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marsh lights

Will-o’-the-wisp

November 9, 2026November 9, 2026 by Tommy Hayes
Hermann Hendrich's 1823 painting of will-o'-the-wisps — pale flames glowing over a marshy ruin at night, with a snake in the foreground (an artwork imagining the phenomenon, not a photograph)

About 3 min readTravellers crossing a marsh at night have reported it for centuries: a pale flame that dances ahead, retreats when followed, and vanishes when approached. Folklore called it a spirit. Chemistry calls it marsh gas.

Categories Science on the Edge Tags Explained, folklore, ghost lights, ignis fatuus, marsh lights, will-o'-the-wisp Leave a comment

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