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Folklore of the aurora
Many legends, myths and superstitions have revolved around the aurora throughout the history of mankind. The early dragon legends of China and Europe are said to have originated from the aurora. Some cultures, especially those at high latitudes, have regarded the sighting of the aurora as a sign of royal birth; to others it suggests ghosts of the dead or the precursor for war. The Aboriginals of Scandinavia, the Sámi, believed that the northern lights had supernatural powers to resolve conflicts and had auroral symbols on their magic drums. The Eskimos of North America believed that if you whistled at the aurora it would sweep down and take you from the earth; by clapping your hands you could force it to retreat. Up until the Enlightenment of the 18th century, the northern lights often were viewed with fear or reverence and were related to contemporary concepts of heaven and hell.
Northern lights above Nürnberg in Germany in 1591.
Auroras rarely appear in Western Europe. The people obviously are shaken by the sight.This tapestry, entitled "Wooers" or "Daughters of the Northern Lights", clearly was inspired by Norse mythology, in which the aurora was perceived as feminine.
In Norse mythology, a bridge named Bifrost connected Earth and Åsgard, the home of gods. It most likely was modelled after rainbows or the northern lights, and was guarded by the god Heimdal. Popular belief in Scandinavia linked the aurora to dead women, especially to dead virgins. In China the aurora was believed to predict forthcoming births. In 344 BC, the Greek philosopher Aristotle observed the aurora and compared its light with flames from known sources on Earth.
The oldest descriptions of the aurora are from the Mediterranean countries and from ancient China. At most, people in these temperate regions would have seen the aurora only once or twice in their lives. In the 6th century BC, Ezekil, a profit-priest of ancient Israel, saw the aurora and wrote that "…a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire." (Old Testament of the Bible, Ezekil 1:4).
