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Another day, another 3-hours of sleep

March 09, 2024  •  Leave a Comment
Have you ever wondered what people from hundreds of years ago imagined was happening when they saw the northern lights dancing above their heads? No? Well, if I’ve piqued your interest, maybe you’ll find this interesting.

For the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia, the lights were to be equally feared and respected as a bad omen. Teasing them by waving, whistling, or singing under them was dangerous, as this would alert the lights to your presence, and the lights would reach down and carry you off into the sky. Or worse, slice your head off!

Swedish fishermen took quite the opposite view and looked forward to seeing the lights. They believed they were the reflections of giant schools of herring swimming nearby. An aurora sighting was the promise of a good catch.

The Vikings celebrated the lights, believing they were a manifestation of their gods. Other Norse people feared them, telling stories of the dangers they posed and developing superstitions to protect themselves.

I find them stunning, awe-inspiring, and cool as hell. Now if they could show up in San Diego during July when the weather was about a hundred degrees warmer than it is right now in Fairbanks, I’d be up every night watching them.
 
Aurora ribbonsAurora ribbons


Even though we did all the heavy lifting by staying out until 4:00 am in -31F, thanks for joining us on our little Northern Lights adventure.

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