For centuries Auroras are viewed all over the world. With a mixture of awe and amazement different cultures have developed interpretive stores to frame their experiences. Let’s travel around the world. We will explore how different cultural societies assign different spiritual meanings to auroras.
Beginning here in Michigan with the Three Fires Tribes,. The refer to themselves as Anishinaabe, or first humans. The Anishinaabe had a cultural hero called Nanabozho who did many feats throughout their cultural stories. It is said that over time Nanabozho eventually moved far to the North. To show the people he had not forgotten them, he lit a huge fire that reflects in the sky. This way, they would always know he is thinking of them. In Ojibwa, auroras are called Waawaate. They are considered the doorway to the north. It is where your spirit passes through to find the ancestors.
The Cree live just north of us in Canada. They believe that when auroras are out, it is time to speak with ancestors. That the veil between the spirit world and ours is somehow capable of being pierced and we can converse with those passed
The Menominee of Wisconsin believe there are great numbers of giant fishermen fishing with torches at night. They think the aurora is light on the water reflected in the sky.
The Plains tribes, ironically dread the northern lights. They feared that auroras are tribes from the north lighting huge fires for their cooking pots. They believed that auroras would come attack the plains tribes and throw them into their cooking pots. This is rather an odd and highly different interpretation than most cultures.
The Fox tribe also dreaded the aurora, believing that they were restless spirits of fallen enemies, and feared their ghosts. They considered auroras to be bad omens of pestilence and war.
Eskimo tribes, in contrast, found Auroras comforting. They believed that when the Auroras appeared, it was the best time to communicate with one’s ancestors. Dogs would often bark at the lights, recognizing companions who had passed on.
The Inuit tribes considered the Aurora to be the spirits of their ancestors. They believed their ancestors were playing a ball game using a walrus skull as the ball. For reasons we will doubtless never fathom, the good people of remote Nunavik Island told the same story differently. For them, the Northern Lights were walrus spirits. They were playing ball with the skull of some unfortunate human.
The Norse men had a healthy bit of fear of auroras. Some would improperly call them Vikings. They were quite superstitious. Auroras were the earthly manifestations of the Gods. The Norse people had a healthy respect for the danger they posed. This was true whether they brought good or bad omens. Stories were often told inside during these times. They spoke about Odin and the Valkyries who were believed to take the dead warriors to Valhalla. Auroras were thought to be the reflections off the armor of the Valkyries as they came to retrieve fallen warriors. The Norse developed rituals to protect themselves from the dangers of Auroras.
Sami tribes of Northern Finland, to placed great spiritual significance to aurora with equal measure of fear and respect. Often thought of as a bad omen. It was considered a bad thing to attract the attention of the aurora. To wave, speak too loudly, or sing beneath them for fear that it would alert them to your presence. If they noticed you, they would come carry you way to the sky or cut off your head. Sami tribes stayed inside while Auroras were out.
In other parts of Finland we have the legend of the Firefox. Stories tell of arctic foxes running energetically about in the long winter hours. Their tails would scrape the mountains, causing sparks. These sparks sent great swirls of snow into the sky. The snow reflected light in the moonlight, which is said to cause the aurora.
The Swedish looked ahead to auroras. They believed great schools of herring would be swimming nearby. They thought the aurora was the reflection of the light off fish. It was always a sign of good fortune and plenty.
The Danes believed that the auroras are reflections owing to the existence of the wintertime swans. The story tells us that swans had a competition to see who could fly the furthest north. Some of the swans flew so far north that they froze. Eventually freeing themselves the swans took flight, shaking the ice off their wings. The legend says that the Northern Lights are reflections. The ice falls off the wings of the swans.
The Siberian people thought the Sun had a son named Peivalke. The Sun wished one day to wed Peivalke to Niekia, the daughter of the Moon. The Moon wished her daughter to marry Nainas, the Northern Lights and hid her daughter from the Sun. Eventually, Niekia and Nainas did wed. the couple spent each night in a cabin. But Nainas had to leave each day. Before the Sun rose he go to the dark side of the Earth, to avoid the Sun. Never wanting Nainas to leave, Niekia tricked Nainas into staying longer than he should have one day. Their relationship was discovered by the Sun who was very angry. In an attempt to protect her husband, Niekia put herself between the Sun and Nainas, allowing her husband to escape. The Sun was angry and flung Niekia into the sky. She went back to her mother, who caught her and held her close. Her mother did not let her go. Since then, Niekia looks out each night, pining for her husband who she can never hold close again.
Occasionally, auroras have been seen down into Europe. Often with a red hue to it, that is thought to be harbinger of petulance and war. In 18th century just before the fall of the French monarchy in the French Revolution, Red auroras were observed. They were also seen in England and Scotland, with an accompanying sound like huge armies battling in the sky. Frightened onlookers looked on in object fear thinking it was an omen of death and war.
Scots, though being of the glass half full sort, gave the Auroras the nickname the “Merry Dancers.” The auroras seem to show the dance of falling angels. They also are epic sky warriors engaged in the ultimate battle. In the Hebrides, there is a rock found in great numbers called a blood stone. Its rich green color is veined and dotted with blood red color. These flecks of red blood are said to be the drops of blood from the sky warriors. They battle endlessly. Ironically, this stone holds great power, and is good when you need to cleanse negative energy.
Estonians believed that auroras were sleighs full of guest arriving for festive wedding celebrations and viewed them as positive omen. To the Greeks and Romans, the Aurora rode in chariot at night. She traveled between sister moon and brother sun. This journey was to tell them a new day was coming. It was viewed as a good event.
There are even animal myths involved in why the auroras happen. Some legends were of great schools of whales playing games. Danish has tales of large swans, proving strength by seeing which swan could fly the furthest north. According to legend, the swans became tired and landed, becoming entrapped in ice. As they flapped their great wings to free themselves, they stirred up great clouds of snow and ice. These clouds sparkled like crystals in the sky.
The Chinese believe great dragons were battling the battle good against evil, breathing their fiery breath across the sky.
I think one of the most beautiful stories comes from the Japanese. They believe the aurora is the spirits of the children waiting to be born. Conceiving a child under the aurora is said to bring good fortune to the family. The child’s spirit joins the spirits of unborn children.
Now that you have taken a quick trip around the world. What do you think the auroras mean? Lets here your comments and stories below.
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