Will-o'-the-wisp

For other uses, see Will-o'-the-wisp (disambiguation).
The Will o' the Wisp and the Snake by Hermann Hendrich (1854–1931)

In folklore, a will-o'-the-wisp, will-o'-wisp, or ignis fatuus (Latin for 'foolish flame';[1] pl. ignes fatui), is an atmospheric ghost light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes.

The phenomenon is known in the United Kingdom by a variety of names, including jack-o'-lantern,[3] friar's lantern,[5][6] and hinkypunk, and is said to mislead travellers by resembling a flickering lamp or lantern.[7]

In literature, will-o'-the-wisp metaphorically refers to a hope or goal that leads one on, but is impossible to reach, or something one finds strange or sinister.[8]

Equivalents of the wills-o'-the-wisp appear in European folklore by various names, e.g., ignis fatuus in Latin, feu follet in French, Irrlicht or Irrwisch in Germany, Hessdalen light in Norway. Equivalents occur in traditions of cultures worldwide (cf. § Global terms); e.g., the Naga fireballs on the Mekong in Thailand. In North America the phenomenon is known as the Paulding Light in Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the Spooklight in Southwestern Missouri and Northeastern Oklahoma, and St. Louis Light in Saskatchewan.

In folklore wills-o'-the-wisp are typically attributed as ghosts, fairies or elemental spirits. Modern science explains the light aspect as natural phenomena such as bioluminescence or chemiluminescence, caused by the oxidation of phosphine (PH3), diphosphane (P2H4) and methane (CH4), produced by organic decay.

  1. ^ Phipson, T. L. (October 1868). "Will-o'-the-wisp". Belgravia. Vol. 6. London: Robson and Son. p. 392. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference allies1846 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Kittredge (1900), p. 440: Jack-with-a-lantern, Jack-a-Lantern and n3, Jack-o'-Lantern, citing Allies (1846)[2]
  4. ^ Kittredge (1900), pp. 429–430.
  5. ^ In Milton's L'Allegro.[4]
  6. ^ Denham (1895), 2: 78: friars' lanthorns
  7. ^ Trevelyan, Marie (1909). Folk-Lore and Folk-Stories of Wales. London: Elliot Stock. p. 178. ISBN 978-0854099382. Retrieved 2010-09-18.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "will-o'-the-wisp". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins.