Northern lite vs Northern light

 The Northern Lights: A Journey Through the Selection and Stabilization Phases

Introduction

Northern Lights is one of the most iconic strains in the cannabis world, renowned for its potency, stability, and consistent characteristics. This legendary strain is the result of extensive breeding and selection efforts by pioneers such as Steve Murphy, Greg Green, and Neville Schoenmakers. To understand the differences and specific contributions of these two key figures, it's crucial to examine their work in detail.

Origins and Key Contributors

The Contributions of Steve Murphy and Seattle Greg

Seattle Greg: Greg Green received Afghan Pure Indica seeds from Steve Murphy, and from these genetics he developed Northern Lite. Greg introduced the numbering system to identify phenotypes, ranging from #1 to #11, with each number representing a specific phenotype.

Numbering System: Greg came up with this numbering system just before sending the seeds to Neville. The name was changed to "Northern Lights" by Neville upon arrival in the Netherlands out of respect for Seattle's work, as surely another breed was added to the Lite and not just a simple hunt by Neville and perhaps Shanti too who could have helped. Number #1 was the most Afghan and indica, while higher numbers represented more sativa or equatorial phenotypes.

The Role of Neville Schoenmakers

Stabilization Work: Neville received the Northern Lite seeds from Greg and played a major role in stabilizing the variety. By crossing and stabilizing the different generations of Northern Lite, he was able to create homogeneous and consistent phenotypes, often across multiple generations of selection, and began numbering them again (F1, F2, F3, etc.).

Changes and Innovations: According to Greg, Neville altered the numbering and history of the Northern Lites to suit his own narrative. Greg claims he never sent Neville Northern Lights #1, the "Purest Indica," but rather seeds from phenotypes #2 through #11. Neville continued to cross these strains with other plants to create his own versions, resulting in his own name, Northern Lights.

The Effects of Change and Conflict

Conflicts and Losses: In 1986, tensions arose when Greg discovered that Neville had purchased Northern Lite seeds from another source. This conflict resulted in Neville losing direct access to genuine Northern Lite seeds. As a result, Neville had to resort to copying the strains he already had and crossing them with other plants, which he didn't mind, as he hadn't asked for anything other than Northern Lite seeds... Neville says: having already got the official strains from Greg, I don't see where the problem was... It's more of a jealousy on the part of Greg due to Neville and Shanti's success and their cup win with their remixes.

Loss of Original Strains : The true original Northern Lite strains were almost entirely lost due to busts and "Operation Green Merchant." This resulted in the disappearance of some of the original genetics, changing the landscape of Northern Lite as it was originally conceived.

Comparison of Final Products

eattle Greg: Greg's final product is likely more phenotypically diverse due to the variety of initial crosses. The Northern Lites Greg developed are directly descended from the original crosses and may exhibit more varied and unstable traits.

Neville Schoenmakers: The Northern Lights bred by Neville and Shanti are known for their stability and consistency. Through his multi-generational selection and breeding, he has produced highly uniform phenotypes, often more consistent in terms of yield, potency, and taste.#LaCrèmeDeLaCrème

Conclusion

Ultimately, the differences between Greg's Northern Lite and Neville's Northern Light illustrate how the selection and stabilization processes can influence the final product. While Steve and Greg provided the initial genetic foundation, Neville played a crucial role in breeding, stabilizing, and homogenizing the strain. Each individual's contributions shaped Northern Lights as we know it today, with specific nuances that reflect their respective approaches to breeding.

To put it in perspective, think of the creation of Northern Lights as composing a song or directing a film. Greg and Neville's contributions are comparable to collaborations between different artists. Steve and Greg would have provided the initial musical riffs or basic scenes if you imagine a film, while Neville would have fine-tuned the arrangements or production details to achieve a cohesive final product. Each person's final products represent approximately 50% of the total process, with Greg contributing the original idea and Neville providing the finishing touches and stabilization.

!!!The Northern Lights as a Musical Work!!!

Introduction
By imagining Northern Lite as a musical work, the history of this cannabis strain becomes a symphony of creative contributions, innovations, and conflicts. Here's how the roles of Steve Murphy, Seattle Greg, and Neville Schoenmakers compare within this musical framework.

Origin of the Music "Northern Lights"

Steve Murphy
He's like the original composer of an unpublished melody. He provides the first chords—in this case, the seeds of Pure Afghan Indica—that will serve as the basis for what will become a classic. Although his initial music is promising, it couldn't yet achieve worldwide fame.

Seattle Greg
En tant que chanteur, reçoit la mélodie de Murphy et commence à élaborer la première version de la chanson. Il introduit le système de numérotation des Northern Lite (#1 à #11) pour identifier les différents phénotypes. Cette étape est cruciale car elle pose les bases du succès à venir, mais Greg n’a pas encore atteint une reconnaissance internationale car son morceau n’est pas encore masterisé et mixé.

Neville Schoenmakers
Known for his talent as a remixer and producer, Neville discovered Seattle Greg's version and decided to work on it. He received the music and the rights to work on it, making major changes to create a refined version that could perhaps conquer the world. Neville transformed the name of the song from "Northern Lites" to "Northern Lights" and made it a worldwide hit. Thanks to his skills as a composer and producer, he added lyrics, effects, and did the mixing/mastering.

Who Holds What Rights?

Steve Murphy

• Original Creator: Steve Murphy is the creator of the first Pure Afghan Indica seeds imported from there, the building block of Northern Lite. Although he didn't directly monetize his creation, he remains the original creator.
• Victim of Unjust Appropriation : He gave the seeds to Seattle Greg without a formal transfer of rights, leaving him out of any further profits.

Seattle Greg

• Initial Purchaser : Greg received the seeds and created the first numbered versions of Northern Lite. Although he wasn't the original author of the seeds, he played a vital role in their initial development.
• Promoter : He introduces Neville to Northern Lite, but their relationship becomes conflicted when the latter starts buying seeds from alternative sources (in hindsight, according to Greg, Neville was supposed to have already mastered the basics). A good way to get some of his loot back.

Neville Schoenmakers

• Creator of the Remix : Neville prend la base musicale de Greg et l’améliore avec des techniques avancées de stabilisation, créant ainsi une version homogène et populaire de la Northern Lite et lui donnant le nom plus vendeur de Northen Light.
• Purchaser in Good Faith but Disputed: Although he receives the rights for free from Greg and uses them to create a worldwide hit, Neville finds himself in a complex situation due to the initial acquisition of seeds from unauthorized sources.

Percentage of Rights on the Final Version/span>

Steve Murphy (Original Creator)

• Contribution : Provides the genetic basis for Northern Lite.
• PPercentage : 20%
• Justification: Although Steve Murphy initiated the project, his initial contribution was not followed by any further stabilization or development efforts.

Seattle Greg (Initial Developer)

• Contribution : Develops and introduces the first numbered versions of Northern Lite.
• Percentage : 35%
• Justification : Greg developed Murphy's seeds into distinct varieties and was instrumental in introducing Northern Lights to Neville.

Neville Schoenmakers (Producer and Stabilizer)

• Contribution : Stabilizes and transforms Northern Lite into Light with worldwide success, improving the basic genetics.
• Percentage :45%
• Justification : Neville made significant improvements and brought the Northern Lights to international prominence, warranting a majority share of the rights.

Cannabis Cup victory with Neville's Northern Light

-1990 : Northern Lights #5 won first place in the "Indica" category at the High Times Cannabis Cup

-1991 : Northern Lights #5 also won first place in the "Best Overall" category at the High Times Cannabis Cup.

They created the hype and international fame because we all know that the public needs an award to trust and finally bring interest to the product. We can therefore say that without Neville and Shanti, the Northern Light would surely have remained an underground legend only... 

“When you give seeds, the genetics belong to the street, you have to accept them or keep them… But on your own it’s hard to create a legendary variety.”

Conclusion

The history of Northern Lights as a music reveals dynamics of collaboration and conflict. Steve Murphy is the original creator, Greg is the initial developer who put together the early versions, and Neville is the producer who stabilized and popularized the versions into a single, renowned variety. The distribution of rights reflects the unique contributions of each, with Neville playing a pivotal role in achieving Northern Lights' global success. As with any collaborative work, recognition and rewards must reflect the respective contributions of each contributor, while also taking into account the complexities of the transactions and conflicts that have marked this history.