Ribbons of ethereal light emerge from the deep darkness of the northern sky, unfurling and rippling slowly, a flurry of multi-hued magic sweeping across the horizon. Beautiful, breathtaking and bewitching, the Northern Lights – technically called Aurora Borealis, meaning ‘dawn of the north’ – have quite rightfully earned the title of ‘nature’s greatest show’.

Mother Nature’s very own firework display has inspired wonder and awe in people for centuries. The Menominee Indians believed the lights were the spirits of great hunters, and the Sami peoples of Northern Scandinavia traditionally associated the lights with sound. Certain Inuit peoples thought they were the spirits of ancestors dancing in the next life, whilst others saw them playing football with a walrus head. Alaskan Inupiat peoples regarded them as the souls of the animals they hunted. Today’s scientific explanation, that the lights are created by the collision of electronically charged particles blown towards the earth’s atmosphere by solar winds, may not be quite so mystical but the enchanting flutter of colours flickering across the sky is still as mesmerising as ever, and each year draws fascinated travellers hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive Lights. Continue reading →