The enchanting dance of the northern lights has captivated people ever since they settled in the North. If you’ve ever had the chance to see the northern lights, you’ll see why cultures across the North formed myths and legends around them.
Today, we know that the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are formed when electrically charged particles from the Sun interact with the Earth’s atmosphere. But long before we could study the sky, the lights were revered, loved, and feared within the Aurora Oval — and sometimes further south.
Here are our favorite myths and legends about the northern lights that show the rich imagination of our forefathers as they tried to make sense of this phenomenon.
The northern lights in Norse mythology
For the Vikings, the northern lights were a godsend. They believed that in every battle on Earth, their god, Odin, would pick the warriors who would die and join him in Valhalla — the promised land for Viking warriors.
If you fell on the battlefield, mythical female angels of death known as the Valkyrie would guide you to Valhalla. The Valkyrie rode on horseback and wore shiny armor. Hence, Vikings believed the northern lights were the reflections of their battle armor as they guided fallen warriors to Odin’s magnificent hall. It was a great honor to fall in battle and an even more incredible honor if the Valkyrie chose you to serve in Odin’s heavenly army.
Other Norse legends claim that these lights were the breath of fallen soldiers who had died in battle. Others believed it was the “Bifrost Bridge,” a portal that led slain warriors to Valhalla.
The fire foxes of Finland
In Finnish, the aurora is called “revontulet,” which means fox fire. According to their myth, Arctic foxes caused these lights by running across the sky so fast that their furry tails created sparks as they brushed against the mountains.
Others believed that as the foxes raced across the snowy mountains, their tails threw snowflakes into the sky, reflecting the stars and moons and creating magnificent northern lights.
Cross-eyed children in Iceland and death whispers in Greenland
The Icelandic people believe that the northern lights were there to ease childbirth. But pregnant women were warned not to look directly at these lights; otherwise, their child would be born cross-eyed or squinting.
Greenlanders believed the lights represented the departed spirits of children who had died at childbirth dancing across the sky. Other indigenous people also believed these were their deceased family members showing up to whisper messages to their closest relatives. They also believed dogs howled at the light because they recognized their former owners.
Omens of death among the Sami people of northern Scandinavia
The indigenous Sami people live in northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. For them, the aurora was feared and respected in equal measure. They believed the northern lights were souls from the departed people, but unlike other cultures who welcomed their presence, the Sami think you shouldn’t talk about them.
They also believed singing, whistling, or waving under them was harmful. If you did this, you would catch the aurora’s attention, and it could reach down and carry you away or even lop your head off!
Besides the Sami people, the Fox Indians in Wisconsin believed these lights were troubled spirits of their dead enemies, and they showed war was imminent.
The benevolent gods of Native Americans
Some Native American tribes have myths and legends similar to those of Vikings. They believe the northern lights were torches held by spirits who guided the recently departed souls to the land of plenty. These lights made whistling sounds to communicate with humans, and people were supposed to answer in whispers.
The Algonquin tribes in northern Michigan and Canada say that their creator Nanabozho moved to the far North and lit a massive fire. So the northern lights reflected this fire, showing them he was always thinking of them.
The Menominee peoples of Wisconsin believed the lights were torches held by gentle giants as they fished at night. Meanwhile, the Inuit people in Greenland say the lights were their ancestors’ spirits playing celestial games in the skies with a walrus skull.
Myths of the northern lights beyond the aurora oval
If the aurora appears further south in other European countries outside the aurora oval, it appears reddish. That explains why most continental European cultures (France, England, or Scotland) viewed the lights as an evil omen forecasting war or other dangers.
Further south, people can also see the southern lights called Aurora Australis. Many indigenous people in Australia have several myths and legends about the southern lights. The Maori in New Zealand believed that the glimpses they had of these southern lights were torches or campfires from their departed forefathers.
The timeless wonder of the northern lights
Even with today’s scientific explanations, we are still awed by the northern and southern lights. The diverse legends and myths across several cultures show the broad range of human imagination and our universal desire to understand or ascribe meaning to the beauty around us.
