For thousands of years, people around the world have watched the Northern Lights and woven them into their folklore, beliefs, and customs. Auroras were often seen as signs from the gods, or the spirits of their ancestors. Some cultures believed them to be good luck, while others thought they were dangerous, and took shelter from them.

In Ancient Roman mythology, Aurora is the goddess of dawn, renewing herself every morning to fly across the sky, announcing the arrival of the sun.

The indigenous Sami people of Scandinavia feared the Northern Lights. They believed they could scare the lights away by clapping their hands, but whistling could cause them to come closer and appear brighter!

Here in Iceland, auroras were believed to ease the pain of childbirth – but if a pregnant woman looked at the Northern Lights, her child would be born cross-eyed! Others in Iceland believed that if the lights were dancing especially much, then it meant a big storm was coming, or that a war was occurring somewhere else in the world.

In Finland, legend spoke of an arctic fox that would run across the tundra, and its bushy tail would swipe against mountains, causing sparks to rise into the air. These sparks, or “fox fires,” were said to be the Northern Lights!

In ancient Sweden, the Northern Lights were said to be good luck, because fishermen believed the auroras were reflections from schools of herring swimming far away in the sea. They thought that if they followed the auroras, it would lead to their next big catch!

In Denmark, there was a legend of swans who would hold competitions to see who could fly the farthest north. As they flapped their wings, the ice that formed on them would reflect sunlight and glisten, resulting in the auroras.

In Norse mythology, there were female warrior spirits called the Valkyries, and it was their job to decide the fates of warriors in battle. The most honourable warriors dined and drank with the gods in Valhalla in the afterlife. It was said that the Valkyries’ shining golden armour would reflect the sun as they rode through the skies, causing the Northern Lights.

Sometimes when the Aurora is large and extends to more southern latitudes, it takes on a dark red hue. In the past, people of southern Europe linked this to blood in battle, and saw it as the harbinger of calamity. Before the onset of the French Revolution, inhabitants of Scotland and England reported hearing the sounds of battle and seeing images of great armies engaging each other in the skies. Similar dramatic sightings were recorded on January 25th, 1938 as Europe stood on the brink of another World War.

In Greenland, some Inuit consider the Aurora to be the spirits of departed children. The mood of the spirits could be sensed from the formation and movement of the Aurora. When they were happy, the lights danced about in the sky, but if they were sad, the lights were still. Sometimes they were resentful, and then the lights rushed Earthwards attempting to prevent the souls of the newly dead from ascending.

In China and Japan, the Northern Lights have also been linked to fertility, being considered a prediction of a forthcoming birth. Some believe that the children conceived under the Northern Lights will prosper and will be blessed with good luck. 

To look skywards on a crisp, clear night and see these giant curtains of light weaving and swaying, gliding and flowing gracefully across the northern heavens is pure magic. The Norwegian poet Knut Hamsun, in his poem Snow, aptly described the aurora as a heavenly feast

inspired the scientific and the artistic in man. But while scientific knowledge of the 21st century may at last offer us a cold and precise explanation of this magnificent phenomenon, we should never cease to relish the fascinating tales of old, rejoice in the aurora’s entrancing beauty and mystery, and embrace the cosmic experience it offers.