Awe of the Arctic

For centuries, what lies above the Arctic Circle has been a source of intrigue for those who live below its border. Stories from ancient Greek and Norse mythology gave rise to lively conceptions of ice-free waters and a fabled people who lived at the top of the world. Explorers sought to map the region as early as the 15th century, and there has been a significant expedition to the Arctic every decade since 1800. Expeditions to the Arctic in search of resources and trade routes slowly replaced these legends with more accurate information. For the general public, to whom the Arctic would always carry some degree of mystery, illustrations gave shape to the unknowable.