Quantum Concepts through Icelandic Mythology
Examples – Quantum Concepts Through Icelandic Mythology
1. Superposition – Schrödinger’s Cat as a Hidden Elf (Huldufólk)
-
In Icelandic folklore, the hidden people can be present yet unseen, influencing events without you knowing.
-
Until you “observe” them — by entering their domain or earning their trust — their presence is uncertain.
-
This mirrors quantum superposition: multiple possibilities existing until measurement.
2. Entanglement – Fated Lovers in the Sagas
-
In some sagas, two characters’ fates are intertwined across great distances.
-
A change in one’s fortune instantly and mysteriously affects the other.
-
That’s like quantum entanglement — change the state of one particle, and its partner reacts no matter the distance.
3. Tunneling – The Trickster Crossing Barriers
-
Loki-like figures or clever outlaws sometimes bypass “impenetrable” barriers in unexpected ways.
-
Quantum tunneling lets particles cross energy barriers they “shouldn’t” be able to pass, by exploiting wave-like behavior.
4. Uncertainty Principle – The Shifting Landscape
-
In Icelandic myth and poetry, landscapes can change, fog can conceal, paths can appear or vanish.
-
Trying to pin down both “where” and “when” something will appear is impossible — just like Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle.
5. Wave-Particle Duality – The Seal Woman (Selkie)
-
The selkie is both seal and woman, depending on circumstance and perspective.
-
In quantum physics, light (and matter) can behave as both particle and wave, depending on how you look at it.
Comments
Post a Comment