Will-o'-the-Wisp

Ignis Fatuus

Will-o'-the-Wisp

Minor Spiritwell-documentedCelticGermanicBritishBritish IslesNorthern Europe
Origin

Many traditions explain the Will-o'-the-Wisp as the soul of a sinner too wicked for hell, condemned to wander the earth with a glowing coal. Others say it is a mischievous fairy or elemental of the marsh.

Appearance

A pale blue or green hovering light, roughly head-height, that moves with apparent intelligence. Vanishes when approached directly, reappears behind the observer.

Abilities

Leads travellers off safe paths into bogs, marshes, and danger. Mimics the lantern of a farmhouse. Cannot be caught or confronted.

Weaknesses & Wards

Weaknesses

  • condition
    Turning clothing inside-out reportedly breaks its power

Wards

  • symbol
    Iron pin carried in the pocket
  • condition
    Never follow a strange light off a known road at night
Sources
  1. [1]
    The Anatomy of Melancholy. Burton, Robert. 1621. The Anatomy of Melancholy. Clarendon Press.literary
  2. [2]
    Folklore of the British Isles. Briggs, Katharine. 1976. An Encyclopedia of Fairies. Pantheon Books.academic
well-documented