will o' the wisp

See also: will-o'-the-wisp

English

Alternative forms

• will-o'-the-wisp, will-o'-wisp, will of the wisp, will-in-the-wisp, Will-with-the-wisp

Etymology

Will (“male given name”) + of + the + wisp (“bundle of straw or hay used as a torch”)

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌwɪləðəˈwɪsp/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

will o' the wisp (plural will o' the wisps)

1. (British folklore) A flickering light or lantern, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes, held by a supernatural creature who uses it to lure travelers at night to their demise.
   • 1988, Michael Weikath, "Keeper of the Seven Keys", Helloween, Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II.

     Will o' the wisps / Misguiding your path / You can't throw a curse / Without takin' their wrath

2. (idiomatic) A delusionary or otherwise unachievable goal that one feels compelled to pursue.
   • 1951 May, R. K. Kirkland, “The Cavan & Leitrim Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 345:

     Some preliminary legal arrangements were made, but the scheme proceeded no further, as the various local authorities concerned were unwilling to speculate public funds on what was, even at that date, a will o' the wisp.

   • 1992 March 2, Richard Preston, “The Mountains of Pi”, in The New Yorker:

     I happen to think the brothers’ pi project is a will-o’-the-wisp, and is one of the least interesting things they’ve ever done. But what do I know?

Synonyms

• (strange light): marsh light, ignis fatuus, spooklights, ghost lights, nightfire; hinkypunk (west Country dialect); jack o'lantern (US); walking fire, friar's lantern

Translations

strange light

• Afrikaans: dwaallig
• Arabic: الوَهْج المُسْتَنْقعيّ (alwahj almustanqey), النار الحمقاء (alnaar alhamqa')
• Assamese: ধনগুলৈ (dhonguloi)
• Basque: sutxakurra, argi-txakurra, arima-argia
• Bengali: আলেয়া (bn) (aleẏa)
• Bikol Central: santilmo
• Bulgarian: блуждаещият пламък (bluždaeštijat plamǎk), зловещо сияние (zlovešto sijanie)
• Catalan: foc follet m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鬼火 (zh) (guǐhuǒ)

• Czech: bludička
• Danish: lygtemand c
• Dutch: dwaallicht (nl) m
• Esperanto: vaglumo, erarlumo
• Estonian: virvatuli
• Finnish: virvatuli (fi), aarretuli, aarnituli (fi), aarnivalkea (fi)
• French: feu follet (fr) m
• Friulian: fûc voladi m
• Galician: fogo fatuo
• Georgian: ცთომილი ალი (ctomili ali), ცდომილი ალი (cdomili ali), ცდომილი სინათლე (cdomili sinatle), ცთომილი სინათლე (ctomili sinatle), ცთომილი შუქი (ctomili šuki), ცდომილი შუქი (cdomili šuki)
• German: Irrlicht (de), Sumpflichter, Irrwisch, Sumpflicht
• Hebrew: אוֹר מַטְעֶה m (or mat'é), ויל-או'-דה-ויספ, ויל-או-ויס
• Hungarian: lidérc (hu), lidércfény (hu), bolygótűz (hu)
• Icelandic: hrævareldur (is) m
• Irish: tine ghealáin
• Italian: fuoco fatuo (it) m
• Japanese: 鬼火 (ja) (onibi), ウィルオウィスプ (wiru-o-wisupu), ウィル・オー・ザ・ウィスプ (wiru ō za wisupu)
• Korean: 도깨비불 (dokkaebibul), 윌오더위스프 (wirodeowiseupeu)
• Latin: (Medieval Latin) ignis fatuus m, ignis erraticus
• Latvian: malduguns
• Lithuanian: žaltvykslė, pelkių ugnis
• Lombard: foeugh arz, fogazzoeu, foeugh senza foeugh, fiammei, fiamminn, fana
• Low German:

  German Low German: Spöklicht, Dodenlücht

• Malay: jerambang
• Maori: tūtutupo, unahiroa
• Norman: bélengi, veue d'aventuthe
• Norwegian: lyktemann, irrlys, vettelys, alvelys
• Occitan: fuòc folet
• Pashto: اګیا بیتال, چیهلوا
• Persian: روشنایی مرداب
• Plautdietsch: Woselicht n
• Polish: ognik (pl) m, błędny ognik m
• Portuguese: fogo-fátuo (pt) m, fogo tolo m, fogo corredor m (Brazil), João Galafoice m (Brazil), boitatá (pt) m (Brazil)
• Romani: choxãnêski-vyedyáriya f
• Romanian: focul rătăcitor
• Russian: блужда́ющий огонёк m (bluždájuščij ogonjók)
• Sardinian: fogu de campusantu, ziròne, focu de sas animas
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: дивљи огањ m

  Roman: divlji oganj m

• Slovak: bludička, svetlonos
• Slovene: varljivo svetlikanje, nepojasnjeni ogenj
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: błudnik

  Upper Sorbian: błudnička

• Spanish: fuego fatuo m, luces de muerto f pl (Costa Rica)
• Swedish: irrbloss (sv) n, lyktgubbe (sv) c
• Turkish: bataklık ışığı, bataklık yakamozu
• Ukrainian: вогники мандрівні (vohnyky mandrivni), блукаючі вогні (uk) (blukajuči vohni), мандрівні вогні (mandrivni vohni), блимавки (blymavky)
• Urdu: اگیا بیتال, چھلاوا
• Vietnamese: ma trơi (vi)
• West Flemish: dwoalluchtn, dwoasluchtn

delusionary goal

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: hersenschim (nl) m
• Finnish: virvatuli (fi)
• French: miroir aux alouettes (fr) m
• Italian: fuoco fatuo (it) m
• Portuguese: quimera (pt) f
• Swedish: bländverk (sv) n

See also

• Min Min light

Further reading

• "Will o’ the wisp" at Folklore of the British Isles