Ghost Fire.

 

Japanese and Korean Ghost

 🔥👻🔥

There are stories of supernatural flames or lights in almost every culture.

 Some believe they are fairies or ghost's others think they are monster goblins or demons. 

 The more modern belief is that it's nothing more than swamp gas or ball lightning.

But whatever you call  it's a global phenomena.

 Japanese folklore, such as  Hitodama (literally a  "Human Soul" as a ball of energy), Hi no Tama (Ball of Flame), A few other yokai associated with fire or strange lights are the Kasha, Nekomata, Aburagae, Koemonbi, Ushionibi, etc. 

All theses lights are always associated with graveyards or swamps. 

Kitsune ( demon fox) and other yokai or demons, are also similar to the European will 'o the wisp.

When two kitsune are married they produce kitsune-bi (狐火),  meaning 'fox-fire' in celebration,  Though they can also do this whenever they like not just during a celebration's.

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In Korea the lights are often associated with rice paddies, old trees, mountains or even in some houses and were called 'dokkebi bul’ (Hangul: 도깨비 불), meaning goblin fire (or goblin light). 

They were deemed malevolent and impish, as they confused and lured passersby to lose their way or fall into pits at night.

Same as a Will of the wisp in bog's and swamp's will lead you off the path.

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More on the Dokkebi in a upcoming post ...

Fairy Lore, the will o the wisp.

 

Happy October 1st 🎃

The Will o the wisp .ignes fatui or ignis fatuus.

For centuries people have seen odd lights from the swamps or marsh. Though the name may very the most well known term is will o the wisp. Other names, for this phenomena including jack-o'-lantern, friar's lantern, and hinkypunk it is one of the more well know legends throughout Europe. Other names include the Paulding Light in Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and the Hessdalen light in Norway or the Spooklight in Southwestern Missouri and Northeastern Oklahoma, the Naga fireballs on the Mekong in Thailand, and St. Louis Light in Saskatchewa.

The  Bridgewater Triangle, a swampy area of Massachusetts has local folklore of ghostly orbs of light, and there have been modern observations of these ghost-lights in this area as well.

The fifollet (or feu-follet) of Louisiana derives from the French settler's according to legends the fifollet is a soul sent back from the dead to do God's penance, but instead attacks people for vengeance. While it mostly takes part in harmless mischievous acts, the fifollet sometimes sucked the blood of children. Some legends say that it was the soul of a child who died before baptism.

In Mexico they are believed to be witches that transformed into  lights. Another explanation refers to the lights as indicators to places where gold or hidden treasures are buried which can be found only with the help of children. This version is called luces del dinero (money lights) or luces del tesoro (treasure lights).

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The light of a will o the wisp is said to mislead travellers by resembling a flickering lamp or lantern.

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.

For the most part the Wills-o'-the-wisp is a strange erie light usually seen around a forest, swamp, marsh or even  grave yards often witnessed by travelers.

The most common belief is that these lights are a type  of fairies, ghosts or elemental spirits. Modern explorations for  the light is that it's a natural phenomena most likely some kind of  bioluminescent swamp gas or possibly ball lightning.