The Aurora Borealis: The Beautiful Northern Lights in Folklore and Myth

As we’re focusing on the Folklore of the Skies this month, it seemed only right to start with a celestial phenomenon that becomes a lot easier to see as the nights draw in. Yes, we’re looking at the northern lights, or aurora borealis. Annoyingly, I am yet to see the northern lights. The one time they were visible with the naked eye across the whole of the UK, I was in bed with a migraine. I know, I know, strange lights in the sky, with one individual unable to see them, is how Day of the Triffids starts. We will focus on folklore from Britain and Scandinavia. There are Indigenous legends, but they’re not mine to tell. But if you’re reading this and you’re Indigenous, please feel free to share anything you feel called to share in the comments! Let’s explore the aurora borealis and its folklore in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Donate to the Nepal Disaster Relief Fund: https://pmdrf.nchl.com.np/ Find the images and sources used on the associated blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/northern-lights-in-folklore/ Watch my chat with Ùna Maria Blyth: https://youtu.be/euu7P8Be4VE Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Get weekly articles and bonus content at Substack: https://fabulousfolklore.substack.com/ Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Find the Fabulous Folklore Bookshop, Icy's social media links, and other useful bits at: https://icysedgwick.com/start-here