Grótta lighthouse on the western tip of the Reykjavík peninsula is one of the most popular spots inside Reykjavík city limits to view the Northern Lights. The view of the ocean and small island of Grótta, with its picturesque lighthouse, make for a spectacular backdrop to nature’s most amazing show. Grótta is also one of the most beautiful spots in Reykjavík to enjoy the sunset.
Since the Northern Lights are such a magical looking phenomenon, it should come as no surprise that a wealth of stories and legends exist about where this odd phenomenon came from and what it represents.
The word Aurora Borealis comes from the name of the ancient Roman goddess of the dawn and the Greek name for the north wind. The existence of this expression implies that there was some incredibly strong solar activity at that time because observations so far south are extremely rare. According to the ancient Greeks, Aurora was a goddess, the sister of Helios and Selene, the sun and the moon. Sometimes, she would ride across the sky in her glorious chariot to alert her siblings to the dawn.