Mythos | Aurora Newsletter

Early Greek and Roman Observations

An aurora was described by the Greek explorer Pytheas in the 4th century BC. Seneca wrote about auroras in the first book of his Naturales Quaestiones, classifying them, for instance as pithaei (barrel-like); chasmata (chasm); pogoniae (bearded); cyparissae (like cypress trees), and describing their manifold colors. He wrote about whether they were above or below the clouds, and recalled that under Tiberius, an aurora formed above the port city of Ostia that was so intense and red that a cohort of the army, stationed nearby for fire duty, galloped to the rescue. It has been suggested that Pliny the Elder depicted the aurora borealis in his Natural History, when he refers to trabes, chasma, falling red flames and daylight in the night.

The word "aurora" is derived from the name of the Roman goddess Aurora who traveled from east to west announcing the coming of the sun. Ancient Roman poets used the name metaphorically to refer to dawn, often mentioning its play of colours across the otherwise dark sky (e.g. "rosy fingered dawn").

In Norse Mythology

Odin was the chief god and ruler of Asgard, revered by all Vikings. They believed he lived in Valhalla, where he was preparing for Ragnarök—a series of events that would precipitate the end of the gods and begin the world anew. In Viking legend, Ragnarök was predestined and would be Odin’s greatest battle; he needed the bravest warriors at his side.

During every battle on Earth, Odin would pick the warriors who would die and join him in Valhalla. The Valkyries—female warriors on horseback, who wore armour and carried spears and shields—were tasked with leading Odin’s chosen warriors to Valhalla. The Vikings believed the Northern Lights illuminating the sky were reflections of the Valkyries’ armor as they led the warriors to Odin.

Dying in battle was considered an honor for the Norse people, and many of their legends feature great wars, while celebrating the warriors who died fighting. In some legends, they claim the Aurora was the final breath of brave soldiers who died in combat. In others, the Aurora was believed to be the 'Bifrost Bridge,' a glowing, pulsing arch which led fallen warriors to their final resting place in Valhalla.

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Did You Know?

Benjamin Franklin once wrote a paper on auroras, and attributed them to high electrical charge at the poles due to snow.

Native Peoples

Native Americans

A variety of Native American myths surround the lights. The European explorer Samuel Hearne traveled with Chipewyan Dene in 1771 and recorded their views on the ed-thin ('caribou'). According to Hearne, the Dene people saw the resemblance between an aurora and the sparks produced when caribou fur is stroked. They believed that the lights were the spirits of their departed friends dancing in the sky, and when they shone brightly it meant that their deceased friends were very happy.

Sámi People

For the Sámi, the indigenous Finno-Ugric people, the lights didn’t tell stories of heroism and bravery; instead, they were to be feared and respected in equal measure. The appearance of the Northern Lights was a bad omen.Thought to be the souls of the dead, the Sámi believed you shouldn’t talk about the Northern Lights, nor should you tease them—waving, whistling, or singing under them would alert the lights to your presence. If you caught their attention, the lights could reach down and carry you up into the sky.

Aboriginal Australians

In the traditions of Aboriginal Australians, the Aurora Australis is commonly associated with fire. For example, the Gunditjmara people of western Victoria called auroras puae buae ('ashes'), while the Gunai people of eastern Victoria perceived auroras as bushfires in the spirit world. The Dieri people of South Australia say that an auroral display is kootchee, an evil spirit creating a large fire. Similarly, the Ngarrindjeri people of South Australia refer to auroras seen over Kangaroo Island as the campfires of spirits in the 'Land of the Dead'.

Other Northern Legends

In Icelandic folklore, they believed the Northern Lights helped to ease the pain of childbirth, but pregnant women were not to look directly at them or their child would be born cross-eyed. In Greenland, people held the bittersweet belief that the lights were the spirits of children who had died in childbirth, dancing across the sky. And in Norway, the Northern Lights were believed to be the souls of old maids dancing in the heavens and waving at those below.

Finnish Fire Foxes

In Finland, the name for the Northern Lights is revontulet, literally translated to ‘fire fox.’ The name comes from the rather beautiful myth that Arctic foxes produced the Aurora; these fire foxes would run through the sky so fast that when their large, furry tails brushed against the mountains, they created sparks that lit up the sky. A similar version of this story says that as the fire foxes ran, their tails swept snowflakes up into the sky, which caught the moonlight and created the Northern Lights.