History of the Northern Lights
The term aurora was coined by Galileo in 1691 when the astronomer and scientist named the fascinating light display after the Roman goddess of dawn (Aurora) and borealis was derived from the ancient Greek god of north wind (Boreas). Later in the early 1900s, the Norwegian physicist Kristian Birkeland solved the mystery about this natural phenomenon by explaining the science behind it. He explained that the electrons emitted by the sun interact with the Earth’s magnetism to the North magnetic pole, generating dazzling phenomena like the aurora borealis in the process.
Many different myths surround the marvellous Northern Lights, including the Native American legend saying that these were war omens and the Vikings that believe these were the armour of the Valkyries, the warrior maidens of Norse mythology. Meanwhile, the indigenous people from the Arctic Circle think that the northern lights are simply the spirits of the dead who happen to be playing a game of ball with a walrus skull. In Finland, these lights are dubbed the ‘‘revontulet’ or fire fox. It’s believed that the arctic foxes are responsible for creating the aurora after running rapidly over the treeless plain producing sparks that light fires in the sky.
