Will-o'-the Wisp
Will-o'-the Wisp
From The Aerial World by Gustav Hartwig
1875.
Will-o'-the Wisp
From A Popular guide to
the Observation of Nature
by Robert Mudie
1842
A marshy meadow-a quiet pond"
A lonely road and a hill beyond
In the reedy marsh below the hill,
On starlight nights when the air is still,
Where rushes and cresses grow green and crisp,
There goes, dancing, Will-o'-the Wisp
Will-o'-the Wisp so gay
We see the gleam of his lantern bright
Flitting about in the quiet night.
He balances on the cattail tops,
Then to the rustling reeds he drops,
And reeds to the rushes will softly lisp,
Here comes, dancing, Will-o'-the Wisp,
Will-o'-the Wisp so gay
The east grows gray at the touch of dawn.
Presto! Will-o'-the Wisp is gone.
For the morning wind blows out his light-
He'll dance again on another night.
When crickets are chirping in grasses crisp,
Then we'll watch for Will-o'-the Wisp,
Will-o'-the Wisp so gay
Poem by Cecil Cavendish
Legends and Folklore
So...who is Will-o'-the Wisp? Or, more properly put; what is the Will-o'-the Wisp? The modern day traveler may have never heard of Will, but that was not the case for people who lived in a more antiquated age. Will-o'-the Wisp is properly called the "Ignis Fatuus." Translated from the Latin it means "foolish fire" or "the luring fire." It has often been described by witnesses as "appearing like a torch in the unsteady hand of an unseen traveler." Sometimes it is a ball of light, or a fireball that lingers over an area of marshy ground. Most sightings occur in places that are damp, or areas where there is a lot of dead vegetation. The color of the Ignis Fatuus varies, but it has been known to appear in various shades of red, orange, white, blue or green. A common characteristic associated with this phenomena is its elusive nature. Someone seeing the Ignis Fatuus may attempt to follow it, but much to that persons dismay will never catch up to it. Indeed, this aspect of its nature is mentioned in its name. In years gone by the reports were numerous of tired, weary travelers who lose themselves on a dark lonely stretch of highway. Suddenly they see a distant light and believe that it is a fellow traveler who is lighting the way with a torch or lantern. The unsuspecting traveler follows, thinking that the bearer of this torch might lead the way to the comfort of a warm fire at a roadside inn. The gullible traveler may even follow when the torch veers off the road into a meadow. Methinks the torch bearer knows a shortcut! After a while the by now exhausted traveler finds that the torch has led him into a foggy bog where it disappears. It is at this time that the traveler realizes that he has been duped. He has become the latest victim of the chicanery of Will-o'-the Wisp!
The Ignis Fatuus, or Will-o'-the Wisp is known by many other names around the world. In Ireland, England, Scotland and some of the Scandinavian countries it is sometimes reffered to as "Jack-with-a-lantern." Of course many people reading this are well aware of the modern connotation of the name. That is the Jack-o'-lantern. Every year at Halloween, front porches are decorated with these hollowed out pumpkin heads, but most people are unaware of the traditions historical origin. In Japan the Ignis Fatuus is known as the Hitodama, which, translated into english means "human soul." They are believed to be the lost souls of the dead searching for a passageway into the spirit world.
There are many legends attached to these strange lights. The name Will-o'-the Wisp probably derived from somewhere in the moors of southern England. The dating of the name is not known with any certainty, but references to it can be found in works dating back to at least the seventeenth century. A Wisp is a small bundle of straw that is bound tightly and when lit can be used as a torch. Hence the name "William with a Wisp" eventually shortened to Will-o'-the Wisp.
One story from Irish legend has it that Will was a blacksmith and like the typical Irish stereotype had a problem with "John Barleycorn." He is a hard working fellow during the day but spends most of his earnings at a local inn where he tips the bottle until the wee hours of the morning and along with his rummy friends sings patriotic Irish songs and toasts the deeds of Irish martyrs like Robert Emmet and Wolf Tone. In the meantime, his family is neglected. One day while working at his forge the Devil confronts him and they strike up a bargain. The Devil proposes to grant Will all the riches he can handle if at the end of seven years he relinquishes his soul. Will readily agrees and the deal is sealed. However, at the end of seven years Will is able to trick the devil into giving him seven more years. He does this a few more times before the Devil is finally able to rid himself of the pesky Will. Will has beaten the Devil...or so he thinks. Eventually Will grows old and dies. At the gates of heaven he is confronted by St. Peter who adamantly refuses to let him in. He tells Will that he has lived a corrupt life and the gates of heaven are forever closed to him. Will is dejected, but then remembers his old friend, the Devil. He therefore knocks on the gates of hell. However, when the Devil finds out who it is he too refuses to open the gate. He wants no more of that trickster! Will is stunned by this refusal and causes such a ruckus outside of hell's gates that the Devil agrees to parley with him. The Devil ponders on what to do with Will and it suddenly dawns on him that he could be put to good use back on the mortal sphere. So he sends Will back to Earth. Once there, he gives this malignant spirit a lighted wisp and informs him that forever after he shall wander the moors and swamps and attempt to deceive the weary traveler.
Will-o'-the Wisp
From Observations on Popular Antiquities
by John Brand
1842
Another morbid and somewhat disturbing legend comes from Dutch tradition. It is said that the Will-o'-the Wisp's are the souls of unbaptized children. They naturally like to play around marshy watery areas in the hope that some man of the cloth might take notice and baptize them. Indeed, there is a story related by T.F. Thiselton Dyer and pulished in the British periodical Gentleman's Magazine which tells the tale of a Dutch minister who is traveling back to his home late one night when he stumbles upon three of these strange lights. He is aware of the legend that surrounds them so he takes it upon himself to baptize the three lonely Wisps. However, no sooner than the baptized words are out of his mouth he is suddenly astonished to see thousands of them appear from the marsh and swarm all around him. Overwhelmed and terrified the good hearted minister runs as fast as he can to the safety of his home.
In parts of Germany the Ignis Fatuus goes by the name of "Heerwisch." According to legend, whenever Heerwisch hears a certain song that he does not like emenating from the lips of a traveler he gets angry and takes the form of a goblin. It is said that he leads his victims to marshy ground where he terrorizes and then sometimes kills them. The Will-o'-the Wisp is sometimes called an Elf-Candle and is therefore frequently associated with the fairy phenomenon which reached the height of its popularity during the first two decades of the twentieth century. The Wisps were alleged to be the vehicles which the fairies used to travel from their world to ours. One early writer described these fairies as being "very small, only a few inches high with an airy, almost transparent body." He further added that "they do not live alone or in pairs, but always in large societies." Irish legend suggests that these fairies come out at night from their secret abodes and congregate around marshes, streams and cemeteries. They disappear when the sun rises leaving for a place known as "Thiera na Oge" which is Gaelic and is pronounced "Cheer na nog." Translated into English it means "the land of youth." Supposedly anyone who enters this realm never grows old.
In parts of Ireland and Scotland the Ignis Fatuus is sometimes referred to as a "Corpse Candle." It is said that if one of these Corpse Candles ventures near a house it is a sign that one of its occupants will soon die. The Irish fairie known as the "Banshee" is also tied to the Corpse Candle legend. The Banshee is a female fairie who hangs around outside of a home when someone is sick. It is said that this strange creature howls or screams into the night as a way to grieve for the sick.
Possible Theories as to the Cause
Edwin J. Houston in his book The Wonder Book of the Atmosphere believed that the Will-o'-the Wisp phenomenon is caused by a gas which is known as phosphorated hydrogen which can ignite by merely coming in contact with air. He believed that it is due to marsh gas which is caused by decomposing animal and plant matter. In Hanover, Germany an astronomer named Bessel observed a Will-o'-the Wisp while traveling across a moor one winter night. He explained that the night was calm when he saw many bluish flames above an area of uneven ground. Most of the flames were stationary, but some seemed to dance around from place to place. Bessel was quick to point out that most of these strange balls of fire were mostly seen over areas where rainwater had accumulated in puddles.
Another intriguing and somewhat interesting theory was related by T.L. Phipson in an article for Belgravia Magazine published in 1868. Phipson mentions that two entomologists named Kirby and Spence attempted to explain the phenomena as being caused by "luminous insects hovering in clusters over marshy ground." In many respects this seems like a plausible theory. Fireflies are known to breed in swamps and marshy ground where the Will-o'-the wisp is commonly seen. The reason for this is that the wet ground provides a source of nourishment for the firefly larvae.
Probably the most controversial theory is that the Will-o'-the Wisp is of supernatural or extraterrestrial origin. In March of 1966 a celebrated UFO case in Ann Arbor Michigan was attributed as possibly being related to Will-o'-the Wisp. Strange lights were seen over a swampy area outside of the city. It was first suggested that the lights were caused by swamp gas. However some people reported seeing objects falling from the sky and traveling at great speeds through the air. The jury is still out on this incident.
Will-o'-the Wisp Today
The Will-o'-the Wisp is still almost as mysterious today as it was two or three centuries ago. However, the mystique and the legends that surround it that were spread orally from generation to generation are slowly being forgotten as the age of the lonely foot traveler gradually recedes into the distant past. Urban sprawl and the encroachment of marshlands by developers account for a reduction in sightings. However, the biggest blow to the Will-o'-the Wisp phenomena is the current mode of travel. People today are more reliant on their automobiles than ever before. Even the local grocery store a block away is too far to walk for most people. We have become an enclosed, climate controlled society that has become dependent on the modern conveniences and technological improvements that science has given us. In the old days it was nothing for a person to walk to a neighboring town on business or pleasure. If they did take a horse and buggy it was usually under the open air where one could get an acute sense of the elements and was more aware of and in tune to the natural habitat around him.
So it has become of Will-o'-the Wisp, perhaps seen but no longer followed, and today largely ignored. However, if by chance one day, you, the reader, decide to take a walk one night down a dark and lonely road don't be surprised if you see a torch beckoning you to follow along a path or across a field. A shortcut? Maybe? But more than likely it is old Will trying to live up to his part of the bargain made with the Devil in an age long ago.
Craig Hipkins
March 2009
