan the total lunar eclipse occurs days prior to the ape-man seeing whites. That would make him 20 years old. Yet there were no total lunar eclipses in Angola in 1908.
  • Tarzan sees his 1st white man at age 20 in 1908.
  • Jane has a child off stage between The Return Of Tarzan and The Beasts Of Tarzan. 
  • The Eternal Lover, which occurs in spring 1913 describes Jack Clayton as being a toddler just becoming independent in walking.
  • Jack/Korak runs away to Africa at age 10. If he was born in 1912 and ran away to Africa at age 10 the year would be 1922. How could ERB pen The Son Of Tarzan in 1915 if the events do not occur until 1922?
  • In Tarzan The Terrible,  Jack/Korak is fighting on the Arrogonne Front in France during WW I as an adult. September 26, 1918 to November 11, 1918. How could ERB pen this 1918 true life historical event when The Son Of Tarzan does not occur until after 1922?
Joe Jusko

What this information shows is that the total lunar eclipse at the end of Jungle Tales Of Tarzan did not happen when the ape-man was age 20 as described more than once. There is no total lunar eclipse in 1908.

  • If John Clayton III/Jack/Korak was born approximately in 1912 how could he be old enough to fight in WW I. 
  • If the jungle lord lived in an alternate universe or was capable of time travel why isn't it told throughout the Tarzan series? The only books that addressed time was The Eternal Lover and Tarzan At The Earth's Core. The second book is a world without time, not about time travel.
Tarzan Rescues The Moon 

The Eternal Lover would/could be the only exception. 

  • The Sci-Fi crowd says Nu and Victoria Custer travel back and forth through time.
  • The Adventure crowd says Victoria Custer and Nu did not time travel. Instead Victoria swooned and dreamed the events 

In all my long years of Tarzan research John F. Roy has come the closest to answering this question accurately. He believed in the "Burroughs Universe".

  • John personally taught me (and so did his ERB-APA articles) that Tarzan and all of ERB's characters lived in a Sci-Fi Universe. A pareleal universe of our world, but not the Universe as we know it. On this second Earth time travel, astral projection, rencarnation, long livity,  dimension hopping and planet relocation was just an everyday normal occurance.
  • John was the first researcher that I know of that encluded John Carter's great-nephew, the narrator into his timeline.
This is also the official model that ERB, Inc. has adopted. It is the perfect solution for eleminating all the time descripencies. Even in this model the total lunar eclipse described in Jungle Tales Of Tarzan is a stubborn fit.
  • There was no total lunar eclipse in 1908 on Earth when Tarzan was 20 years old.
  • Therefore, to except this model, one would have to except that Tarzan lived on an alternate Earth that does have a total lunar eclipse when Tarzan is 20 years old.
  • To accept the Burroughs Universe model one has to accept that ERB's great-nephew from Virginia, aka the narrator, was able to go back and forth through time. ERB wrote The Son Of Tarzan between January 21 - May11, 1915. So how could the narrator pen that Jack/Korak (born 1912) was fighting on the Argonne Front during September 26, 1918 through November 11, 1918 at 6 years old?
The Adventure crowd prefers Tarzan as a human being living on the Earth as we know it.
  • Yes, there are some things (dinosaurs, hominoids, Pellucidar, etc.) that pushes the boundaries of reality throughout the Tarzan series. Although Sci-Fi fiction in reality, the series is narrated like it is real life instead of fantasy.
To make things even more complicated the Adventure crowd is divided into different groups when it comes to Tarzan's birthdate.
  • 1888, the most accepted.
  • 1872, the second most accepted.
  • All other dates.
Believe it or not, two people are responsible for all these theories. Edgar Rice Burroughs and John Harwood.

Edgar Rice Burroughs
  • ERB, the author from Chicago, penned the Tarzan series like it was a true life adventure story with a dab of fantasical thrown in.
  • ERB the narrator, John Carter's great-nephiew, penned the Tarzan series like it was Science Fiction.  Both John Carter and the narrator lived extremely long lives, Carson Naper relocated to Venus. Captain Jack Carter and others were transported to Mars. The Moon trilogy hints at reincarnation. 

John Harwood

  • Father of the 1888 Tarzan chronology, (The most accepted).

We previously examined the problems of an 1888 Tarzan chronology and they have not changed here. 

  • There was no total lunar eclipse in 1908 when Tarzan was age 20.
  • Jack and Korak can not be the same person.
  • The Son Of Tarzan does not fit into a 1888 timeline 

Let's examine the 1872 timeline and see how it holds up to scrutiny..

  • Sep. 1, 1872. Tarzan born
  • after Sep. 1, 1890. Sees 1st humans at age 18.
  • after Sep. 1, 1892. Sees 1st whites at age 20.
  • Nov. 4, 1892. Total Lunar Eclipse in Jungle Tales Of Tarzan at age 20. True life total eclipse date.
  • after September 1, 1894. Tarzan married Jane at age 22.
  • Jack/Korak born off stage between The Return Of Tarzan and The The Beasts Of Tarzan.
  • In The Beasts Of Tarzan Jack/Korak is described as a pre-walking baby.
  • In The Son Of Tarzan, Jack/Korak at the age of 10,  runs away to West Portuguese Angola.
  • Jack/Korak is mentioned in Tarzan The Untamed as fighting on the Aragone Front in France. September 26, 1918, thru November 11, 1918.
Tarzan The Untamed 

The number one key to forming an accurate Tarzan chronology is the total lunar eclipse described in Jungle Tales Of Tarzan when the ape-man is 20 years old.

Tarzan Rescues The Moon 

  • The Burroughs Universe timeline does not feature a total lunar eclipse in West Portuguese Angola when the ape-man is 20 years old. This applies to both John F. Roy and Philip Jose Farmer's alternate universe timeline.
  • The 1888 timeline, based on the theory that Tarzan is a real life human being living on the planet Earth that we live on, does not feature a total lunar eclipse in West Portuguese Angola when the ape-man is 20 years old. This theory is championed by Alan Hanson, Joe Ferrior, and Dan Slott.
  • John Harwood, Henning Kure, Thomas Yates, and Dan Slott have produced an 1872 timeline, based on the theory that Tarzan was a real life human being living on the planet Earth as we know it, but none of the four produced a total lunar eclipse on a true life eclipse date when the ape-man was 20 years old. None of the four included John Carter's great- nephew, the narrator, in their timelines in spite of him playing a major role.
  • James Michael Moody is the only Tarzan Chronologist, past or present, to successfully insert a real life total lunar eclipse into his 1872 timeline based on the theory that the ape-man was a real life human being living on the planet Earth as we know it,while the king of the jungle is 20 years old.
  • Moody and John F. Roy both enclude John Carter's great-nephew, aka the narrator, into their timeline.

DATE:  November 4, 1892                EVENT:  A full moon and total lunar eclipse. Tarzan Rescues The Moon. Chapter Five.                                                SOURCE:  "See! Goro is emerging from the belly of Numa," and, sure enough, the moon was gradually emerging from whatever had devoured her, whether it was Numa, the lion, or the shadow of the earth;" ERB- Jungle Tales Of Tarzan. The real life total lunar eclipse of November 4, 1892. 

U.S. Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department's Phases Of The Moon.www.rodurago.net/en/index.php?link=calendar&site=details

Tarzan Rescues The Moon

Historical Recap Of The November 4, 1892, Total Lunar Eclipse

Observers at 10° South latitude in West Portuguese Angola (modern-day Angola, near the Kwanza River region) witnessed a Total Lunar Eclipse.  
  • Because this location is in the Southern Hemisphere and relatively close to the equator, the Moon appeared high in the night sky during the event. 
  • This specific eclipse was a "shallow" totality, meaning the Moon passed through the northern edge of the Earth's dark umbral shadow rather than through the center.   

  • At 10^\circ South, the local time was approximately UTC+1. 

  • The Full Moon rose in the East-Northeast around 5:45 PM.   

  • Partial Phase Begins: At 3:09 PM UTC (4:09 PM Local), the Moon began entering the Earth's umbra. 

  • However, since the Moon had not yet risen in West Portuguese Angola, the early stages were not visible.

  • At 4:22 PM UTC (5:22 PM Local), the Moon became completely submerged in shadow. In West Portuguese Angola, the Moon rose while already in a state of totality.

  • At 4:44 PM UTC (5:44 PM Local), the Moon was deepest into the shadow. At 10^\circ South, this occurred just as the Moon was clearing the horizon.

  • At 5:06 PM UTC (6:06 PM Local), the first sliver of the "re-emerging" Moon became visible.

  • At 6:21 PM UTC (7:21 PM Local), the Moon fully exited the dark umbral shadow, returning to its normal brightness.

For an observer in 1892 West Portuguese Angola, the experience would have been quite striking:

  • Residents would have seen a dark, reddish Moon rising shortly after sunset. 

  • Because the eclipse was already total at moonrise, the Moon would not have been the usual bright white, but rather a dull copper or deep "brick" red.

  • At 10^\circ South, the low angle of the Moon during the total phase would have caused it to interact with the thicker atmosphere near the horizon, potentially making the red color even more intense or "muddy."

  • Since this was a shallow eclipse (Magnitude 1.09), the northern edge of the Moon (the top part as seen from the Southern Hemisphere) would have appeared much brighter than the southern edge, as it was closer to the edge of the Earth's shadow.

  • As the Moon's glare was extinguished by the shadow, the Milky Way and the stars of the constellation Aries (where the Moon was positioned) would have become vividly visible in the dark tropical sky.

Historical Context

  • In 1892, West Portuguese Angola was under colonial administration. 

  • Scientific interest in that era focused on using the timing of the eclipse to determine precise longitude for mapping the interior of the continent.

Environmental Conditions 

  • Observers likely experienced humid conditions with temperatures around 24°C to 28°C (75°F–82°F) in the evening.

  • November often brings increased cloud cover. 

  • While the eclipse was astronomically visible, there was a high probability of intermittent clouds or "low-hanging mist" common in the coastal regions, which could have obscured the Moon as it rose over the horizon.

  • There was virtually no light pollution. Beyond the dim glow of oil lamps in the towns of Luanda or Benguela, the sky would have been "true dark," making the reddish hue of the eclipsed Moon stand out dramatically against the stars.

Scientific & Historical Context

  • During the late 19th century, Portugal was in the midst of "Scientific Occupation"—an effort to map and solidify control over its African territories through science and infrastructure.

  • Expeditions in the early 1890s used lunar eclipses as "celestial clocks." By comparing the local time of the eclipse in the West Portuguese Angolan bush to the predicted time in Lisbon (from the Almanach Nautico), explorers could calculate their longitude to ensure their maps of the interior were accurate.

Cultural Impact

  • In many Bantu-based cultures of the era, celestial shifts were often interpreted as omens related to the health of the ruler or the coming harvest.

  • The sight of the moon "bleeding" (turning red) just as it rose would have been a powerful and potentially unsettling event for those not briefed on astronomical mechanics





About The Author 

James Michael Moody is a lifelong fan and collector of Edger Rice Burroughs. Moody has contributed over two hundred articles to various ERB-related fanzines over forty-five years. He also manages an unauthorized Tarzan blog titled, Greystoke Chronologist: James Michael Moody. There the researcher chronologies the Tarzan books starting in May 1872 (known as the pushback theory) instead of the more accepted date, May 1888.







James Michael Moody is also the author of the sci-fi/fantasy action/adventure Unium series. Pioneers On Unium, December 31, 2019, Exiled On Unium, published August 25, 2022, and Swordsman On Unium, published July 15, 2024.


































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