Their fascinating shapes and colors dazzle thousands of people every year, but many are unaware of the scientific secrets hidden in the northern and southern lights.
These auroras are a natural spectacle that occurs when electrons and protons from the solar wind collide with the Earth’s upper atmosphere. They have been seen since ancient times and have generated a variety of myths and legends throughout history, so leaving aside the scientific meaning, we present the myths around these auroras.
Ancient people sometimes interpreted them as a sign of the gods’ joy, other times as an indication of their anger depending on where they emerged or were seen in the sky.
Northern and Southern Lights: Myths throughout history
Although they are popularly known as, beautiful light curtains of various colors, red, green and blue, that unfold in the sky of the North Pole and the South Pole, are called: polar auroras, and its scientific origin has a connection with the myths that gave it its name and presence thousands of years ago, since humanity has been able to see them, and has tried to explain its origin.
Myths about the northern and southern lights date back to ancient times. The ancient Greeks believed the auroras were the fire of the gods, while the Norse believed they were the spirits of the dead returning to Earth. Native Americans believed they were animal spirits, and the Chinese believed they were signs of good luck. However, its origin goes back to birth.
A birth that created his presence in heaven
The folklore begins with the name Aurora itself. dawn She was the Roman goddess of dawn. The lights, which usually began as a subtle glow on the northern horizon (in the northern hemisphere), appeared to be an out-of-place and premature arrival of morning.
Tying mystical lights to the gods was an easy step for primitive cultures. The Algonquins of Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron pThey believed that an aurora was a sign of good will from its creator, Nanahbozho. The Chuvash of Siberia believed that the Northern Lights were their celestial god who helped women during childbirth.
Myths of Nordic culture, a point to the beyond
According to the Vikings, the northern lights were the fire of the gods, and that warriors fallen in battle returned to Earth in the form of auroras. The Scandinavians believed that they were the spirits of the dead returning to Earth, and that they were a sign that the end of the world was near.
The people of the Six Nations Confederacy believed that the northern lights showed the entry point to the Land of Souls. Even the Salteau of eastern Canada and the Kwakiutl and Tlingit of southeastern Alaska were said to be the dancing bodies of the dead and other animals such as whales or seals. The Inuit of eastern Greenland saw the lights as children who died at birth.
Chinese and Native American culture
In Chinese culture, the northern lights were noted as a sign of good luck. They were believed to be a sign that the emperor would rule for a long time, and that people who saw them would be blessed with good luck.
In Native American culture, they were considered a sign from animal spirits. They were believed to be a sign that animals were returning to Earth to bless people with good luck, kind of like in Bear Land.
Different but with great meanings
These phenomena generally occur near the Earth’s magnetic poles where the magnetic field lines of our planet are almost vertical, which facilitates the entry of particles of solar origin. This is why they are called polar auroras.
In the case of the northern lights, they receive their name because they are observable precisely in the boreal regions of the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. While those that occur in the southern regions are known as aurora australis.
Although they are the same and are generated in the same way. The only difference between the two is the area in which they occur.
Generally the Aurora borealis They are better known than the aurora australis because the population density is much lower in the southern zone. Therefore, these auroras are not as famous as their northern counterparts.