Photographer's Arctic Aurora Quest Leads to Unexpected Encounter with a Playful Fox

Dennis Lehtonen, an avid seeker of the northern lights, traveled to the distant hamlet of Kilpisjärvi inside the Arctic Circle, aiming to photograph the spectacular auroras. Little did he anticipate discovering a curious animal beneath the radiant sky, transforming his typical photo shoot into an extraordinary experience. This meeting inspired a collection of images that vividly revive the ancient Finnish legend attributing the northern lights to a fox sprinting across the snowy wilderness.

Revontulet: The Fiery Fox of Finnish Tradition

The aurora borealis—those enchanting lights that shimmer in polar skies—have long been the inspiration for myths globally. In Finland, they are linked to a captivating tale involving a mystical fox.

“In Finnish the word for northern lights is “revontulet,” and it directly translates to “fox fires.” According to the old mythology, when it runs along the tundra, the fox’s flaming tail sweeps snowflakes into the sky and the fur scratches the trees, setting the skies on fire. That is how the northern lights are created,” shared the photographer in his Instagram post.

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Lehtonen’s photographs bring this folklore vividly to life, as the fox captured beneath the dazzling auroras seemingly embodies the spirit of the revontulet.

A captivating fox observes the northern lights swirling in the Arctic sky. Credit: @astrodenniina via Instagram

Dennis Lehtonen’s Year in Arctic Aurora Territory

Lehtonen spent a year residing in Kilpisjärvi, drawn by its pristine darkness and frequent aurora activity. This quiet Arctic Circle village offered prime conditions for aurora photography and a mesmerizing natural backdrop to capture the sky’s light spectacle.

“My original reason for moving and living in this small village, Kilpisjärvi, home to a hundred people, was my aurora hobby. I lived there for a year, but then I continued moving to Greenland,”Lehtonen told to Space.com.

On a chilly December night in 2022, while Lehtonen was setting up his camera gear, a fox appeared unexpectedly and nabbed his gloves. Although it fled, the fox returned a week later, leaving the gloves behind with some fingers chewed off. Lehtonen fondly recalled the mischievous fox's behavior:

“Whenever I would attempt to approach it, trying to get the gloves back, it would run away, but eventually returned them with fingers missing.” This cheeky interaction added an unexpected twist to his photography session.