Aarnivalkea, the fox fires

Finnish folklore says that on Midsummer night an aarnivalkea burns, a pale flame flickering over the spot where treasure lies buried, guarded and never consumed. To claim it you must find a fern in bloom, which ferns never do, so the gold stays in the ground. It sits alongside the revontulet, the “fox fires,” the Finnish name for the aurora, said to be sparks thrown up by a firefox running across the snow. Two of the loveliest pieces of Nordic folklore, on real ground under real northern lights.