Ghost Lights:A Weather Folklore
Will-o-the-wisps are spooky floating lights believed to lead unwary travelers to their doom. Learn more!
Quick Reference
- What it is: Eerie low-hanging lights seen in marshes, bogs, and decaying wet ground at night.
- Names: Will-o-the-wisp, Jack-o-the-lantern, corpse candles, fairy lights, hinkypunk, pucks, ghost orbs, and spook lights.
- The folklore: Lure travelers off the path. Wales tells of Will. Ireland tells of Jack, the original turnip Jack-o-Lantern.
- The science: Spontaneous, low-temperature ignition of phosphine and methane released by rotting vegetation and animal carcasses. Replicated in laboratories.
- Best companion read: Our Rain Dragon and Anemoi folklore.
Long before modern science began to understand the processes that create our weather, people made up their own explanations. Many of these accounts were fantastic in nature, with evil or benevolent gods, monsters, and spirits controlling the elements. In this series, we explore some of these ancient myths and share the science behind them. Weather + mythology = weather-ology!
All across the globe, people from a wide cross-section of cultures tell tales of ghostly lights that hover above the ground deep in marshes, bogs, and wet, decaying places. These lights, known variously as ghost lights, corpse candles, will-o-the-wisp, Jack-o-the-lantern, fairy lights, spook lights, ghost orbs, hinkypunk, pucks, and dozens of other names, are said to be evil or at least mischievous in nature, luring unsuspecting mortals from their path and toward certain doom.
What Are These Eerie Lights?
Different cultures have different explanations for what is behind will-o-the-wisps. Some say the eerie lights are caused by fairies or leprechauns. Some say goblins. Some say they are the spirits of babies who are miscarried or die young. A few myths are very specific about who, exactly, is behind the lights. Two similar tales from Wales and Ireland tell of a man named Will or Jack, respectively, doomed by his wicked deeds to wander the Earth for all eternity. Though denied entrance to either heaven or hell, he is granted one boon: an ember from the fires of hell to light his way and warm him in his travels. The Irish version of the story goes on to say that the traveler, Jack, kept his ember in a makeshift lantern carved from a turnip, making him “Jack-o-the-Lantern.” This legend is closely tied to the tradition of carving Halloween Jack-o-lanterns, which were once carved from turnips, not pumpkins.
Whatever is behind the lights, all cultures agree on one thing: their cause is unearthly in nature and not to be trusted. The lore is filled with accounts of cold, weary travelers led off course at night by the promise of light and warmth, only to find themselves hopelessly lost and knee-deep in a swamp, if they were lucky.
Ghost Lights Around the World
The same thing seen in a wet field shows up in dozens of folklore traditions, each with a different name and a different villain.
| Culture | Name | Who carries the light |
|---|---|---|
| English / Welsh | Will-o-the-wisp | A doomed wanderer named Will |
| Irish | Jack-o-the-Lantern | Stingy Jack, an ember in a turnip |
| German | Irrlicht | Mischievous spirits of marshes |
| Latin American | La Luz Mala | Restless soul of the unburied |
| Japanese | Hitodama | Souls of the recently deceased |
| Bengali | Aleya | Ghosts of fishermen lost at sea |
The pattern is consistent. Damp ground, dark sky, dim moving glow, and the moral that you should not follow it. Six continents, one warning.
Gasses To Blame?
Like much else from old folklore, the existence of strange floating lights in the wilderness is more than just a legend made up to scare people. In fact, some scientists have taken the old stories seriously enough to study what might be responsible. Though no one knows for sure, the most popular hypothesis is that decaying matter, rotting vegetation and animal carcasses, both abundant in marshes, gives off gasses such as phosphine and methane. These gasses have been known to spontaneously ignite upon coming into contact with oxygen, causing a series of brief, low-temperature flares. This is why, as the legends also state, the lights do not consume trees or grasses the way a normal fire would. This effect has been replicated in laboratories.
Others have speculated that the lights are caused by static electricity, given off by charged rocks and soil that have been electrified by the shifting of the Earth’s tectonic plates. The U.S. Geological Survey notes that piezoelectric activity in stressed quartz rock can release brief electrical charges, which is one possible source for the persistent lights at sites like Marfa, Texas, and the Brown Mountain Lights of North Carolina.
Nature can be mysterious, and to this day we do not understand everything that happens in the natural world. Looking back, it is easy to see how much simpler it must have been to blame spirits and fairies for every unexplained phenomenon. And, at this time of year, when we celebrate the darker side of life in a lighthearted way, stories of mysterious ghost lights can be a welcome distraction.
Where to See Ghost Lights in North America
You do not need a haunted bog to chase ghost lights. Two North American sites have hosted the same unexplained glows for more than a century.
- The Marfa Lights, Marfa, Texas. First reported in 1883. A free public viewing platform sits on US 90 east of town. The lights appear most nights, low to the southern horizon.
- The Brown Mountain Lights, Burke County, North Carolina. Reported by Cherokee oral tradition long before European arrival. Best viewed from Wiseman’s View on the Linville Gorge rim.
- The Hornet Spook Light, on the Missouri-Oklahoma line. Tracked since at least the 1880s. Visible at the end of the dirt road called the “Devil’s Promenade.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a will-o-the-wisp?
A will-o-the-wisp is a low-hanging glow that appears at night above marshes, bogs, and wet decaying ground. The folklore frames it as a malicious spirit luring travelers off the path. Modern science attributes most cases to spontaneous ignition of phosphine and methane gas released by rotting vegetation.
Why is the Halloween Jack-o-lantern called that?
The name comes from an Irish folktale about a man named Jack, doomed to wander the Earth carrying an ember from hell inside a hollowed turnip. When Irish immigrants reached North America, they swapped the turnip for the more plentiful pumpkin, and the carved Halloween pumpkin kept the name.
What gases cause swamp lights?
The leading hypothesis is phosphine (PH3) and methane (CH4), both released by decaying organic matter in wetland soils. When these gases rise into oxygen-rich air, they can briefly self-ignite at low temperature. Lab experiments have reproduced the cool, brief glow that matches eyewitness reports.
Are ghost lights actually real?
Yes, the visual phenomenon is real and documented in scientific literature. The Marfa Lights, Brown Mountain Lights, and Hornet Spook Light have been observed for more than a century. The supernatural framing is folklore. The physical glow is photographed and replicable.
Could static electricity cause ghost lights?
Possibly. Some researchers point to piezoelectric charges generated when tectonic stress squeezes quartz-rich rock, creating brief electrical discharges visible at night. This is the leading explanation for the persistent lights near fault zones, though it does not explain every case.
Where can I see ghost lights in the United States?
Three well-known sites are the Marfa Lights in west Texas (free public viewing platform on US 90), the Brown Mountain Lights in western North Carolina, and the Hornet Spook Light on the Missouri-Oklahoma border. All three have been reported for more than a century.
Why do so many cultures share the same swamp-light folklore?
Because the underlying physical event is global. Wherever there are wetlands, decaying vegetation, and dark nights, people see the same dim flickers. Each culture wrote its own story over the same glow. The English have Will, the Irish have Jack, the Bengali have Aleya, the Japanese have Hitodama, and so on.
Tell Us
Have you ever seen a ghost light, or driven out to Marfa or Brown Mountain to look? Share your story in the comments. For more weather folklore, browse our Rain Dragon and Anemoi entries.
Jaime McLeod
Jaime McLeod is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, growing and eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.
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- Jaime McLeod
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- Jaime McLeod
Hi Jaime. I have been seeing the lights several occasions. I know they are not swamp gas etc.. i live in rural Ontario Canada. The first time was towards the end of January 2024. Second was Feb 20 2024. At times looks like a bright light. Then multiple lights. Splitting up and moving, etc . I can guarantee that it does not involve human activity. The area is dense bush, and at this point there is several feet of snow on the ground. I took a video. Very strange encounter. Ive been searching for information. Glad I came across you’re interesting article. Please contact me. Thanks.
Years ago we saw the ghost lights, as they were known, in Sulpher Springs TX. We were told generations had seen them long before cars were around.
The location was out in the country along railroad tracks and a ravine. We were told by long time residents that they would be there in all kinds of weather and they seemed to get closer until someone made noise.
My wife and I are from Southwest Missouri and we used to go to the Seneca area and watch the “Spook Light” dance across the road then dissolve into nothing, only to reappear. It has never been satisfactorily explained but it is definitely there!!!!
I have not seen this (SWAMP GAS) or Ghost Lights,even though I have lived next to the swamp in South Louisiana for over 50 years. That does not mean I DOUN’T BELEAVE ,because I do. I have spent many nights in the swamps hunting,fishing,or just injoying the beaty of the peace and quiet. Some nights are so bright with a full moon,other nights will be so dark that you can’t see your hand in front of your face. And there are many unexplained thing happen back there,so yes I can see how “GHOST lights ” can happen and it does not take long to get lost in the swamps. Perhaps one day I to will see the Ghost Lights,but when it go out,and I feel lost, I’ll take out my compass and mozie on home.
So ,just because you haven’t witnessed something ? DOUN’T mean it doesent happen.
We just had our 3rd Generation, our 11 yr old Grandson Barrett, see the “Spook Light” near Neosho & Joplin, Missouri area. I have seen it 3 times in 40 years. Our Son & Daughter have also seen it. A branch of the Military has investigated it along with other groups. Just have to see it to Believe it!
I’ve never seen them… however the other night I was outside on my patio just before it got dark, I felt a kick in the shin there was’nt anyone there but I had an instant bruise and bump, I think that it was a ghost, there is no other explanation!
I had one go through my house a few years back, came from the living room went through the kitchen and into the back room. It was about 4 inches in diameter, bright white in the center and kind of fog like out to the edges. It stayed about 3 feet off the floor as it moved through the house. It moved at about a walking speed and kind of bobbed up and down until it dissappeared in the back room. I wasn’t scared or anything, I had a feeling it was friendly for lack of better words. And I’ll tell you this, it wasn’t swamp gas.
I had the opportunity to experience “Ghost Lights”. However; I was informed that it was “Swamp Gas”. 1976 In Hall Summit, LA. On a country 2 lane HWY. A giant ball of glowing green floated out from the wooded area and stopped in the road for aprox. 5 secs. then crossed on to the side and continued on into the woods. You have NEVER seen a VW Bug turn around on a dime so fast! I will NEVER forget it-nor will the two other passengers!
Never seen Ghost Lights, would like to though.