Will-O-the-Wisp
Fairies, Ghost Lights & Pixies…
Hello, I’m Clare, a self-taught artist, I split my time between Dorset and Cornwall, UK.
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Hello Creative Souls, 🧡🎃
Welcome to my October newsletter, thank you for being here. October is a time when I get the garden ready for winter. I have harvested the last of the beetroot and cleared the raised beds of old plants with the help of the robin who loves to follow me around, picking out the worms from the freshly dug earth. The few dahlias that did finally appear this year are holding on, I love seeing the orange flowers from the back door. I potted up a couple of terracotta pots with autumn cyclamen and some winter violas, just to continue the colour for as long as possible. The garden furniture has been brought in as we get hit quite badly at the back of the house with seasonal wind and rain. I have put out some gorgeous gourds which I can see from the window. This display is for me and any visitors that might pop round, an ode to autumn if you like and one that brightens my day.
I have finally started designing my Christmas card, having left it a little late. I am hoping to get it finished by the end of October, ready for printing. This year I have gone with a penguin theme so watch this space. I will share it with you in my November update, if I actually stop procrastinating and make a start.
This month I have been keeping up the practice of creating art in my sketchbook, maybe not everyday like during the sketchtember challenge but most days. I have really enjoyed getting to learn how to use watercolour pencils and bought myself some Steadtler Karat Aquarel pencils. I have demonstrated how to use these pencils in a recent video over on my YouTube channel. With the darker evenings encroaching I would like to dedicate some time to learning, practising and playing in my sketchbook and using the darker evenings to my advantage.
I have just got back from an autumn break down in Cornwall. We visited a magical and mystical ancient forest which has the river Fowey running through it, lots of mossy boulders and gushing water rushing down stream. We spent our walk looking for mushrooms and toadstools, for which we came across quite a few. I took a postcard sized watercolour pad and a black brush pen and managed to get a quick sketch down, standing beside the river.
Golitha Falls in Bodmin had a lot of spooky atmosphere on offer, according to local folklore, Golitha Falls is an ancient and mystical place where, by the light of a full moon, one can glimpse ‘Golitha’ the Old Man of the woods. The name “Golitha” is derived from the old Cornish word for obstruction, adding to the enigmatic aura of the site.
It is said that the falls are associated with a dark history involving King Doniert (or Dunrgarth), one of Cornwall’s last Kings, who was drowned in the River Fowey at Golitha Falls in the year AD875. There are conflicting accounts of his death, with some suggesting he was drowned while hunting, and others claiming he was murdered. 1
Some of you may remember a children’s cartoon called Willo the Wisp. I recently came across this cartoon from the 80’s on social media and found that it can still be viewed on YouTube, I have left you the link to the 1981 Halloween episode at the end of this post. As a child I used to love watching Willo the Wisp and now as an adult it led me to ponder on what actually is a Willo the Wisp? With the help of the internet I have been researching the very real phenomenon, so if you too, like a spooky tale then grab a cup of something good, a cosy blanket and find a quiet nook. Join me for this creepy Halloween special and be prepared to be spooked.
“There were other lights in the distance. They looked like fireflies, sometimes, but others were so much like lanterns or spell-light that she'd had to resist the urge to call out or follow them. She had a guess as to what they were: Will o’ the Wisps. Little fey creatures that took a nasty joy from misleading travelers, tricking them into jumping into choking bogs or gator-infested marshes. She’d never actually seen one, and given the circumstances, she didn’t want to. So she ignored them as best she could, and hoped they’d return the favor.”
Nine Days Down, Chapter 13: "Warden"
According to Myth…
The Will o’ the Wisp, also known as a Will o’ the Torch or Jack o’ Lantern, is a softly glowing light that often appears at dusk or early night in marshes and swamps, though they occasionally occur elsewhere. References to these mysterious phenomena (which are also sometimes called “orbs”) appear in folklore across the world but have a particular prevalence in cold, wet England.2
According to myth, they are often found along out-of-the-way paths, trying to lure travellers who are lost along the road. Depending on how the traveller treats the wisp, they may lead them to safety or even to treasure, but most of the time, the wisp is a malevolent creature seeking to lead the unsuspecting to their doom. In Celtic myth, the wisp is a light carried by a fairy or other mischievous spirit, who will blow it out once the traveller is well and truly lost.
In some myths, the named character, Will or Jack, was an individual who led an extremely wicked life. When he died, he was cursed to roam the world forever, and the Devil gave him a single hot coal to warm himself. He used the coal to make a lantern, which he uses to lead people to their deaths. Others think they are spirits or paranormal beings. They have the power to predict the future, sometimes appearing before a local tragedy happens.
At the heart of the Willo the Wisp legend lies a central enigma: what exactly is this mystifying creature? Is it a mischievous spirit, hell-bent on leading the lost astray, or a natural phenomenon, born of the very fabric of the forest itself? Or is it something else, a mix of myth and science that defies categorisation?
One theory is that Willo the Wisp is, in fact, a manifestation of the human psyche, a symbol of our deepest fears and anxieties. After all, what's more terrifying than being lost in the dark, with only the faint glow of a lantern to guide us? Maybe Willo the Wisp represents the part of us that's drawn to the unknown, the thrill of the unexplored.
But what about the stories of people who claim to have seen Willo the Wisp with their own eyes? The descriptions of a glowing, ethereal figure, darting between the trees like a will-o'-the-wisp? Can we really write these off as mere fantasy, or is there something more to it?
Despite the many theories, the truth is that we may never know for certain what Willo the Wisp really is. Perhaps that's what makes it so fascinating, the air of mystery.
Willo the Wisps has been referred to in many films and literature over the years:
Will-o'-the-wisp in Paradise Lost has a metaphorical meaning, describing a hope or goal that leads one on but is impossible to reach, or something one finds sinister and confounding. In Book IX of Paradise Lost, lines 631-642, Satan is compared to a will-o-the-wisp when he leads Eve to the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil.
Will-o'-the-wisp makes an appearance in the first chapter of Bram Stoker's Dracula: the Count, masquerading as a coach driver, takes Jonathan Harker to his castle in the night. When Harker asks Dracula about the lights, the Count makes reference to a common folk belief about the phenomenon by saying that they mark where treasure is buried.
In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, will-o'-the wisps are present in the Dead Marshes outside of Mordor. When Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee make their way through the bogs the spindly creature Gollum tells them not to follow the will-o'-the wisps. He tells them that if they do, they will keep the dead company and have 'little candles of their own', indicating that these ghostly fires are not friendly.
In JK Rowling's Harry Potter series will-o'- the wisps are called Hinkypunks. 3
“A flame, which oft, they say, some evil Spirit attends, hovering and blazing with delusive light, misleads the amazed night-wanderer from his way to bogs and mires, and oft through pond or pool; there swallowed up and lost, from succour far.”
From Paradise Lost 9.631-642
Folklore & Regional Names…
Historically, the phenomenon of Willo the Wisp can be traced back to the early days of European folklore, when the superstition of the common people was full of stories about malevolent spirits and supernatural entities. The science behind Willo the Wisp, on the other hand, points to the natural occurrence of bioluminescent gases in certain types of fungi and plants, which can create the illusion of a glowing figure moving through the forest.
There are many regional names for what is essentially the same phenomenon, a will-o'-the-wisp, will-o'-wisp, or ignis fatuus;
Hertfordshire & East Anglia: The Hobby Lantern
Lancashire: Peg-a-Lantern
Cornwall & Somerset: Joan the Wad
East Anglia: The Lantern Man
Somerset & Devon: Hinky Punk
Shropshire: Will the Smith
Worcestershire: Pinket
The West Country: Jacky Lantern, Jack-a-Lantern
Lowland Scotland: Spunkies
Wales: Pwca, Ellylldan
Norfolk: Will o’ the Wikes
Warwickshire & Gloucestershire: Hobbedy’s Lantern
North Yorkshire & Northumberland: Jenny with the Lantern
Despite the many explanations, the allure of Willo the Wisp remains strong. Whether you believe it's a real creature or just a figment of our collective imagination, there's something undeniably captivating about the idea of a mysterious, glowing entity that roams the forest at night.
One of the most fascinating stories about Willo the Wisp is that of a group of travellers who claimed to have followed the creature deep into the forest, only to find themselves in a hidden clearing, surrounded by ancient trees and strange, glowing orbs. Another story tells of a young woman who was lost in the forest for days, until Willo the Wisp appeared to her, leading her back to safety.
In Cornish legend, Joan-the-Wad and Jack-the-Lantern are often linked with wildfire or will-o-the-wisp - strange lights that were often referred to as pixie-lights. These lights, which appear over the moors and are traditionally thought to either lead travellers away from their path on dark nights or else sometimes to act as their guide to safety. In the east of Cornwall, the lights can be evoked with a simple charm. 4
Jack the Lantern, Joan the Wad,
That tickled the maid and made her mad,
Light me home, the weather’s bad.
These stories, and many others like them, have left a lasting impact on folklore and mythology. They speak to our deep-seated fears and desires, our longing for adventure and our need for guidance in the darkest of times.
Willo the Wisp remains a mystery, a creature of the night that continues to captivate and intrigue us. Whether you believe it's real or not, its place in mythology, folklore and nature is undeniable, a symbol of the unknown and the unknowable.
Thanks for joining me on this journey into the heart of the Willo the Wisp legend. If you have any thoughts on this mysterious creature, be sure to share them in the comments below.
Until next time dear reader, stay naturally curious, but a friendly warning, if you happen to see blue lights in the distance then my advice would be to not get too curious!
Clare 🎃🧚🧡
Resources:
https://strangebritain.co.uk/myths-legends-folklore/will-o-the-wisp
https://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/folklore/will-o-the-wisp/
https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/willowisp.html
https://mythology.net/mythical-creatures/will-o-the-wisp/
A Treasury of British Folklore, Maypoles, Mandrakes & Mistletoe - Dee Dee Chainey
https://devonandcornwallguide.co.uk/golitha-falls/
https://mythology.net/mythical-creatures/will-o-the-wisp/
https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Will_O%27_The_Wisp
A Treasury of British Folklore, Maypoles, Mandrakes & Mistletoe - Dee Dee Chainey P81-82
Looking forward to seeing this year’s Christmas card. Interesting read about will o the wisp - both the folklore and the children’s cartoon. I LOVED the cartoon as a child so thank you for sharing the YouTube link (as a child I never apppreciated that Kenneth Williams voiced all the characters!).
Thank you Clare. There is much to know about Willo the Wisps. I had the experience of walking down a country lane in Sussex on a dusky evening, about 30 years ago, and the fireflies were in full force hovering in and out of the over-hanging trees. They were glowing red, but I do believe the colours vary and can be green and blue depending on what part of the world you live in. I understand it is only the females that light up in the dark to attract the males! Happy to say I got to my destination safely!