The Folklore and Science of Aurora Borealis
Imagine a cold October night, you walk out to your car and something catches your eye. You step further into the street be it busy or not, and you begin to turn in 360 circles. For what your eyes behold is far from anything you have ever seen. A circle of green and blue swirl through the night sky, I could best describe this as two ballroom dancers doing a "Waltz" through the night sky. They flow, they glide so gracefully that they capture you and keep you entranced for a very long time.
This my first experience viewing the amazing Aurora Borealis, it did not matter that people were watching, or that the roads were iced over and that I could not stand on my own two feet very
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Researchers from the USSR published results that stated that people are more likely to have fatal heart attacks when the auroras are at their strongest point. The myth and mystery of aurora borealis is so widespread. It encompasses so many countries that it is impossible to share all their thoughts. My favorite folklore is that of the Eskimos of the lower Yukon River in Alaska. They would describe the Aurora¡¦s as the dancing souls of their favorite animals: deer, seals, salmon, and beluga whales. Under the spell of the Aurora¡¦s the Universe comes to life and people will be drawn to their loveliness, no matter what the myths or folklore share, the Aurora¡¦s are magical and spell binding for all whom have the opportunity to experience them. The Aurora¡¦s are never absent from the earth, they are just often not seen. Viewing them is easy if you are fortunate enough to live in the favored locations. The Aurora¡¦s are prominent in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres and spend most of their time around the edges of the earth where they are said to dance solely for the penguins and the polar bears. However, due to the tilting towards the sun and irregularities in the earth¡¦s magnetic field, the aurora is 20-30% brighter in the northern …show more content…
Followers will have to depend on their senses. Maybe some will be surprised and hear the whispers, or the crackles that some say comes when seeing the auroras. The voice of the auroras is still a mystery. Scientists have yet to tape the sounds of the auroras but will continue their attempts at getting them on tape. Some scientists believe this to be unreasonable due to the fact that the auroras dance in the thin air of our ionosphere approximately 60-200miles above us and that the ionosphere can¡¦t travel the sound waves that far in a timely manner, thus making it hard to hear the voices. People whom have heard them will tell you that it is ¡§the whispers of the dead¡¨ trying to communicate with those of us on earth. It is believed by some, that if you wave to them they will come to greet you or become even livelier. While others believe that if you do answer them, then do so in a whisper. The auroras are to be treated with kindness and
“Trees of the Arctic Circle” and “Heat” depict nature as having its faults such as the trees being a disappointment in Purdy’s case and the weather being too intensely hot in Lampman’s case but by the end of each poem find clarity is almost essential not only physically but internally. The two works give nature characteristic views as well as personification that differ from 20th century modernist works to impressionist ideals upon nature. Both poems bring out realizations in ones self within coming to terms with shifting out of the negative to a positive and demonstrating that nature is always capable bring out
Rudd’s (2009) essay evaluates Enid Blyton’s work offering a different perspective to account for the appeal and popularity of the author. This essay looks at the aspects raised by Rudd. How Blyton, Pullman and Ransom illustrate the different aspects of a good or a bad book. The way critics confer prestige on a book or author and the arising criticism. How the agenda of the committees affects the selection of prize-winners. Finally, looking at the factors involved in success.
Co. and the dead moon," reinforces the description of winter once again, because there is no life during winter as opposed to a harvest moon in fall when it is warm, life is good, and food is plenty. "The filaments of cold light bulbs tremble," gives a very cold image and it is like music, but he can not listen to it.
Pullman used the concept dust in Northern Lights. Dust is a convention for human physically inspired by God's judgement. It is not just the ending and the beginning of human physical existence and the origins of universe. Pullman was influenced by John Milton the paradise lost and his concept dust. Pullman used the word to connect everything with everything and the parallel worlds. The church considers dust as the original sin. The oblation board wants to cut and sever the daemons of the children to prevent the dust from setting on the child and to prevent daemons to settle when children become adult. The church thinks that dust may threaten its absolute power. The individuals that go through cutting their daemons operation will be subject
...alters the meaning behind light. Instead of being seen as something that is perceived as comfortable it has been altered to bee seen as painful and daunting. Just as a fire can keep someone warm and science can save many lives; if one gets too close one can get burned, in Victor Frankenstein's case it led to his death.
The sun has been an endless source of inspiration, both physical and spiritual, throughout the ages. For its light, warmth, and the essential role it has played in the maintenance of the fragile balance of life on earth, the sun has been honored and celebrated in most of the world's religions. While the regeneration of light is constant, the relative length of time between the rising and setting of the sun is affected by the changing of the seasons. Hippocrates postulated centuries ago that these changing patterns of light and dark might cause mood changes (9). Seasonal downward mood changes of late fall and winter have been the subject of many sorrowful turn-of-the-century poems of lost love and empty souls. For some, however, “the relationship between darkness and despair is more than metaphoric (6).
retina. The image that forms on your retina is flat, but you see a world of
...receiving immediate attention. Another myth is that the early Greeks believe that lightning was the weapon of Zeus. Since lightning was the embodiment of the gods, any spot struck by lightning was regarded as sacred. The Moslems also linked lightning with gods, saying in the Koran that ? He it is who showeth you lightning and launches the thunderbolts.? Scandinavians myths allude to Thor, which is the thunder and for of all demons. Thor threw lightning bolts to his enemies. In the Hindu religion, the Maruts used thunderbolts as weapons. The Navajo Indians hold lightning in a pleasing light. They believe lightning has great healing powers; lighting is associated with wind, rain, and nourishing crops. The many different views of lightning within the different societies ancient and modern show the many emotions that lightning provokes; the emotions of fear and thankfulness.
So the Moon should have risen big and bright on the night of May 19, but it failed to do so. Not a trace of it. Nor could any stars be seen either. The day had been as dark as midnight over much of New England, and though there were neither gas lights nor electric lights at that early era, there were candles to light the homes. Accustomed as Americans of that time were to the nighttime hours, they had never seen a night so utterly black as this. Those who, for one reason and another, were out and about on the roads of rural America that unusual night, found themselves confronted by a darkness that was no less remarkable than that of the daytime hours had been. Horses, the primary means of transportation, could not see to put one foot in front of the other, and simply refused to move. At various times that evening after the Moon rose, though invisibly, the sky cleared sufficiently to present the dreadful specter of a blood-red disc rising to the zenith of the heavens. This phenomenon especially was noted after midnight had ushered in the 20th of May. Bloody and round, the Moon at least offered some small hope that the darkened heavens were at last beginning to clear. Gradually stars began to appear, and the next morning the Sun, to the immense relief of all, rose at its accustomed time and
from black to the night sky, panning with a shooting star. Three shadows in the
Have you ever thought about going on a vacation? Would you go to Alaska, the northern part of Canada, or the southern half of Sweden? I want to see Alaska, not visit because I feel I would freeze to death my first day there. Better bring a heavy wool jacket if you go to Siberia or south Antarctica. When the forecast is just right in those areas, and you go on vacation you will be able to catch a beautiful aurora. I am not talking about the Roman Goddess of dawn, although she might help with lighting up the night sky where Aurora Borealis, or Aurora Australis shine (Eos). Aurora Borealis in Latin means “red dawn of the north,” (Fast & Thomas). Internationally known as the Northern Lights. With a fascinating history, incredible views, and interesting
stood upon, was frightening. The only was to go was down. I took a deep
The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh is an exceptional painting full of color, texture and emotion. The night sky vibrates with ''wave-like energy'' and the stars ''explode like fireworks'' (Dixon, 378). There are swirling clouds and a brightly lit crescent moon. There is a twisted cypress tree that rises upwards from the landscape below. The quiet town under the star-lit sky is painted with dark colors but the brightly lit windows of the houses create a sense of comfort. In comparison to the powerful night sky, the village is at peace and the stilllness of the night can almost be felt. The painting is asymmetrical and the arrangement of stars dotted over the surface is busy. There are different layers on the canvas that appear vertically as three areas (foreground, mid-ground and sky). The luminous moon ''counterbalances the cypress tree on the left'' (Dixon, 378). Van Gogh uses strong and thickly layered brush strokes. The swirls and coordinated circles are stylized and have a powerful effect on the painting. He uses different techniques for the dark cypress and nearby white star. ...
The night I went to the funfair my senses had overwhelmed me; they were attacking me inside, from all directions. I felt trapped, as though I was stuck in an everlasting twister. Then, to one side whilst spinning round and round the array of fluorescent lights with colours flickering in and around my eyes, blinding me with their brightness I saw it, the field of fun! The lights were viciously glowing, winking like a lighthouse through the cracks of thick fog, shimmering upon the metallic surfaces creating a feisty glow, painting the sky with a pallet of colours which enlightened the darkness above.
Nature as imagery is a largely spread idea in most of Frosts poems. However he is not telling us about nature or trying to explain nature to us, rather, he is using it as a source of narrative to metaphorically position something else. This, we can deduce,...