Aurora Borealis

'Aurora borealis', the lights of the northern hemisphere, means 'dawn of the north'.  In Roman myths, Aurora was the goddess of the dawn.  Many cultural groups have legends about the lights. In medieval times, the occurrences of auroral displays were seen as harbingers of war or famine. The Menominee Indians of Wisconsin believed that the lights indicated the location of manabai'wok (giants) who were the spirits of great hunters and fishermen. The Inuit of Alaska believed that the lights were the spirits of the animals they hunted: the seals, salmon, deer and beluga whales.  Courtesy of Northern Lights Centre http://www.northernlightscentre.ca/northernlights.html
The Aurora borealis are very special to my family.  My grandmother's name was Aurore, and I've been told that the night she died the northern lights were the brightest they had ever seen them in Idaho.  In March of 2001 my husband's grandmother passed away, and all of the family went to Oregon for the funeral.  I had to stay home because I was on jury duty.  I got a call from my brother in the middle of the night (the day she was buried), that I had to get up and go outside to see the northern lights, they were amazing!  November 6, 2004 my first granddaughter Aurora was born in Wisconsin. This is a picture of the Aurora borealis when she came home the next night.  I believe that the grandmothers were welcoming her into the world.  Well today is her birthday and I think she is every bit as beautiful as the lights.

Happy Birthday Aurora !