People of past centuries did not know where a comet comes from and what kind of celestial body it was. And what is unknown is always frightening: the human psyche takes precautions just in case. It is not surprising that comets were taken for a fiery sword punishing sinners, or for a fairy-tale dragon with a flaming tongue. Many were convinced that these celestial wanderers foretell the death of rulers, the fall of kingdoms, pestilence, devastation of lands, and so on, in general, all the troubles and misfortunes that can befall a person.
