atmospheric ghost lights

The tradition & historical record

Atmospheric ghost lights are lights (or fires) that appear in the atmosphere without an obvious cause. Examples include the onibi, hitodama and will-o'-wisp. They are often seen in humid climates. ¹

According to legend, some lights are wandering spirits of the dead, the work of devils or yōkai, or the pranks of fairies. They are feared by some people as a portent of death. In other parts of the world, there are folk beliefs that supernatural fires appear where treasure is buried; these fires are said to be the spirits of the treasure or the spirits of humans buried with grave goods. Atmospheric ghost lights are also sometimes thought to be related to UFOs. Some ghost lights such as St. Elmo's fire or the shiranui have been explained as optical phenomena of light emitted through electrical activity. Other types may be due to combustion of flammable gases, ball lightning, meteors, torches and other human-made fires, the misperception of human objects, and pranks. ¹

The Min Min light is a phenomenon believed to occur in outback Australia. The lights originate from before European colonization but have now become part of modern urban folklore. ¹

The St. Louis light is a mysterious beam of white light reported near St. Louis, Saskatchewan. ¹

In addition to the onibi and hitodama, there are other examples of atmospheric ghost lights in legend, such as the kitsunebi and the shiranui: ¹

Osabi (筬火; lit. "guide for yarn on loom fire") In the Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture area, atmospheric ghost lights were described in first-hand accounts until the middle of the Meiji period. Two balls of fire would appear side by side on rainy nights at a pond known as the Misuma pond (Misumaike). It was said that a woman lent an osa (a guide for yarn on a loom) to another woman; when she returned to retrieve it, the two argued and fell into the pond. Their dispute became an atmospheric ghost fire, still said to be burning. Legend has it that misfortune befalls anyone who sees the fire. Obora Related in legends on Ōmi Island in Ehime Prefecture, it is said to be the spiritual fire of a deceased person. In Miyakubo village, Ochi District in the same prefecture (now Imabari), they are known as oborabi. A legend exists of atmospheric ghost fires appearing above the sea or at graves; these are sometimes the same kind of fire. Kane no Kami no Hi (金の神の火; lit. "fire of the metal god") Related in legends on Nuwa Island, Ehime Prefecture and in the folklore publication Sōgō Nippon Minzoku Goi, this is a fire appearing at night on New Year's Eve behind the patron Shinto god's shrine on Nuwa Island. It is accompanied by sounds similar to human screaming, and is interpreted by local residents as a sign that the goddess of luck has appeared. Kinka (金火; lit. "gold fire") This fire appeared in the fantasy collection, Sanshū Kidan. It is said to appear at Hachiman, Jōshikaidō and Komatsu as a fuse-like atmospheric ghost light. Kumobi (蜘蛛火; lit. ¹

The Hessdalen lights are unexplained lights occurring in the remote valley of Hessdalen, with reports dating back to at least the 1930s. ¹

The Longdendale lights are lights reported in the sky over part of the Peak District in northern England, with stories dating back hundreds of years. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Atmospheric ghost lights”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

atmospheric ghost lights is lights (or fires) of unknown origin, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 2 external registers, which can be verified through the citation. ²