I’ve never been lucky enough to see the Northern Lights, and maybe that’s why I’m so interested in aurora borealis stories from Finnish and Sámi culture. I wanted to share my favourite bits of aurora borealis folklore here – let me know which one is most intriguing to you!
Aurora borealis as sparks from a fox’s tail
In Finland, the name for the aurora borealis is “revontulet” – fox’s fires. It comes from an ancient Lapland folk belief that the tail of an arctic fox causes sparks to fly when it runs, brushing against branches or bushes – even mountains.
This fox is a rare creature, living in remote northern woods, far from people. Some beliefs about the fire fox are that it’s dark during the day but twinkles at night; that its skin glitters a strange light when it’s brushed the right way; and that catching it will make a hunter rich for life.
Aurora borealis as ancestors in the sky
To some Sámi, the Northern Lights are ancestors dancing through the skies. They’re companions and guardians for reindeer herders. To some Sámi, causing disturbances while the Northern Lights are out is a sign of disrespect to those ancestors – noises like waving or whistling can draw their attention unfavourably, and the offender could be swept up into them. Some Sámi prefer to stay indoors when the Northern Lights are out.
Even though I haven’t yet seen the lights with my own eyes, I can imagine the millions of stories that people have told about them, both large and small. I imagine so many of them are lost to time, but I’m happy so many remain. And as storytelling is perfect for long winter days and nights, I can’t think of anything more fitting to spark the imagination.
(Yes, pun intended!)
This blog post is an excerpt from my Seasonal Almanac – Winter Edition
Find it on my Patreon, where I weave together myth, memory, and fragments of ritual from Filipino & Finnish culture.
Enjoy posts about Finnish folklore, mythology, and culture? You may like my recent post about Rune-singers and kantele: ancient memory and magic.
NB: I’ve made every effort to find reliable historical sources for traditions that were often not recorded until much later, if at all. Please keep in mind that I’m not a professional historian, and I’m also limited by English-language sources and the foibles of Google Translate.
Main sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox_(mythology)
- https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20251114-historys-epic-theories-of-what-causesaurora
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/revontulet
- https://www.visitnarvik.com/sami-ceremonies
- https://www.space.com/aurora-northern-lights-myths-legends-misconceptions
- https://www.reddit.com/r/mythology/comments/1bmwoyb/the_northern_lights_sami_mythos/