Of all naturally occuring heavenly phenomena, few come close to a night
with a magnificent northern lights display. Flickering curtains of dancing
light against the dark skies, northern lights is certainly one of the most
spectacular of nature's phenomena.




Auroral Mythology

Since people in olden times did not understand what northern lights were, they often created mythology and superstition to explain the dancing spirits or fighting hordes in the sky. Auroras were commonly associated with dancing in Norway; inhabitants believed that northern lights were old maids, dancing and waving.

Vikings
During the Viking period, northern lights were referred to as reflections from dead maidens. The well-known Scottish expression for auroras is "merry dancers".
Among the Eskimos in Greenland and northern Canada, the aurora was the realm of the dead, and when the lights changed rapidly, it meant that dead friends were trying to contact their living relatives.

Native Americans
Many native Americans believed that they could conjure up ghosts and spirits by whistling to the lights. It was a common belief that the northern lights were the reflections in the sky of huge fires in the distant north, or that the mighty God himself lighted up the dark and cold parts of the world.

Danish
One 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.

A vengeful force
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 could descend and cut their heads off. Thus, in many places northern lights were a threat to people's lives and health.

In many areas in the Nordic countries it was widely believed that the northern lights were a vengeful force which killed those who mocked it.

The mythological role of the aurora was important in religion. Many believed it was a message from the creator. Flaming auroras reminded people that their creator still cared for them. An old tale from the Nordic countries said that, "God is angry when the aurora flames".

It was a common interpretation during medival times that northern lights were an omen of war, or disasters or plagues. It was concluded that many serious disasters were caused by the aurora.