In Scandinavian folklore one explanation for the lights is that they are the sun’s rays reflecting off great shoals of herring in the northern sea - a welcome omen for fishermen to haul in large catches of fish. In Swedish farming tradition the aurora is thought to enhance the fruitfulness of the earth. The story goes that when the northern lights are shining it means there will be an abundance of seeds and the promise of a rich harvest. On the American continent, the Copper Eskimos of northern Canada thought the aurora to be the spirits responsible for good weather and bountiful hunting. Consequently, they were most careful never to offend these celestial lights
In China and Japan the northern lights have also been linked to fertility, being considered a prediction of a forthcoming birth. The aurora could even be called upon to help women through the painful experience of childbirth. Today, some Japanese honeymooners travel to northern Canada every year, in the belief that children conceived under the northern lights will prosper and be blessed with good luck.

Inuit people of the Canadian Arctic believed in the aurora’s curative powers and their shamans would make “spirit journeys” to the aurora in order to receive advice on how to treat the sick and even rescue souls from death.