North America

Most of the North American legends stem from early native tribes. Many of them associate the lights with spirits of ancestors, and dancing across the night sky.  Some also believe them to be spirit guides, also including ancestors but also including animal guides as well. 

 

Another common legend is that the lights were from a fire, built by the creator and that it was a sign that he was watching over them. The Makah natives also thought the lights to be fire, but created by a tribe of dwarves. (The Aurora Zone, 2015)

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The Inuit tribes believed the lights to be human spirits playing a game using a walrus skull for a ball. The people of Nunavik had a similar story but it was opposite. The walrus spirits were playing the game with the skull of a human. (Egeland, 2011)

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