In Denmark, this concept is atributed to a creature named "Lygtemanden", "the lanternman". He is a little man who runs around to either get good people to treasure, or wicked people to their deaths in the forest.
There’s also the concept of a Lantern Man in England, too. It was seemingly an explanation for the combustible marsh gas that acts as the basis for so many will-o’-the-wisp myths. They say he specifically lives in The Fens, and that he rushes to drown anybody that he catches whistling in the reed beds. He supposedly *hates* whistling and will chase down anybody that he finds doing so. There are implications that there are multiple violent, evil Lantern Man spirits out in The Fens. There’s no treasure if you follow the the British Lantern Man. Haha.
I come from wetland area! Between these and fireflies when the moon isn't out it can be pretty easy to get turned around in dark woods and end up falling into creeks and ravines so it makes sense to blame it on something.
From a scientific perspective, I believe that Will o Wisps are probably a combination of fireflies and bog gasses. Perhaps the impending sense of doom is caused by the various chemicals you’re inhaling coupled with a spooky environment. I live near a marsh and I can’t recall ever having seen Wisps, but it’s very flat and easy to navigate, so maybe the Wisps decided it wasn’t worth their time XD
Its mostly bog gasses and yes the fumes make you feel dread. Though i like to think that maybe, just maybe, something out there could be using them to hide. After all, who would go looking for the sinister in the known? The unexplainable in the explained?
In Germany they are called "Irrlicht", which you can translate as "wandering around lights" or "getting lost lights" because they lead you to wander around until you lose any sense of direction. I think the name is rather cute. ;-P
The Pokémon Pumpkaboo (or however you spell that) is a lantern critter. It guides lost children to safety. The evolved form, Gourgiest, leads lost travelers to their doom.
Ironic that mysterious floating lights on land will lure you to your doom, yet we relied on stars for navigation and predicting the future. It seems humans just can't stand things not being in their proper place. Edit: But then I suppose if the bog lights really were flammable gas, heading toward would indeed be hazardous to your health.
@@novademon6487 swamp farts can seal your fate, by hallucination, asphyxiation or combustion. Even if you're quite sure it's just swamp farts, the opposite direction is still where you should be heading.
I live In Poland near German border and I have never heard this story about a gnome XD In my village those lights were usually called klękanice, my grandma used to warn me to to not go into the forest or fields at night, or they would abduct me Now whenever I’m outside at night where ever I go I see fireflies, seems like we have a huge population of them, which is probably where the legend comes from in this case
As a kid I used to have nightmares about gnomes. And yes I mean those gnomes that have the pointy hats and are seen in gardens. For some reason I felt like they abducted children. I used to have a reacurrent nightmare that nomes stole my younger siblings And kept them underground. And no one would believe me that gnomes took my little brother and sister. So I had to go get them back myself. Saying this I recognize that it does sound like the plot to labyrinth. My Nightmare was nothing like that movie and I'm not talking about goblins. I don't even think I'd seen the movie yet back when I 1st had that nightmare. I always wondered why gnomes, It's so strange they're so cute. The 1st time I got high from Smoking pot back when I was Eighteen I remember feeling paranoid and telling my boyfriend that the Deer were judging us.😂 We were out in a field and there were several deer out there watching us. And the gnomes are out to get us. 😂😂 Why am I so ridiculous.
I listen to your stories on abitlate every night when I go to sleep. Your voice is so nice to hear. In Japan, we have blue lights that appear near rivers. They are the reason that during Obon, which is a week long festival to welcome back deceased family, we float lanterns down rivers. The ancestors have to navigate the dark when they have to return to heaven, and so we provide light for them to find their way. In Kyoto and a few other places especially, they set up burning symbols on the side of mountains for the traveling ancestors. The scientific reason for the blue lights is that when a body starts to decompose it releases gas that light up blue, especially near water. I have not seen the phenomenon myself, but I have heard stories from friends who have. I have heard that it is not scary at all, but just a blue flame calmly floating along. I have not heard about seeing the blue lights as being a bad omen. You shouldn't be near rivers anyways for fear of being grabbed by a kappa more than anything else. Nice topic!
Yeah, I've seen phantom lights a few times. There are a few places rather prone to such things out here in the Appalachian Mountains... Funny thing about the mountain variety, though, is that you're almost never really prepared to go chasing off after them... SO mostly, in the mountains, I just strain my eyes... once even had binoculars, and tried with them. Couldn't get much better detail that way, other than to pretty well pinpoint where the lights were one after another... which is odd, maybe, but not some otherworldly level of weird. In the swamp I did go after the lights a couple times, BUT it was Louisiana, and I had a pirogue (a really small REALLY lightweight boat) so I just about couldn't get stranded out there... AND I was equipped enough to handle myself for a couple days if necessary (which it wasn't... haha)... The d*mn lights just faded or winked out before I could quite get close enough to make heads or tails out of them... SPEAKING of which... Ever notice how a LOT of these stories relate to swamps and bogs and moores??? That's at least in part, because in those kinds of places, there's a proclivity for slow moving water... and by nature, there are floating plants. You'd think that wasn't a big deal, BUT how often have you walked around and memorized your way by some tree or a certain bush to recognize the path, or some certain corner of a building or fence. It's not the only thing, of course (usually) BUT it still accounts as part of your navigation... SO in the swamps, we have big mats of swamp-grass that float like islands. Some are big enough and hefty enough, even though they're only grass and reeds intertwined and root-bound, you CAN walk on them. SO whenever you get deep in the wild parts of the swamp, these mats of swamp grass can move in behind you, pulled and pushed by wind or water currents... paths you THOUGHT you knew coming in... DISAPPEAR before you get turned around to try to get back out. It's not terribly dangerous if you know that wherever a floating mat closes one waterway, it opens another... so you just keep paddling, and don't be out there in a boat you can't carry on your own... not if you go alone (which is its own properly hazardous situation in the swamps)... SO think about it... You go out in the swamp... in the dark... a little foggy here and there (as is pretty much normal)... AND then you go chasing after fairie lights or will o' wisps or whatever... You get hopelessly off in the wild spaces and then it flickers out... and when you turn around to go back, you only get so far, and that waterway you KNOW was just there not 10 minutes ago, IS GONE... and suddenly the panic starts to raise up in you because somehow you just don't recognize ANYTHING... Yeah... A LOT of people still go missing in swamps every year... and many are just never seen again. It doesn't even take any ill will or supernatural goings on for it to happen... just a little misnavigation... a dash of panic... and the dark settles in on them... pfft... Suddenly they can't think their way out of a wet paper sac... Anyways... I know you can jam a 8 or 10 foot pipe down in the Louisiana bayous, and light the gas that comes bubbling out the end for a fishing lamp that'll last several hours if you catch the right spot. In the area, they call it a Cajun Nightlight. ;o)
This makes me think that maybe if You get to that point of being lost. Just staying still till morning. Maybe find a tree in Climb It. Although I live up North in Maine USA Our wetlands are a bit different than those down South.
@@wimsylogic65 Most of the time, if you can figure about the direction you WANT to go in the first place, just poking around the floating grass islands, and you'll eventually find your way through... It can take hours or even DAYS to do that, so a good Coleman cookstove and some means of fishing or gigging certainly helps your odds... haha... The one thing you don't EVER want to do when handling a "crisis" in the wild places is PANIC... That's the universal killer no matter where you are... Just about any "game plan" can work. Some are maybe more efficient than others, and even climbing a tree can have it's issues (like algae and rot)... BUT it's something. You can find a better tree if nothing else. ;o)
On the topic of a black dog. There was a strange encounter once a few years back while walking the path home. Right when I reached the turn outside our house after walking my siblings to school, something drew my attention to a clumping of bramble. Of which, partially hidden behind it, a large wolflike dog was standing almost at my height. Its fur blending with the morning shadows far too well for comfort. It didnt move, but as I continued towards the house it seemed to vanish from my sight. No-one believed that It was anything more than an average dog because there weren't any reports, and all of our neighbors had multiple dogs that would make a lot of noise if they smelled anything strange or new. But you mentioning black dogs reminded me of its piercing gaze. It is probably the most vivid I can recall outside of fiction. Though I've always been under the guardian impressing of emcountering black dogs, I'm not too sure with how things have been since then. Probably just the recent mood getting to me.
I've never seen a Will o the Wisp, my encounters have been rather more local specific, in the form of something called a shuck. For many, the shuck is a scary figure, but there have been a scant few tales of benevolent shucks, and I believe it's benevolent shucks I've encountered. I see them when I am feeling at my lowest, and go for night time walks to clear my head. It's a little shadowy companion who shadows me across the fens, and I believe keeps me from harm - I think it likely the shuck would keep me safe from a Will o the Wisp.
In Argentina we have "La luz mala" or "The bad light" in English. Is something similar, but not the same. Is usually said that those lights are either the souls of the dead or the devil himself, they can be either red or white. They are found in rural areas and are known to chase people who get too close to them.
Here in México there are a lot of conflicting tales about Lights in the forests Some say these are good spirits, some say these are bad omens I've witnessed them from afar and up close, and although I am not a superstitious guy, these always freak me out At least in my comunity most people, including my grandma and some neighbors agree that these are witches who are looking to kidnap some child who's left unattended or just out to do some evil
@@RedRoseSeptember22I've also heard La Llorona at least twice (+ some more that could be explained by something or someone) It freaks you out for a moment, but usually isn't as frightful, at least not for me
The lantern in the British Isles was typically a hollowed-out turnip. We didn't get pumpkins until they were imported from the Americas. It's also Will o' the Wisp, as television viewers of the 1980's can affirm.
In the Philippines, there's a creature called "Santelmo" that appears in fields, forests, and bogs. Though some accounts even claim that it also appear in rainy nights in slightly rural areas. It's just a faint faint but sometimes it changes to blue. It's said to cause paralysis to those that encounters it. But most of what I hear of it was it bewitches victims into having a muddled sense of direction. Chasing the victims to endless loop without progressing to safety.
In Czech we call them "Bludičky" that looks like blue light...And they are mostly seen in bogs, cementaries And other spooky places.... From slavic forclore they can be souls of people that died brutally... newborn unbaptisted children...or little gnomes or soul of the witch...And they are most seen on holidays like 'Dušičky' (day we celebrate our dead loved ones) And around Christmas... Its more complicated but I tried my best to explain it 😅 (And sorry for my english )
"...well, drat." Was the heaviest line in the whole vid for me. I'd like to think I'd run, but I know I'd follow them and hear them out. And, well, drat
In Choctaw culture, the Hashok Okwa Hui'ga or ''Grass Water Drop'' were creatures similar to will-o'-the-wisps. They would lead anyone that followed them off the trail. No one knows what happened to those people afterward, but it is certain they died.
Well... Carl Jung have a scientific explanation for this phenomena, the ''Collective unconscious'', which says that certain archetypes as The Great Mother, the Wise Old Man, the Shadow, the Tower, belong to the basic stock of the unconscious psyche and cannot be explained as personal acquisitions. It's like the instinct that makes, for exemple, a dog circle aroud before laying down even if no one taught it to do it. But... if you want a more parapsychological explanation I suggest the Morphogenetic field theory from the Zero Escape games, I really enjoy that one, it seems like a very elegant explanation. 🤓
In Korea, they're called "dokkaebi (도깨비)" or "goblin" lights. They're often described as a little flame that is blue & floats around. They're not necessarily a sign of doom if you follow them as goblins don't necessarily ALWAYS lead people to bad things but in Korean folklore goblins like to play games with humans so it's recommended to avoid them or tread carefully if seen. P.S... just started down a rabbit hole of your fairytales and loving all of it!
The stories of Will and Jack just reminded me of a character named Jack in the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. He appeared in the Halloween special and was a trickster who made a deal with Grim to gain immortal life. While Grim granted the request, he punished Jack for taking his scythe by slicing off his head. Thanks to his immortality, Jack didn't die, but had to wear a pumpkin for a head. I'm gonna take a guess that these legends were what Jack was based off of.
I actually did an internship with earthquake detection and the lights were one of the phenomena we discussed may have been an example of what’s going on (moving charges from deformities in the rock structure breaking free when under stress)
As someone living in the Netherlands all my life, I've never even once heard the term "irrbloss". Here, they're known as "dwaallicht" - dutch for wandering light. Google shows me a Wikipedia page for "irrbloss" that seems to be in some Scandinavian looking language? Honest mistake perhaps? That being said, awesome vid! Keep up the good work!
I looked up Irrbloss because it didn't sound like Dutch to me. It's Swedish. The Dutch have the "Dwaallicht''. According to google translate: Wander Light. It seems to me like most of the things you said line up with both, but I'm not 100% on that. Just a Geography Nerd being a Geography Nerd! I love correcting people, we all make mistakes and it's a great way to learn new things!
Ah. Didn't expect my local legend to be brought up in the 1 minute mark. Live just a couple miles from the Oklahoma spook light. I never managed to see it, but a lot of my friends and family have. I guess I just don't get a fate to go see
In South Africa we have a lot of stories surrounding these lights: 1) it is the disembodied eye of a sangoma ("medicine man") watching you. Best thing to do is to urinate in its direction then run 2) It's a spot where the devil buried some of his treasure. If you want to dig it up, fine. But leave it in a bag mixed with cemetery soil until a firstborn in the family is baptized before spending it 3) this one is specific to the West Coast: it's a light showing the spirits of drowned sailors the way back to land, and if you see one ... well... you are in for a terminal case of seasickness.
There’s a legend in my family that a druid ancestor followed a wisp that led him to a púca who granted him a wish. The ancestor wished for luck and the púca granted it but, the fae folk being the mischievous bastards they are, the luck is only in the most trivial of things ever. Like being weirdly good at board/card games with literally no stakes but the moment money is involved, I’m screwed. Can’t go to Vegas but I’ll kick your ass in Monopoly.
Always good to remember that these legends and stories were invented for a reason. They come from real experiences and shouldn't be disregarded out of hand. Following what might be a flaming gas pocket is a bad idea. Straying from the road in the dark is a bad idea. Its just like the Kelpie. A creature that resembles a horse. It will pretend to drown in water/muddy areas only to drag a human to their death. This is to discourage people from saving their horses from such situations, because its likely they'll get dragged down alongside the horse. Akin to how a drowning person could latch onto a potential rescuer and drown both of them
Neat, i always thought will o wisps were “willow whisps”. souls of the dead who coincidentally died or were buried under or near weeping willow trees and would guide people who were lost to the nearest road or trail, and those who are travelling with evil or dangerous intentions would be intranced and lured to die in a similar way.
When I was a little girl, in a dream that I remember to this day I saw a sparkling orb near my grandpa's grave, the orb had the same voice of my grandma telling me to stay away from my grandpa's cousin. The week later that dream my grandpa's cousin got arrested for poisoning her neighbor 💀
@@phantom_blade555 Just another story like that, but with my grandpa from my mom side of the family, he was just saying goodbye before getting to rest in the afterlife
@@polarbaby6916 since you were so kind to share with me, I have a story to tell you that my mother once told me so, my mother was told a story by a guy name Shorty he told her that one time him and his girlfriend got into an argument and she cursed him out really bad she was really mean to him, and he went to sleep on the couch and she went to sleep in the bedroom and while he was asleep, he heard a scream that woke him up and turns out it was his girlfriend, terrified and screaming at the top of her lungs she told him that she had a dream where a woman was trying to burn her with a iron this wasn’t an electrical iron. This was one of those old ones from back in the day where you had to put the cold inside of and you had to hold it with a bunch of cloth so that it doesn’t burn the shit out of your hands. So he asked her to describe this woman to him. She said that she was a short black woman with her hair tied up in something like a turban she also told him more about the way she was dressed but I don’t remember all of it, but turns out it was his grandmother and she was a maroon slave from back in the day. Apparently she didn’t like the way this girl treated her descendent.
Actually, interesting thing, 7:50 says that some wisps are believed to lead to treasure, and perhaps that's the inspiration for the "Seele" from Genshin, which leads to treasure if you follow it.
In argentina we have a leyend called "la luz mala" i wont translate the name becouse knowing what it means makes it sound dumb, its a light that devours everything that dares look at it
It's not the exact same, but there's a rare type of lightning called "ball lightning" that looks like a will o' wisp and can range from various sizes, they're also rather dangerous as they can explode at any moment. Due to it's rarity its extremely difficult to replicate scientifically, the only reason I know about them is because one of my gene donors almost got fried by one less than a decade ago, thankfully wearing rubber boots because it had rained heavily at the time
The way I see it, if you see the lights it's best to lay down where you are and not move for the rest of the night. Whether you are being led to or away from dangerous areas, you aren't in danger in your current position. You know that your current position is NEAR dangerous areas, but you also know that you haven't entered them yet. The only place you can be SURE is safe is the area you already occupy. So hedge your bets and wait till morning to see which way you actually should go.
I read a story about a child named Aether. He has a power which he can glow and fly. Sometimes he appears to normal people and they would be helped(Aether is a magical zombie who lives with malignant entities in an orphanage) out the orphanage. Once, a person hurt one of the entities(who Aether considered family), and was lead to his death by every other entity. Since then, the legend about the orphanage changed, how you should not hurt any entity, even if they try to kill you, because or else, the light will personally come at you… and you would be killed in a worse way. The end.
there's also Land's End Light on one of the islands of SC, I think either John's Island or Wadmalaw. It looks like a headlight that doesn't move at all and is said to appear by a tree where someone had died, I think hanged.
One of my favorite fairy lights legend is the Brown Mountain lights of North Carolina. Wendigoon has an excellent video breakdown down the lore on them.
When i was younger i was in the woods behind my house and i swear i saw little blue and green fires sparking and dancing in my peripheral vision to my left but when i turned my head all i saw was bushes it was as if they were playing with me because then i saw them in my right peripheral vision
Narrator: "Take the infamous Hornet Spook Light in Oklahoma, United States." Me: Not to be confused with Oklahoma, Denmark. *DING!* Sorry-- I was watching CinemaSins yesterday. 😀
This reminded me of Poes from Legend of Zelda, which are ghosts that carry lanterns and usually attack you but I remember one in Ocarina of Time leading me safely through the desert.
I used to see a spot of light out of the corner of my eye that would disappear as soon as I tried to look at it. I could only ever see it in my peripheral vision. So I figured it was My fairy and I named him Sully. I thought a certain room upstairs in my grandparents old farmhouse Was haunted. Because I saw the similar Spot of light but it was red and there was a Negative energy feeling to it. Also It didn't stay in my peripheral and disappear It moved from my peripheral to my focus And then disappeared. How to explain. Small ball of light that I consider Sully Had a light glow Saw in the daytime. And it was still when I noticed it and then disappeared as I tried to focus on it. Felt nothing menacing just pure curiosity. The red light at my grandparent's house. seen in the dark. And it was its movement that I noticed. I suddenly saw this red light in one spot I saw it quickly move to a painting and then the painting fell down. Another time I saw strange lights was when I was 9 or 10. Looking out my window at the stars. What I saw thought was a UFO. I saw a ring of faint cloudy Light orbs, Move around the night sky and then disappear. To explain the shape of the ring of lights Stayed constant as it moved around that section of the sky. This was back in the 1990s .
i do really enjoy most of your content however i would really like to see more coraline stuff if you can do that. if you cant or just dont want to i understand its just that ive always loved that movie and those videos are what introduced me to your channel in the first place
I grew up near the Ozark spook lights... I've seen lights from time to time on those roads but I can't besure what they were as when we got closer they vanish.
As much as my curiosity would love to know, I know there is such a thing as vain knowledge, so survival mode kicks in and I would rather stay ignorant than dead.
Some of these people being punished seem very specific. It makes me wonder if someone, a long time ago, just hated the local surveyor and wrote a story down or told it around a campfire a few times and now it's this century's old tale we all know now. "Ah yes, cheating land surveyors. Such a big problem even the fairies had to punish them." Lol
It's kind of sad when you don’t find people talking about the legends of your home. But it is rather comprehensive. Especially when you are watching in a second language and most of their legends comes from across the pounds. I also don’t think people would find the Feu Follet when trying to find certain Will o Wisp. So I will share the legends of the Feu follet of my home. Then I won't be sad. It's like being sad you didn’t get to eat garlic bread with an amazing plate of spaghetti. I will just do mines. I did say my home a lot like if it was from a mystical place filled with history and culture. But it's just Quebec from Canada. So if you are from the place and you know more about Feu Follet. Let me know. Feu Follet are like will o wisp little lights you can find near graves as supposes to marshes. Quebec as been deep in Christianity for a while. You can actually see this with our WereWolves and Feu Follet. If for 7 years you didn’t do your easter. You would be turn into a werewolf. You were still able to be freed though. If you bleed without dying you would turn back into a human. Most commonly if you get cut on the forehead like the cross thing churches do. But (and it's where feu follet comes in) you still don’t fo your easter for 7 more years. You will be turn into a small fire spirit. Living the rest of eternity to play devilish prank on others. The only way out (which seems to show a certain case of will) is for someone to stab a knife into a wooden pike. Which will make the Feu follet jump into the blade and explode into blood. Can understand what it would be left out either way though. I didn’t see other types act that way. Frankly sometime I imagine White Quebec Folklore to be "I am not like the others."
not lights but in a clear sunny day I was driving and saw this 7 foot smoke cloud no source or anything just a 7 foot cloud walking (roll)ing along the road towards me. the hairs on my neck and my mind started panicking so j did a u turn an went back home.
What if you’re in a haunted hotel and you see unnatural blue lights being admitted from the second floor and being casted on a stair case. You want to see the source out of curiosity but your friend prompts you not to saying that it’s not a good idea. Do I apply the same principle to not follow the lights? What’s the worse thing that can happen if I do?
Welp, time to go looking for Will’o’wisps. If I can’t see Bigfoot in my lifetime then surely I can find a bright orb of light that usually just floats in place.
When I was little there were little colorful flags in the woods that I'd follow into the woods. They went farther than the train tracks but I never crossed it. Can someone tell me what those are?
I’m always seeing the floating light in the corner of my vision but it never in the same place more than 3 times but when I take a picture it is never in the image but when I do look again it’s still there 😓 and that’s every night outside my house within the 3 hour marks…..help?
Fairy Lights aha... So either malicious sprites or the souls of the dead or the damned or a man so evil he couldn't get into heaven and the devil refused him because he doesn't like competition. Or evil spirits that take various forms to draw the unwary in close ... yeah... those little things are not to be trusted. .... EVER! which if funny because they're either bog gas or some other easily explained phenomena right?
In Denmark, this concept is atributed to a creature named "Lygtemanden", "the lanternman". He is a little man who runs around to either get good people to treasure, or wicked people to their deaths in the forest.
There’s also the concept of a Lantern Man in England, too. It was seemingly an explanation for the combustible marsh gas that acts as the basis for so many will-o’-the-wisp myths. They say he specifically lives in The Fens, and that he rushes to drown anybody that he catches whistling in the reed beds. He supposedly *hates* whistling and will chase down anybody that he finds doing so. There are implications that there are multiple violent, evil Lantern Man spirits out in The Fens. There’s no treasure if you follow the the British Lantern Man. Haha.
So a more benevolent Faye then.
@@Savagewolver You could say so, but he is always described as a little more than that.
I use the as a character design before and it's really cool to play with
what if youre neither good nor wicked but a deeply flawed individual trying their best
I come from wetland area! Between these and fireflies when the moon isn't out it can be pretty easy to get turned around in dark woods and end up falling into creeks and ravines so it makes sense to blame it on something.
From a scientific perspective, I believe that Will o Wisps are probably a combination of fireflies and bog gasses. Perhaps the impending sense of doom is caused by the various chemicals you’re inhaling coupled with a spooky environment. I live near a marsh and I can’t recall ever having seen Wisps, but it’s very flat and easy to navigate, so maybe the Wisps decided it wasn’t worth their time XD
Its mostly bog gasses and yes the fumes make you feel dread. Though i like to think that maybe, just maybe, something out there could be using them to hide. After all, who would go looking for the sinister in the known? The unexplainable in the explained?
In Germany they are called "Irrlicht", which you can translate as "wandering around lights" or "getting lost lights" because they lead you to wander around until you lose any sense of direction. I think the name is rather cute. ;-P
The Pokémon Pumpkaboo (or however you spell that) is a lantern critter. It guides lost children to safety. The evolved form, Gourgiest, leads lost travelers to their doom.
Meanwhile the balloon lantern version of it kidnaps children-
@@Kittygirl-Shift-Kit Are you talking about Drifloon?
@@Kittygirl-Shift-Kitworst one is the chandelier that takes the souls of the recently departed to fuel it's fire.
i will not ever catch myself in a foggy bog i can promise you that
You never know 👀
But what if they have ice cream?
Catches yourself in a foggy bog
You: damn
I like your pf pic, Cavetown is good
@@MIXXIE_The_Fox omg you’re the first person to ever recognize it! you have good music taste :)
Ironic that mysterious floating lights on land will lure you to your doom, yet we relied on stars for navigation and predicting the future. It seems humans just can't stand things not being in their proper place.
Edit: But then I suppose if the bog lights really were flammable gas, heading toward would indeed be hazardous to your health.
Plus they might cause hallucinations
Some of the mystery lights are just swamp farts, others seal your fate or bring you fortune.
@@novademon6487 swamp farts can seal your fate, by hallucination, asphyxiation or combustion. Even if you're quite sure it's just swamp farts, the opposite direction is still where you should be heading.
Not to mention lighthouses, Relied on lighthouses to Guide ships to safety from not crashing into rocks.
@@wimsylogic65Fantasy idea: Giant, Seafaring will o wisps that mimick lighthouses
I live In Poland near German border and I have never heard this story about a gnome XD
In my village those lights were usually called klękanice, my grandma used to warn me to to not go into the forest or fields at night, or they would abduct me
Now whenever I’m outside at night where ever I go I see fireflies, seems like we have a huge population of them, which is probably where the legend comes from in this case
As a kid I used to have nightmares about gnomes. And yes I mean those gnomes that have the pointy hats and are seen in gardens.
For some reason I felt like they abducted children. I used to have a reacurrent nightmare that nomes stole my younger siblings And kept them underground. And no one would believe me that gnomes took my little brother and sister. So I had to go get them back myself.
Saying this I recognize that it does sound like the plot to labyrinth. My Nightmare was nothing like that movie and I'm not talking about goblins. I don't even think I'd seen the movie yet back when I 1st had that nightmare.
I always wondered why gnomes, It's so strange they're so cute.
The 1st time I got high from Smoking pot back when I was Eighteen I remember feeling paranoid and telling my boyfriend that the Deer were judging us.😂 We were out in a field and there were several deer out there watching us.
And the gnomes are out to get us.
😂😂 Why am I so ridiculous.
I listen to your stories on abitlate every night when I go to sleep. Your voice is so nice to hear.
In Japan, we have blue lights that appear near rivers. They are the reason that during Obon, which is a week long festival to welcome back deceased family, we float lanterns down rivers. The ancestors have to navigate the dark when they have to return to heaven, and so we provide light for them to find their way. In Kyoto and a few other places especially, they set up burning symbols on the side of mountains for the traveling ancestors. The scientific reason for the blue lights is that when a body starts to decompose it releases gas that light up blue, especially near water. I have not seen the phenomenon myself, but I have heard stories from friends who have. I have heard that it is not scary at all, but just a blue flame calmly floating along. I have not heard about seeing the blue lights as being a bad omen. You shouldn't be near rivers anyways for fear of being grabbed by a kappa more than anything else.
Nice topic!
Thank you for this I knew about the blue lights but not the symbols
Yeah, I've seen phantom lights a few times. There are a few places rather prone to such things out here in the Appalachian Mountains... Funny thing about the mountain variety, though, is that you're almost never really prepared to go chasing off after them... SO mostly, in the mountains, I just strain my eyes... once even had binoculars, and tried with them. Couldn't get much better detail that way, other than to pretty well pinpoint where the lights were one after another... which is odd, maybe, but not some otherworldly level of weird.
In the swamp I did go after the lights a couple times, BUT it was Louisiana, and I had a pirogue (a really small REALLY lightweight boat) so I just about couldn't get stranded out there... AND I was equipped enough to handle myself for a couple days if necessary (which it wasn't... haha)... The d*mn lights just faded or winked out before I could quite get close enough to make heads or tails out of them...
SPEAKING of which... Ever notice how a LOT of these stories relate to swamps and bogs and moores??? That's at least in part, because in those kinds of places, there's a proclivity for slow moving water... and by nature, there are floating plants. You'd think that wasn't a big deal, BUT how often have you walked around and memorized your way by some tree or a certain bush to recognize the path, or some certain corner of a building or fence. It's not the only thing, of course (usually) BUT it still accounts as part of your navigation... SO in the swamps, we have big mats of swamp-grass that float like islands. Some are big enough and hefty enough, even though they're only grass and reeds intertwined and root-bound, you CAN walk on them. SO whenever you get deep in the wild parts of the swamp, these mats of swamp grass can move in behind you, pulled and pushed by wind or water currents... paths you THOUGHT you knew coming in... DISAPPEAR before you get turned around to try to get back out. It's not terribly dangerous if you know that wherever a floating mat closes one waterway, it opens another... so you just keep paddling, and don't be out there in a boat you can't carry on your own... not if you go alone (which is its own properly hazardous situation in the swamps)...
SO think about it... You go out in the swamp... in the dark... a little foggy here and there (as is pretty much normal)... AND then you go chasing after fairie lights or will o' wisps or whatever... You get hopelessly off in the wild spaces and then it flickers out... and when you turn around to go back, you only get so far, and that waterway you KNOW was just there not 10 minutes ago, IS GONE... and suddenly the panic starts to raise up in you because somehow you just don't recognize ANYTHING...
Yeah... A LOT of people still go missing in swamps every year... and many are just never seen again. It doesn't even take any ill will or supernatural goings on for it to happen... just a little misnavigation... a dash of panic... and the dark settles in on them... pfft... Suddenly they can't think their way out of a wet paper sac...
Anyways... I know you can jam a 8 or 10 foot pipe down in the Louisiana bayous, and light the gas that comes bubbling out the end for a fishing lamp that'll last several hours if you catch the right spot. In the area, they call it a Cajun Nightlight. ;o)
This makes me think that maybe if You get to that point of being lost. Just staying still till morning. Maybe find a tree in Climb It.
Although I live up North in Maine USA Our wetlands are a bit different than those down South.
@@wimsylogic65 Most of the time, if you can figure about the direction you WANT to go in the first place, just poking around the floating grass islands, and you'll eventually find your way through... It can take hours or even DAYS to do that, so a good Coleman cookstove and some means of fishing or gigging certainly helps your odds... haha...
The one thing you don't EVER want to do when handling a "crisis" in the wild places is PANIC... That's the universal killer no matter where you are...
Just about any "game plan" can work. Some are maybe more efficient than others, and even climbing a tree can have it's issues (like algae and rot)... BUT it's something. You can find a better tree if nothing else. ;o)
I love the way she talks, the art is also topnotch
On the topic of a black dog. There was a strange encounter once a few years back while walking the path home. Right when I reached the turn outside our house after walking my siblings to school, something drew my attention to a clumping of bramble.
Of which, partially hidden behind it, a large wolflike dog was standing almost at my height. Its fur blending with the morning shadows far too well for comfort.
It didnt move, but as I continued towards the house it seemed to vanish from my sight.
No-one believed that It was anything more than an average dog because there weren't any reports, and all of our neighbors had multiple dogs that would make a lot of noise if they smelled anything strange or new.
But you mentioning black dogs reminded me of its piercing gaze. It is probably the most vivid I can recall outside of fiction.
Though I've always been under the guardian impressing of emcountering black dogs, I'm not too sure with how things have been since then.
Probably just the recent mood getting to me.
I've never seen a Will o the Wisp, my encounters have been rather more local specific, in the form of something called a shuck. For many, the shuck is a scary figure, but there have been a scant few tales of benevolent shucks, and I believe it's benevolent shucks I've encountered. I see them when I am feeling at my lowest, and go for night time walks to clear my head. It's a little shadowy companion who shadows me across the fens, and I believe keeps me from harm - I think it likely the shuck would keep me safe from a Will o the Wisp.
In Argentina we have "La luz mala" or "The bad light" in English. Is something similar, but not the same. Is usually said that those lights are either the souls of the dead or the devil himself, they can be either red or white. They are found in rural areas and are known to chase people who get too close to them.
Here in México there are a lot of conflicting tales about Lights in the forests
Some say these are good spirits, some say these are bad omens
I've witnessed them from afar and up close, and although I am not a superstitious guy, these always freak me out
At least in my comunity most people, including my grandma and some neighbors agree that these are witches who are looking to kidnap some child who's left unattended or just out to do some evil
Could be La Larona so be careful.
@@RedRoseSeptember22I've also heard La Llorona at least twice (+ some more that could be explained by something or someone)
It freaks you out for a moment, but usually isn't as frightful, at least not for me
I've heard they are witches as well, the tlahuelpuchis or a dead person showing you a buried treasure.
Me : *wakes up at 3am*
Light : *lights up*
Me: Cool , wait a darn min-
I started watching your channel for Coraline vids...
now I'm loving it for the mythology.
the fact you use neopets the darkest faerie ost in your videos makes me SO happy.
The lantern in the British Isles was typically a hollowed-out turnip. We didn't get pumpkins until they were imported from the Americas.
It's also Will o' the Wisp, as television viewers of the 1980's can affirm.
It's crazy how you've been around for this long, I remember subscribing to you a long time ago. Keep up the consistency!
Right?
In the Philippines, there's a creature called "Santelmo" that appears in fields, forests, and bogs. Though some accounts even claim that it also appear in rainy nights in slightly rural areas.
It's just a faint faint but sometimes it changes to blue.
It's said to cause paralysis to those that encounters it.
But most of what I hear of it was it bewitches victims into having a muddled sense of direction. Chasing the victims to endless loop without progressing to safety.
I love when Irish, Gaelic, and celtic legends are givin the the recognition they deserve! Especially since halloween originated from Ireland
In Czech we call them "Bludičky" that looks like blue light...And they are mostly seen in bogs, cementaries And other spooky places.... From slavic forclore they can be souls of people that died brutally... newborn unbaptisted children...or little gnomes or soul of the witch...And they are most seen on holidays like 'Dušičky' (day we celebrate our dead loved ones) And around Christmas... Its more complicated but I tried my best to explain it 😅 (And sorry for my english )
"...well, drat." Was the heaviest line in the whole vid for me. I'd like to think I'd run, but I know I'd follow them and hear them out. And, well, drat
In Choctaw culture, the Hashok Okwa Hui'ga or ''Grass Water Drop'' were creatures similar to will-o'-the-wisps. They would lead anyone that followed them off the trail. No one knows what happened to those people afterward, but it is certain they died.
The buried moon! I love that story! It's so fun when someone else knows an obscure folk tale
Well... Carl Jung have a scientific explanation for this phenomena, the ''Collective unconscious'', which says that certain archetypes as The Great Mother, the Wise Old Man, the Shadow, the Tower, belong to the basic stock of the unconscious psyche and cannot be explained as personal acquisitions. It's like the instinct that makes, for exemple, a dog circle aroud before laying down even if no one taught it to do it. But... if you want a more parapsychological explanation I suggest the Morphogenetic field theory from the Zero Escape games, I really enjoy that one, it seems like a very elegant explanation. 🤓
"Don't follow the lights." -Smeagol
Love this channel. Feeling sick recently, and had a really disappointing weekend. This video brightens things up.
Hope things improve
In Korea, they're called "dokkaebi (도깨비)" or "goblin" lights. They're often described as a little flame that is blue & floats around. They're not necessarily a sign of doom if you follow them as goblins don't necessarily ALWAYS lead people to bad things but in Korean folklore goblins like to play games with humans so it's recommended to avoid them or tread carefully if seen. P.S... just started down a rabbit hole of your fairytales and loving all of it!
The stories of Will and Jack just reminded me of a character named Jack in the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. He appeared in the Halloween special and was a trickster who made a deal with Grim to gain immortal life. While Grim granted the request, he punished Jack for taking his scythe by slicing off his head. Thanks to his immortality, Jack didn't die, but had to wear a pumpkin for a head.
I'm gonna take a guess that these legends were what Jack was based off of.
I actually did an internship with earthquake detection and the lights were one of the phenomena we discussed may have been an example of what’s going on (moving charges from deformities in the rock structure breaking free when under stress)
As a huge fan of old folklore like will o wisps and such, this is quite a treat!
As someone living in the Netherlands all my life, I've never even once heard the term "irrbloss". Here, they're known as "dwaallicht" - dutch for wandering light. Google shows me a Wikipedia page for "irrbloss" that seems to be in some Scandinavian looking language? Honest mistake perhaps? That being said, awesome vid! Keep up the good work!
As a Swede, I can say that "irrbloss" is a Swedish term.
I looked up Irrbloss because it didn't sound like Dutch to me. It's Swedish. The Dutch have the "Dwaallicht''. According to google translate: Wander Light. It seems to me like most of the things you said line up with both, but I'm not 100% on that.
Just a Geography Nerd being a Geography Nerd! I love correcting people, we all make mistakes and it's a great way to learn new things!
As a Swede, I agree with you that the term "irrbloss" is Swedish.
Ah. Didn't expect my local legend to be brought up in the 1 minute mark. Live just a couple miles from the Oklahoma spook light. I never managed to see it, but a lot of my friends and family have. I guess I just don't get a fate to go see
In South Africa we have a lot of stories surrounding these lights: 1) it is the disembodied eye of a sangoma ("medicine man") watching you. Best thing to do is to urinate in its direction then run 2) It's a spot where the devil buried some of his treasure. If you want to dig it up, fine. But leave it in a bag mixed with cemetery soil until a firstborn in the family is baptized before spending it 3) this one is specific to the West Coast: it's a light showing the spirits of drowned sailors the way back to land, and if you see one ... well... you are in for a terminal case of seasickness.
I love your videos! Keep up the incredible work ^v^
This channel is always such a beautiful comfort zone to come back to :)
I would really like more folklore videos like this
There’s a legend in my family that a druid ancestor followed a wisp that led him to a púca who granted him a wish. The ancestor wished for luck and the púca granted it but, the fae folk being the mischievous bastards they are, the luck is only in the most trivial of things ever. Like being weirdly good at board/card games with literally no stakes but the moment money is involved, I’m screwed. Can’t go to Vegas but I’ll kick your ass in Monopoly.
A few miles from a small town in Texas called Marfa you'll see a light. Its called the Marfa lights and its been there long before settlers.
Thoroughly noted for when we're going bogging!
Always good to remember that these legends and stories were invented for a reason. They come from real experiences and shouldn't be disregarded out of hand. Following what might be a flaming gas pocket is a bad idea. Straying from the road in the dark is a bad idea.
Its just like the Kelpie. A creature that resembles a horse. It will pretend to drown in water/muddy areas only to drag a human to their death. This is to discourage people from saving their horses from such situations, because its likely they'll get dragged down alongside the horse. Akin to how a drowning person could latch onto a potential rescuer and drown both of them
Neat, i always thought will o wisps were “willow whisps”.
souls of the dead who coincidentally died or were buried under or near weeping willow trees and would guide people who were lost to the nearest road or trail, and those who are travelling with evil or dangerous intentions would be intranced and lured to die in a similar way.
When I was a little girl, in a dream that I remember to this day I saw a sparkling orb near my grandpa's grave, the orb had the same voice of my grandma telling me to stay away from my grandpa's cousin. The week later that dream my grandpa's cousin got arrested for poisoning her neighbor 💀
This is interesting. Do you have any more?
@@phantom_blade555 Just another story like that, but with my grandpa from my mom side of the family, he was just saying goodbye before getting to rest in the afterlife
@@polarbaby6916 since you were so kind to share with me, I have a story to tell you that my mother once told me so, my mother was told a story by a guy name Shorty he told her that one time him and his girlfriend got into an argument and she cursed him out really bad she was really mean to him, and he went to sleep on the couch and she went to sleep in the bedroom and while he was asleep, he heard a scream that woke him up and turns out it was his girlfriend, terrified and screaming at the top of her lungs she told him that she had a dream where a woman was trying to burn her with a iron this wasn’t an electrical iron. This was one of those old ones from back in the day where you had to put the cold inside of and you had to hold it with a bunch of cloth so that it doesn’t burn the shit out of your hands. So he asked her to describe this woman to him. She said that she was a short black woman with her hair tied up in something like a turban she also told him more about the way she was dressed but I don’t remember all of it, but turns out it was his grandmother and she was a maroon slave from back in the day. Apparently she didn’t like the way this girl treated her descendent.
@@phantom_blade555 damn, his grandma really know how to put others in their place
Thank you abitfrank for this!!always waiting as well 🎉🎉🎉
Actually, interesting thing, 7:50 says that some wisps are believed to lead to treasure,
and perhaps that's the inspiration for the "Seele" from Genshin, which leads to treasure if you follow it.
In argentina we have a leyend called "la luz mala" i wont translate the name becouse knowing what it means makes it sound dumb, its a light that devours everything that dares look at it
It's not the exact same, but there's a rare type of lightning called "ball lightning" that looks like a will o' wisp and can range from various sizes, they're also rather dangerous as they can explode at any moment. Due to it's rarity its extremely difficult to replicate scientifically, the only reason I know about them is because one of my gene donors almost got fried by one less than a decade ago, thankfully wearing rubber boots because it had rained heavily at the time
Did Halloween come early? I love your videos.
Fae are tricksters be wary of them all
The best way to protect yourself is to turn your head inside out?.. Oh is that all?..
The way I see it, if you see the lights it's best to lay down where you are and not move for the rest of the night.
Whether you are being led to or away from dangerous areas, you aren't in danger in your current position. You know that your current position is NEAR dangerous areas, but you also know that you haven't entered them yet. The only place you can be SURE is safe is the area you already occupy.
So hedge your bets and wait till morning to see which way you actually should go.
The bog gas is ignited by static, and as you move towards one, you cause another one to appear further away.
Great video! 🔥🎃
I read a story about a child named Aether. He has a power which he can glow and fly. Sometimes he appears to normal people and they would be helped(Aether is a magical zombie who lives with malignant entities in an orphanage) out the orphanage. Once, a person hurt one of the entities(who Aether considered family), and was lead to his death by every other entity. Since then, the legend about the orphanage changed, how you should not hurt any entity, even if they try to kill you, because or else, the light will personally come at you… and you would be killed in a worse way. The end.
I love learning about mythological/folklore creatures! It's my favourite thing to learn about!!
I love your voice. Its such a good storytelling voice
there's also Land's End Light on one of the islands of SC, I think either John's Island or Wadmalaw. It looks like a headlight that doesn't move at all and is said to appear by a tree where someone had died, I think hanged.
I love always being early to your videos!!
One of my favorite fairy lights legend is the Brown Mountain lights of North Carolina. Wendigoon has an excellent video breakdown down the lore on them.
I love your voice and art-style!
lights pretty. danger pretty
I've actually seen orbs in a house I used to live aside from will-of-the-wisps at night throughout different forests
Lesson for the Day: Always pay your gnome guides! 🤣🤣
When i was younger i was in the woods behind my house and i swear i saw little blue and green fires sparking and dancing in my peripheral vision to my left but when i turned my head all i saw was bushes it was as if they were playing with me because then i saw them in my right peripheral vision
Narrator: "Take the infamous Hornet Spook Light in Oklahoma, United States."
Me: Not to be confused with Oklahoma, Denmark. *DING!* Sorry-- I was watching CinemaSins yesterday. 😀
This reminded me of Poes from Legend of Zelda, which are ghosts that carry lanterns and usually attack you but I remember one in Ocarina of Time leading me safely through the desert.
I used to see a spot of light out of the corner of my eye that would disappear as soon as I tried to look at it. I could only ever see it in my peripheral vision.
So I figured it was My fairy and I named him Sully.
I thought a certain room upstairs in my grandparents old farmhouse Was haunted. Because I saw the similar Spot of light but it was red and there was a Negative energy feeling to it.
Also It didn't stay in my peripheral and disappear It moved from my peripheral to my focus And then disappeared.
How to explain. Small ball of light that I consider Sully Had a light glow Saw in the daytime. And it was still when I noticed it and then disappeared as I tried to focus on it. Felt nothing menacing just pure curiosity.
The red light at my grandparent's house. seen in the dark. And it was its movement that I noticed. I suddenly saw this red light in one spot I saw it quickly move to a painting and then the painting fell down.
Another time I saw strange lights was when I was 9 or 10.
Looking out my window at the stars. What I saw thought was a UFO. I saw a ring of faint cloudy Light orbs, Move around the night sky and then disappear.
To explain the shape of the ring of lights Stayed constant as it moved around that section of the sky. This was back in the 1990s .
i do really enjoy most of your content however i would really like to see more coraline stuff if you can do that. if you cant or just dont want to i understand its just that ive always loved that movie and those videos are what introduced me to your channel in the first place
I’m Mexico those lights are witches and are considered evil
I grew up near the Ozark spook lights... I've seen lights from time to time on those roads but I can't besure what they were as when we got closer they vanish.
Whether I'd investigate or not is Whether I'm alone or with friends 😅
Pennywise is surley inspired by this supernatural light... like the skademagtch and nelusa falaya childres, socuyuant, liderc, ect...
As much as my curiosity would love to know, I know there is such a thing as vain knowledge, so survival mode kicks in and I would rather stay ignorant than dead.
Angler fish
I would love a video on Ursula and her journey through time
Before I watch this video, I heard fairy lights lead one to their demise.
Some of these people being punished seem very specific. It makes me wonder if someone, a long time ago, just hated the local surveyor and wrote a story down or told it around a campfire a few times and now it's this century's old tale we all know now. "Ah yes, cheating land surveyors. Such a big problem even the fairies had to punish them." Lol
It's kind of sad when you don’t find people talking about the legends of your home. But it is rather comprehensive. Especially when you are watching in a second language and most of their legends comes from across the pounds. I also don’t think people would find the Feu Follet when trying to find certain Will o Wisp. So I will share the legends of the Feu follet of my home. Then I won't be sad. It's like being sad you didn’t get to eat garlic bread with an amazing plate of spaghetti. I will just do mines.
I did say my home a lot like if it was from a mystical place filled with history and culture. But it's just Quebec from Canada. So if you are from the place and you know more about Feu Follet. Let me know.
Feu Follet are like will o wisp little lights you can find near graves as supposes to marshes. Quebec as been deep in Christianity for a while. You can actually see this with our WereWolves and Feu Follet. If for 7 years you didn’t do your easter. You would be turn into a werewolf. You were still able to be freed though. If you bleed without dying you would turn back into a human. Most commonly if you get cut on the forehead like the cross thing churches do. But (and it's where feu follet comes in) you still don’t fo your easter for 7 more years. You will be turn into a small fire spirit. Living the rest of eternity to play devilish prank on others. The only way out (which seems to show a certain case of will) is for someone to stab a knife into a wooden pike. Which will make the Feu follet jump into the blade and explode into blood.
Can understand what it would be left out either way though. I didn’t see other types act that way. Frankly sometime I imagine White Quebec Folklore to be "I am not like the others."
not lights but in a clear sunny day I was driving and saw this 7 foot smoke cloud no source or anything just a 7 foot cloud walking (roll)ing along the road towards me. the hairs on my neck and my mind started panicking so j did a u turn an went back home.
I swore I saw lights like this as a child once
Also never follow floating candles into a dark Forest
What if you’re in a haunted hotel and you see unnatural blue lights being admitted from the second floor and being casted on a stair case.
You want to see the source out of curiosity but your friend prompts you not to saying that it’s not a good idea.
Do I apply the same principle to not follow the lights? What’s the worse thing that can happen if I do?
They do technically lead you to your fate. It's just that if you follow them, then your fate is most likely a horrible death.
Welp, time to go looking for Will’o’wisps. If I can’t see Bigfoot in my lifetime then surely I can find a bright orb of light that usually just floats in place.
ooh we're talking about the hinkypunk neat
Brave lied to us... 😢
When I was little there were little colorful flags in the woods that I'd follow into the woods. They went farther than the train tracks but I never crossed it.
Can someone tell me what those are?
Just curiosity but where did ur channel name come from
I’m always seeing the floating light in the corner of my vision but it never in the same place more than 3 times but when I take a picture it is never in the image but when I do look again it’s still there 😓 and that’s every night outside my house within the 3 hour marks…..help?
Reminds me of the ghost moon I see sometimes
❤❤❤❤ perfect
Takes notes
I just watched brave & this vid popped up & i knew i had to watch it
Where can I hear the story?
Fairy Lights aha...
So either malicious sprites or the souls of the dead or the damned or a man so evil he couldn't get into heaven and the devil refused him because he doesn't like competition.
Or evil spirits that take various forms to draw the unwary in close
... yeah... those little things are not to be trusted.
.... EVER!
which if funny because they're either bog gas or some other easily explained phenomena right?
Gollum said it best...
This was interesting