Sunday, September 24, 2006

Aurora Borealis

Otherwise known as the Northern Lights. A comfort to see on a sleepless night. I had forgotten - to an extent - just how beautiful they are.

Dancing in the sky.

Surrounded by so many folklore stories:
Whistling makes them dance.
The Inuit used the northern lights to get their children home after dark by claiming that if you whistled in their presence they would come down and burn you up.
Ancestors dancing around a fire.
Fires that surround the North and South edges of the world.
Reflections cast by large swarms of herring onto the sky.

No matter what you believe, they are stunning. There are really no words even. I tried, and failed at photographing them late last night. Tonight I thought I would grab a picture off the net to show you - but after looking at what I had to choose from I decided against it. They are far more beautiful than anything I could find. Nothing I could find shows their true beauty. I believe they dance when whistled to...I've seen it. It's hard to believe, but it's a fact.

I hope all of you will someday be able to experience them. Come visit me, during the fall, I can almost guarantee a sighting. It's worth the trip - in more ways than just this. :)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's extremely difficult to take pictures of the Northern Lights. I too have tried. I only say them once, somewhere on a back highway in Northern Quebec. They were beautiful.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you. They are amazing.

Anonymous said...

I saw them too! Amazing.