Top 12 Ball Lightning Folklore from Around the World: #7 Will Send Chills Down Your Spine
People have been enthralled with the mysterious and transient phenomena known as ball lightning for millennia. All around, many civilizations have fashioned intricate tales and mythology around these enigmatic, glittering balls. Twelve incredible folklore stories about ball lightning from all around the earth will be covered on this page. Get ready to be enthralled; the seventh story truly sends chills down your spine!
1. The Will-o’-the-Wisp of European Marshlands
Stories about the Will-o’-the-Wisp have been passed down across Europe’s foggy marshes over years. Usually linked with ball lightning, these mysterious floating lights are meant to deceive gullible tourists. According to folklore, these ethereal balls represent the ghosts of the dead, cursed to float around the earth. Some stories say they are the souls of unbaptized children, while others say they are clever fairies or nature spirits. Based on a mythical character who tricked the devil and was cursed to travel the earth with just a burning coal to guide him, they are known in Ireland as “Jack O’Lanterns.” Said to show on dark evenings, the Will-o’-the-Wisp bobbs and weaves across the fog to enthrall curious onlookers to follow. Sometimes those following these phantom lights find they are lost on hazardous bogs or lead off cliff edges. Some tales even suggest that the lights are created by evil spirits deliberately bringing people to their death. Though these tales bring dangers, the Will-o’-the-Wisp never fails to enthralls since it reminds us of the invisible powers present in the natural world and the thin veil dividing our sphere from the otherworldly.
