Hestia is one of my favorite goddesses in Greek mythology. She is the goddess of the home and hearth fire.
Magic of the northGrowing up in north-western Finland I´v seen northern lights several times. Living near the sea dancing lights I saw were mostly green but every time when I went up north to visit my grandparents I saw northern lights in all colors of the rainbow. Still today when I see northern lights during dark October nights I see them as true miracle of nature and I understand how they captivated minds of the people in the past same way as they captivate the imagination of a modern human. There are several myths told about the northern lights and I will share some of them with you. Estonian Celestial WeddingIn Estonia there is interesting myth told about the birth of the northern lights. According to Estonian myths northern lights were created when humpback whales were playing games and their scales are reflected into the night sky. Another Estonian folk tale tells us that northern lights are born when spectacular horse drawn carriages are carrying heavenly guests into magnificent celestial wedding. Firefox of the Saami'sIn the Lapland of Finland northern lights were believed to be created by a magical giant fox called Tulikettu. Foxes were hunted because of their fur and it was believed that great fox hunter was also a great shaman. Tulikettu was like the Phoenix of all foxes and there could only be one fire fox at time. It was believed that the hunter who catch the fire fox would live in great wealth for the rest of their life. Fire fox however was so fast that no one could ever catch it. When it ran in the snowy hills it´s fur and tail brushes would create sparks that would fly into the skies and turn into northern lights. Finnish word for northern lights revontulet literally means fox´s fires. Lapland, Scandinavia and GreenlandAccording to another Saami myth northern lights were spume of water ejected from whales swimming in the arctic sea. For fishermen in northern Sweden northern lights were a good prophecy. Omen that there was large groups of herrings swimming by. In Norse myths aurora borealis thought as reflections of the shining spears, armors and helmets of the valkyries. The warrior women who rode on horseback leading fallen soldiers to Valhalla. Sometimes northern lights were believed to be the Bifrost Bridge. Magical arc that lead straight into Valhalla the home of the gods and goddesses. For the Inuits in Greenland northern lights were spirits of still born babies and even children that had been killed after birth. Northern Lights in Inuit and Native American MythsNative American myths about the Aurora Borealis vary great deal same way as the traditions and cultures of different tribes. Algonquin´s the natives of Ottawa and Ontario in Canada believe that northern lights were created by their creator spirit Nanahbozho. For them it was a sign that he was always watching over them. For the Menominee´s native American tribe of the Wisconsin area northern lights were torches used by evil giants when they speared fish at night. Inuit´s living in Point Barrow, the most northern point of Alaska believed strongly that northern lights were evil and suspicious and they could come down from the skies and kill a man. They carried knives with them to protect themselves from them. Inuits of Nunivak Island in the Bering Sea thought that northern lights were created by a walrus spirits who were playing with human skulls. Makah´s, native american tribe from the Washington state told stories about a tribe of dwarfs who boiled whale blubber. Another myth which connects Aurora to cooking comes from Mandan from north Dakota where people believed that in the northern lights there lived great warriors who cooked their enemies heads in massive pots. Aurora in Greek MythologyAurora Borealis are a rare sight in such southern parts of Europe as Greece but for the ancient Greece there was nothing that could have not be explained without the presence of gods and goddesses. In Greek Aurora means sunrise and boreas means the wind. Aurora was the sister to Helios the sun god and Seline the moon goddess. In Greek myth sun and the day are born when Helios and Seline ride in the skies with their celestial wagons. Sometimes Aurora joins the ride but her wagon is made of vivid dancing colors. She is assisted by god of the northern wind Boreas who gives her chariot a nice blow. Fight of the dragons, Northern Lights of the EastIt is not very common to see Aurora Borealis in the firmament of Japan or China but when they are seen they are considered to be mystical powerful occasions. In Japan child conceived under northern lights is believed to receive good looks, intelligence and great fortune. In China Aurora Borealis are connected to the stories and legends about mighty dragons. Lights in the skies are good and evil dragons testing their powers against one another and breathing fire. Australian Aboriginals do not see northern lights but southern lights, Aurora Australis. For the aboriginals Aurora Australis represents their beloved deities and spirit dancing in the celestial sky. Central Europe and BritainNorthern Lights are rare phenomena in central and southern Europe. Before people knew the science behind the northern lights people lived in an atmosphere where all supernatural things were frightening and northern lights terrified people. In Italy and France northern lights were thought to predict war, plague and mass deaths. In north of Scotland where northern lights are more common they are called dancing merry men representing souls of the soldiers who died in a battle. Be Careful When You WhistleSome Native American tribes believed that northern lights were trickster spirits who would come down if someone whistled and would kidnap the person. To protect themselves person should clap. This made the lights retreat and people would be safe from them. In Greenland expecting mothers were told not to whistle otherwise child would be born crossed-eyed. Saami´s in Lapland also had superstitions about whistling. If they would whistle the lights would come down from the skies, chase them and burn their hair. Because of this still today many saami´s test their powers by whistling to the northern lights. My other articles and vlogs with stories from the north: Siberian and Eurasian shamanism Sun and the moon in Saami mythology and folklore Reindeer in the saami mythology How stars got in to the sky Mythmas Northern Lights Check out my northern lights collection from my Redbubble store.
In this video I am talking about the Hestia-people, those of us who resonate with Hestia-archetype )O( Hestia is one of my favorite goddesses in all Greek mythology. She is less known goddess but she has very important role in the Greek pantheon and I am happy to share myths about her with you guys. Enjoy )O( Check out my other Hestia videos: Hestia, symbols and meanings Hestia, goddess archetype and Hestia people I updated my zazzle shop with Greek gods and goddesses. Characters from myths and folklore are some of my favorite subjects to paint. Pan is my man and Kallisto is one with the bears. I believe she was the first bear- shapesifter in Greek myths. ![]() We all know the story of Persephone. This was something different for me since I used combination of watercolors, watercolor pencils and colored pencils to finish the piece. I like the way she is looking into distance. Who knows what she is thinking. Was this before or after the deal made with Hades. You can find all my Greek mythology inspired paintings as postcards from here. In Greek mythology seasons change when Persephone spends half of the year in the underworld with his husband Hades and rest of the year on earth with her mother Demeter, the goddess of grain. Watercolor and colored pencils on acid free watercolor paper. Stickers, greeting cards, posters and other cool stuff with this painting can be bought from my Society6 shop.
Myths behind the Pisces )O( Enjoy I have created a whole new goddess collection to my zazzle-store. You can find postcards, greeting cards, stickers. t-shirts and much more. Come and check it out :)
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NiinaPronounced as Nee-na.
Artist, illustrator, writer, watercolorist and a folklorist. Gryffinclaw. Comes from Finland. Likes cats, tea and period dramas. If it´s canon and it´s Little Women it´s good. Archives
January 2021
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