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Article: Fire in the sky: the aurora borealis lights up the sky above several national parks in Alaska, but what complex forces are behind the fireworks?(PARK MYSTERIES)
- Article from:
- National Parks
- Article date:
- January 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 National Parks Conservation Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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If you've ever seen the heavenly lights dancing at the ends of the Earth, it probably comes as no surprise that ancient people created colorful myths to explain these surreal displays.
According to Ernest Hawkes' writings in the early 1900s, Eskimos believed the sky was a hard dome that arched over the Earth, and a solitary hole allowed souls to pass through to the heavens. "The spirits who live there light torches to guide the feet of the new arrivals--this is the light of the aurora," Hawkes wrote. "They can be seen there feasting and playing football with a walrus skull." Ancient European legends explained the polar lights as ...