Northern Lights Research Paper

Johnson Chao
Geo 10
Eileen Peña
20 October 2015
Dawn of the North Amanda Briney wrote an article on About.com explaining and discussing the natural phenomenon aurora borealis, also more popularly known as the Northern Lights. Described by many as beautiful bright lights dancing in the sky, the Northern Lights has been listed as one of the seven wonders of the world. In ancient times, the Northern Lights were an unexplainable phenomenon, leading to the creation of myths, legends, and folklore revolving around this phenomenon. But what is the real cause of the Northern Lights, and does it have any significant meaning?
Northern Lights in Canada
Retrieved from The Huffington Post on Oct. 20, 2015 Briney explains in her article that the formation

However, that wasn’t the case back when there were no means to explain phenomena such as this. As a result, there were a wide range of stories, myths, and the like that were created to put a meaning behind this mysterious light. The meanings put into the Northern Lights usually have a something to do spirits and the afterlife. There are meanings that range from a warm, comforting light to an ill-omen, such as the Fox Indians who believed that the light were the ghosts of their slain enemies seeking revenge through oncoming war and pestilence (ewebtribe.com). One of the most interesting stories I have come across is one created the Labrador Inuits, recorded in a book by Ernest W. Hawkes. It describes the Northern Lights like

The auroras, being high in the sky, is unreachable for those that are alive and down on the Earth. Only when they die a meaningful death can they cross the pathway made by spirits' light guiding them to the true heavens. They regarded a violent death as a warrant to enter the true heavens, which is most likely the best place one could go to after death. Perhaps they believed that one who went through a lot of violence deserved to go to a place where he was able to be in peace and happiness. Another interesting line from the book reads, “The whistling crackling noise which sometimes accompanies the aurora is the voices of these spirits trying to communicate with the people of the Earth. (Hawkes 153)” This was interesting because I had no idea that the Northern Lights even made a noise. Even now, scientists are still unsure what is causing the sound and believe that it is just caused by the energy particles. The Labrador Inuits, however, have created their own explanation and have essentially made a connection with the natural phenomenon in the sky. Through this story alone one can learn a lot about what kind of people the Labrador Inuits