Aurora Borealis in Myths
Aurora Borealis means ‘red dawn of the north’, and signify the northern light. The northern lights are seen as a celestial luminosity which appears abruptly, illuminating the sky with incredible speed in great arcs as ghostly wisps in green, yellow, red and violet dance. This surreal lightshow has inspired myths and legends all over the world: The Inuit of Greenland believed the lights came from the Realm of the Dead, caused by spirits trying to contact their living relatives, and their voice could be heard as a whistling, crackling noise. Many Native Americans believed that they could summon ghosts and spirits by whistling to the lights; considered to be a dangerous task. Another common belief was that the northern lights were the reflections in the sky of huge fires in the distant north, or that God himself lighted up the dark and cold parts of the world. Another romantic conception, found in Danish folklore, is that these lights were due to a throng of swans flying so far to the north that they were caught in the ice: each time they flapped their wings, they created reflections which created the northern lights. Norwegian sailors would say that the display was the souls of maidens waving and dancing in the night-sky; and in Greenland some Eskimos considered the aurora to be the spirits of stillborn or murdered children. In ancient Norse mythology, aurora rays were perceived as the reflections of the shields of the Valkyries as they rode across the sky bearing warriors slain in battle to their heroic resting place in Valhalla. In ancient times, most people were afraid of the lights. Children would be brought inside when the mystifying flames of auroras spread across the heavens, for the lights or the spirits could descend to take life, even cut heads off. The Lapps of Northern Sweden were fearful of the supernatural powers of the brilliant lights: in order to protect themselves they would remain indoors and chant; or if outside, they would be sure to cover up and so keep out of reach of the rays. Alaskan Inuit people were likewise suspicious of the lights; they hid their children and even carried sharp knives as protection, and further means of warding off the lights’ threatening powers were to hurl dog excrement or urine at the aurora. In many places northern lights were a threat to people’s lives and health. Inuit people of the Canadian Arctic, however, believed in the aurora’s curative powers and their shamans would make astral journeys to the aurora in order to receive advice on how to treat the sick and even rescue souls from death. In China and Japan northern lights have been linked to fertility, being considered a prediction of a forthcoming birth. The aurora could even be called upon to help women through the painful experience of childbirth. In Iceland it was believed that if a pregnant woman gazed at the northern lights her child would be cross eyed. In Swedish farming tradition the aurora is thought to enhance the fruitfulness of the earth: when the northern lights are shining it means there will be an abundance of seeds and the promise of a rich harvest. On the American continent, the Copper Eskimos of northern Canada thought the aurora to be the spirits responsible for good weather and bountiful hunting. In Scandinavian folklore one explanation for the lights is that they are the sun’s rays reflecting off great shoals of herring in the northern sea: a welcome omen for fishermen to haul in large catches of fish. In many areas in the Nordic countries it was widely believed that the northern lights were a vengeful force killing those who mocked it. Many believed it was a message from the creator. Flaming auroras reminded people that their creator still cared, and an old tale said that “God is angry when the aurora flames”. During medieval times the northern lights were an omen of war, disasters or plagues. Some cultures have welcomed the celestial lights as boding good fortune; others have greatly feared the light as a messenger of impending doom and harbinger of disaster and calamity.
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