The Northern Lights: Magical Stories and Beliefs

Written and performed by Olivia Armstrong for the National Maritime Museum

Introduction

• The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are natural displays of colored light visible in the night sky, caused by interactions between solar particles and Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field.

Locations

• Visible in regions such as Siberia, Scandinavia, Iceland, southern Greenland, northern Canada, and Alaska.

Descriptions

• Resemble moving, swirling rainbows of green, yellow, blue, and violet.
• Appearing as kaleidoscopes of color dancing across the night sky.

Historical Beliefs and Legends

• Explorers' Tales:
  • Viewed as pathways to the heavens, with torches lit by spirits for new arrivals.
• Galileo's Naming:
  • Named Aurora Borealis; "Aurora" for light of dawn, and "Borealis" for northern.

Cultural Myths

• Finnish Myth:
  • The Revontulet ("Fox Fires") believed to be caused by an arctic fire fox sweeping snow into the sky with its tail.
• North America:
  • Considered the joyous dance of spirits or animal spirits by First Nation people.
  • Inuit myth of spirits playing ball using a walrus skull.
• Sweden:
  • Thought to be light reflecting off the scales of abundant Arctic fish.

Fear and Awe

• Inuit Elders:
  • Used the lights to frighten disobedient children.
• First Nation People of Wisconsin:
  • Saw them as ominous signs of impending war.

Local Beliefs and Practices

• Greenland Inuit:
  • Some reported hearing the lights, associating them with spirit movements.
  • Believed that whistling could bring the lights closer.
• Lapland:
  • Shouting might make lights burn or carry one away; whispering or clapping was safer.
• Algonquin of Ottawa and Ontario:
  • The lights were seen as reflections of fires made by Nanahbozho, the Earth’s creator, as a sign of his watchful love.

Conclusion

• The Northern Lights hold various meanings across cultures, encompassing beauty, mystery, and folklore.
• Encourages finding and sharing your own story of the Northern Lights.

Explore tales and wonder about the Northern Lights and share them with your loved ones as a way to connect to the magic and mythology of this natural marvel.