Runaway Juno • Northern Lights Myths and Legends

Do you know any northern lights myths and legends?

Aurora borealis, a beautiful natural phenomenon has been the center of winter travel inspiration for years. But before it was a subject of winter tourism, it was a part of the life of Indigenous Peoples around the northern part of the world. Even now, when we can explain the science behind the phenomenon, one can’t help but feel the mythical and magical power of aurora. And there have been many aurora legends.

The interpretation of the northern lights holds cultural and spiritual significance. The dancing lights across the sky have inspired many legends and beliefs that reflect the rich cosmologies and ways of understanding the communities.

I love reading about mythologies around the world. It’s one of my favorite subjects to dive into. Just like reading about history, mythology is one of many ways to get to know a culture. Aurora borealis inspired many legends that reflect the rich belief system of each culture group.

Living in Alaska, I spend a lot of time reading, thinking about, and photographing aurora borealis and I was curious what Alaska Native Peoples thought of the northern lights. That led me to read about other interpretations of the aurora from various cultures.

Inuit Northern Lights Myths and Legends

Spirits playing: Many Inuit communities including Alaska Native Peoples view the auroras as ancestors’ spirits and consider them to play a certain game, somewhat similar to soccer or to dance across the sky, using a walrus skull, though other local Inuit communities believed it was the walruses playing games with a human skull. The movement and the flickering of the lights appear to betray pleasure in movement, or celebration.

Whistling lights: Some Inuit legends warn against whistling at the aurora. It may draw the spirits’ attention in a negative way or cause them to swoop closer. They believed whistling invites the lights to come chop your head off. This legend fascinated me because growing up in Korea, we were taught whistling at night was taboo because it was calling spirits.

Spirits of the animals: Some culture groups saw the northern lights as the spirits of the animals they had hunted, namely beluga whales, seals, salmon, and deer.

Cree Legends

Spirits of the departed: The northern lights are thought by many Cree to be the spirits of loved ones who have died, building fires in heaven to guide the living that they are safe. The lights serve to reassure them in comforting ways that ancestors are watching over them.

Connection to the afterlife: The lights are also a connection between the mortal world and the spirit world. The Cree believe these to be “Wabanoon” or the souls of their ancestors who are accessible through prayers and respectful engagement with the lights.

Saami Northern Lights Myths and Legends

Messages from the gods: The Saami (Sámi) are an Indigenous group from northern Scandinavia, and for them, the aurora is a powerful force with many connections to the divine. It is a sign from the gods, and one must show respect to it. Children are taught not to tease the lights or make fun of them lest it invites misfortune or the spirits’ anger.

Reindeer fox (Revontulet): One more interesting Finnish Saami legend attributes the lights to an arctic fox running across the snow. The arctic fox runs through the sky so fast, that his bushy tail touches the peaks of the mountains and sends sparks upwards into the sky. The northern lights are created, also known in Finnish as “Revontulet”, a name meaning ‘fox fires’.

Ojibwe Legends

Giizisoo-Atisokan (Sky Spirits): The Ojibwe regard the aurora as “giizisoo-atisokan” or sky spirits and believe them to be ancestors’ spirits that always guide the people through the dark times. These lights were a form of protection and, at times, interpreted as a sign of good luck or as omens of events that were to happen in the future.

Dene and Athabaskan Legends

Dance of spirits: The aurora to the Dene of Alaska and northern Canada represents the spirits of animals, in particular, caribou – a very cultural animal in their lives. The lights were the manifestation of these animals’ spirits dancing in the sky, rejoicing in their existence and relation to the people.

Nordic Northern Lights Myths and Legends

The Valkyries’ armor: Odin was the ruler of Asgard, revered by all Vikings. They believed that during every battle on Earth, Odin would pick the warriors who would die and join him in Valhalla, a majestic hall in Asgard. The Valkyries, female warriors on horseback who wore armor and carried spears and shields, were tasked with leading warriors to Valhalla. The Vikings believed the northern lights were the reflections of the Valkyries’ armor as they led the warriors to Odin.

A bridge between worlds: The aurora in some Athabaskan cultures is a passage between worlds. Every movement of the lights, every shift, denotes a message or communication between the worlds: humans, animals, and spirits.

Other Nordic legends claim the aurora was the breath of brave soldiers who died in combat. In other stories, the aurora was believed to be the ‘Bifrost Bridge’, a glowing, pulsing arch that led fallen warriors to their final resting place in Valhalla.

Other aurora legends… or create your own

I’m sure there are many other legends from other cultures. Looking at aurora borealis, it’s no surprise that it inspired so many stories, legends, and myths. I was lucky to witness amazing dancing aurora borealis from my travels and from my adopted home in Alaska. No matter how many times I see it, it’s always awe-inspiring. Who knew charged particles could create such beauty across the sky? It does make you feel and think different things, perhaps you can be inspired to create your own stories. Think about it the next time you see the northern lights somewhere in the world.