ummers were very short and winters very cold in the North.
During long, cold nights, people from a little fishing village sat by their fires, making nets and warm clothes while waiting for the first flowers to break through the crust of snow. Then the men from the village went to sea for the summer to catch as much fish as possible to survive the following winter. During the short summer months, the women picked berries and herbs, impatiently waiting for their husbands’ safe return.
Like the others, Stella and Ole lived quietly year after year in the same hut on the cliff by the sea. Their little hut was filled with the smell of smoked fish and hopes that the next summer’s catch would allow them to survive the following winter.
That year, spring flowers appeared quite early, and the ice blocks started thawing fast.
“This is going to be a good summer for fishing,” said Ole.
He took his nets and his little boat and, like the others, went to sea. The short summer was coming to an end, but Ole still had not returned.
Strong northern winds brought the first blocks of ice to the seashore, and many other fishermen were already back. Every night Stella stood on the cliff with a lamp to help Ole find his way back. Piercing cold froze the sea solid, but Ole still had not returned. Shivering with cold, Stella ignored her neighbours and waited with her lamp at the top of the cliff. The nights became longer and longer, and when the snow blizzards came, she froze to death. But at the same time a new bright star appeared in the sky.
It showed Ole the way back home.
We call it Stella Polaris...