Will o' the wisp
A
will o' the wisp is a ghostly, pale light sometimes seen at night hovering and sliding around in swamps and
graveyardss. Will o' the wisps recede if approached, and are traditionally held to be mischievous
spirits of the
dead or other
supernatural beings attempting to lead travellers astray. Scientists believe the will o' the wisp phenomenon is a result of the
oxidation of hydrogen phosphide and
methane gases produced by the
decay of
organic material.
It has been pointed out by certain authorities that the standard explanation of
marsh gas is unsatisfactory in many cases, particularly in cases where the motions exhibited by the phenomenon are dynamic - bobbing, swooping, soaring upwards and downwards, or even against the wind, in some reports.
William Corliss writes, in Remarkable Luminous Phenomena in Nature (Sourcebook Project, Glen Arm, MD, 2001:290): "No satisfactory mechanism has been demonstrated whereby gases escaping from marshy areas will spontaneously ignite. Furthermore, most low-level nocturnal lights are cold--not what one would expect from burning methane. Also, no one has explained how clouds of luminous gas can maintain size and shape while engaging in erratic maneuvers over many minutes."
Willo the Wisp was a 1983 animated series for children shown by the
BBC and featuring the voice of
Kenneth Williams.