Spooklight

Spooklight; AKA Will-o-Wisps, Jack-o-Lanterns, Foo-Lights, Foxfires, Saint-Elmo's Fires, Ball Lightning, "Swamp Gas", Fire-flies, Tommyknockers, Kobolds, Witch-Lights, Faerie-Lights, Haints

Origin: American Folklore, from earlier traditions

Description

Spooklights are often described as mysterious balls of light that appear in the sky above the treeline, or as glowing lights mistaken for lanterns carried through the woods, which may then dart toward the observer before hovering or dancing nearby as if observing or communicating with the observer, and then hurtling away at incredible speed moments later.

Like older legends of Will-o-Wisps, it can be dangerous to follow the Spooklights into the forest, where the victim typically meets some nameless misadventure (supposed to possibly be walking off a cliff, stumbling into a sink-hole, or drowning in a swamp); the Spooklight might thus be supposed to be an offshoot of Faerie legends brought to North America by Scots-Irish settlers. Spooklights also seem to share some space with UFO legends, and thus might be supposed to be UFO sightings complete with any of the trappings of UFO lore, such as encounters with Men in Black and alien beings, lost time and other experiences in common with alien abductions, etc.

Associated Mythos Elements

• setting: Folk Mythos
• story:
• alternative races:
  • Mi-Go
  • Fire Vampires
  • Ghosts or Elementals
  • Djinn and Ghouls
  • Skim (race)
  • Grey Aliens, Reptilian Aliens, Men in Black, etc.
  • Deros, People of K'n-Yan, Faeries, etc.
  • Witches and Wizards