BOOK YOUR STAYNorthern Light Fact #2 – The Firefox
Have you heard about the Firefox that creates the Northern Lights?
Northern Lights can be confusing. Nowadays we know Aurora Borealis is caused by Earth’s magnetic field and wildly flying particles from the sun, but can you imagine how hard it was to explain this phenomenon centuries ago?
In Finland people tried to explain Northern Lights many different and creative ways. One of the most interesting explanations hold stories about mythical creatures: firefoxes. Firefox, according to the Finns is a shining, glowing, beautiful fox with a firing tail, and whoever could catch this extraordinary creature would become wealthy and famous.
While wild Firefox is running through the forests, it hits the trunks of trees and the snow blanket with his fiery tail creating sparkles that fly to the sky. These sparkles then light up the sky as Northern Lights or “revontulet” as they call it in Finnish language. Actually this story was so vivid that in Finland the word “revontulet” literally translates to “fox fires”.
There are lot of legends about firefoxes in Finland and Northern Lights in general, maybe we are going to dig deeper to this in the oncoming facts? Follow Apukka, as we are going to post new Northern Light fact every monday until the christmas!