But did you now that it was
named after the phenomenon of strange flickering lights that used
to be seen over peat bogs?
This phenomenon was called ignis fatuus,
will-o'-the-wisp or jack-o'-lantern.
An
ignis fatuus (which means "foolish fire" in Latin) is a ghostly light that in the olden days was seen by
travellers at night, especially over
bogs, swamps or marshland. It still happens to this day - it resembles a
flickering lamp and is said to
recede if approached. Old folklore said that the light 's purpose was
malevolent - luring and drawing travellers from the safe paths. This is
a folk belief that was very prevalent all across Europe.
Today
we know the science behind this. 'Marsh gas' is methane that bubbles
to the surface in marshes; the gas is contaminated with phosphine and
diphosphane
which, when brought in contact with air, can spontaneously catch fire.
This sudden burst of flame can potentially explain many will-o'-the-wisp
sightings.
There was in every hollowA hundred wrymouthed wisps.—Dafydd ap Gwilym (trans. Wirt Sikes), 1340
Will-o'-the-wisps have been recorded
since at least the middle ages, as the quote above testifies. In the centuries
that followed, there have been dozens of recorded anecdotes and personal
accounts of the ignis fatuus. Sir Isaac Newton mentions
them in his 1704 opus Opticks. The lights have also been incorporated into
modern literature, e.g. Dracula, and have even had a children's television show
named after them.
Today we carve pumpkins at Halloween and light them - and they are called Jack O'Lanterns - as in Jack of the Lantern - to remember the mysterious lights that people couldn't explain - now we know science so much better and know the phenomenon.
Today we carve pumpkins at Halloween and light them - and they are called Jack O'Lanterns - as in Jack of the Lantern - to remember the mysterious lights that people couldn't explain - now we know science so much better and know the phenomenon.