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Paper short abstract

The paper addresses two research questions concerning the northern lights in Icelandic traditions: 1. How frequently did the northern lights appear over Iceland in historical times? 2. Is there evidence indicating that they were more commonly referenced in early sources than traditionally assumed?

Paper long abstract

In this paper, I will discuss Icelandic traditions concerning the aurora borealis, or northern lights. For a long period of time, it has been stated that medieval Icelandic sources, that is to say, the writing of history, and learned and vernacular literature, do not mention the northern lights at all, and that the only Old Norse source would be the Norwegian Konungs skuggsjá (Speculum regale), composed between 1250–60, which describes sightings of the aurora over Greenland. The present study, however, focuses specifically on Icelandic materials, analysing narratives concerning the northern lights and situating them within their broader cultural and historical contexts.

In light of this, the paper addresses two central research questions: (1) How frequently did the northern lights appear over Iceland in historical times? And (2) is there evidence indicating that the northern lights were more commonly referenced in early sources than has traditionally been assumed? The primary materials considered include Icelandic and wider European accounts preserved from the medieval era through to the 19th century. These encompass a diverse corpus ranging from Eddic poetry, the Sagas of Icelanders (Íslendingasögur), Legendary Sagas (fornaldarsögur), to (folk) poetry, travelogues, and topographical descriptions. Collectively, these sources reveal a variety of depictions of the northern lights, suggesting that Icelanders have been captivated by this striking natural phenomenon for many centuries.