Lightning

To our ancient ancestors, lighting was in the domain of the gods. To the Greeks, only the most powerful of their gods, Zeus, could handle this mysterious and ultra-powerful force.

For the Norse, their corresponding god was Thor, from which we derive the name of the day Thursday. The Lakota worshipped a powerful spirit called the Thunderbird that manifested as lightning, representing sublime strength.

No matter where you looked, lightning was one natural phenomenon that got everyone’s attention. Even without sight, the terrible booming thunder that arose was enough to let anyone know something well beyond human control was happening.

It’s no wonder we turned lightning into gods. Seemingly out of nowhere, it could cut a tree in half, but vertically—far more impressive and quick work than any human could ever hope to do. It could start fires all on its own. People were sometimes even killed by lightning strikes.

Lighting and thunder would also tell you when a storm was on its way, acting …