History Main / WillOTheWisp

See HitodamaLight for ghostly lights of Japanese folklore, FauxFlame for a supernatural illusion of fire conjured up by someone, and SparkFairy for fairies or magical insects depicted as a point of light. TreacherousSpiritChase is also similar.

** [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Will-O-Wisp_%28move%29 Will-O-Wisp]] (originally named ''[[GhostLights Onibi]]'') exists as a status move that inflicts the Burn status on the target Pokemon if it hits. It is commonly learned by Ghost-type and Fire-type Pokemon.

See HitodamaLight for the Japanese equivalent, FauxFlame when it's a supernatural illusion of fire conjured up by someone, and SparkFairy for fairies or magical insects depicted as a point of light. TreacherousSpiritChase is also similar.

[[ALightInTheDistance A spectral light is spotted]] upon the misty moors one night and by chance there are travelers who are lost, the Will-o'-the-Wisp's light is an alluring sight, but a savvy traveler knows that the light of the Wisp may only lead them further astray. The light itself is supposed to resemble a flickering flame. The explanation for the lights is that the areas where the flames were often seen were bogs, and the flames were the result of methane combustion in the air.

Will-o'-the-Wisps tend to appear in desolate locations with a macabre history, appearing as vengeful apparitions or a lost soul wondering aimlessly. Wisps in video games function as a (usually) weak enemy found in graveyards or [[SwampsAreEvil swamp]] locations.

What the Will-o-the-Wisp is depends on the mythology, sometimes it can be a ghost when it's played straight, other times it can be a fairy or demon, it goes by many different names and most of the time a Wisp is malicious, but on rare occasions they can be helpful. The [[LatinLanguage Latin]] name for it is ''ignis fatuus'', 'fool fire'.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' has a creature called the Hinkypunk that floats around bogs and marshes and glows. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' Professor Lupin tells the third year Defense Against the Dark Arts class that they ''“[Lure] travelers into bogs. You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead -people follow the light— and then...”'' InUniverse, it's not really a Will O' the Wisp, but possibly the 'real' explanation for the muggle phenomenon.

What the Will-o-the-Wisp is depends on the mythology, sometimes it can be a ghost when it's played straight, other times it can be a fairy or demon, it goes by many different names and most of the time a Wisp is malicious, but on rare occasions they can be helpful. The [[Latin]] name for it is ''ignis fatuus'', 'fool fire'.

What the Will-o-the-Wisp is depends on the mythology, sometimes it can be a ghost when it's played straight, other times it can be a fairy or demon, it goes by many different names and most of the time a Wisp is malicious, but on rare occasions they can be helpful.

* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' when Sam and Frodo are being guided across the Dead Marshes by Gollum he warns them not look at them.

* A track on Music/MilesDavis' ''Music/SketchesOfSpain'' has this title.
** So does an Opeth song

* In brazilian folklore, will o' wisps were said to be the Boitatá, an enormous fire serpent that [[GreenAesop went after hunters and loggers]]. Similar to a basilisk, its blinding brightness could [[BrownNote drive people insane or cause death]]. Oddly enough, it could also try to crush people by turning into a burning tree trunk and in the state of Santa Catarina it was depicted as a cyclopian bull instead.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_cook_4011.jpg]]

What the Will-o-the-Wisp is depends on the mythology, sometimes it can be a ghost when it's played straight, other times it can be fairy or demon, it goes by many different names and most of the time a Wisp is malicious, but on rare occasions they can be helpful.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' has the [[FauxFlame Wisps]], which appear as glowing blue lights and apparently have the power to lead people to their fate and encourage them to change it. They are based on Scottish lore of will o' the wisps that lead people to treasure or doom. At the end of the movie, it's shown that they are actual ghosts.

* In ''Disney/{{Brave}}'' they guide Merida to the witch's cabin.

** A mid-level monster encounter in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion''. They're incorporeal like ghosts (meaning they can only be hurt with magic, weapons made of [[SilverHasMysticPowers silver]] or [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs magic weapons]]) and have lightning based magic.
** In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' and ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline'', there are glowing hostile creatures called Wisps, which are found near feminine, ghostlike beings called Wispmothers. Unlike the Will-o-the-Wisps in ''Oblivion'', these can be hurt by any kind of weapon. Killing a Wispmother disperses the Wisps surrounding her.
*** Yngol's Barrow has mysterious orbs of light that follow and surround the Dovahkiin but they are harmless.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' has a creature called the Hinkypunk that floats around bogs and marshes and glows. InUniverse, it's not really a Will O' the Wisp, but possibly the 'real' explanation for the muggle phenomenon.

* ''Podcast/TheThrillingAdventureHour:''

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. The Will-O-Wisp is a monster that haunts dangerous and deserted places like catacombs, swamps and bogs with traps that can kill the unwary ({{Pit Trap}}s, QuicksandSucks, etc.). When a victim is killed by one of these hazards the Will-O-Wisp feeds on their LifeEnergy.

Wisps also show up as a LethalJokeCharacter in the final level, where the goal is to prevent the demon lord Archimonde from reaching the WorldTree as more Wisps gather around it. When the level ends, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpklIrmfxWA the ending cinematic has the titanic demon lord start scaling the tree... then the Wisps start rushing him and use a mass Detonate,]] killing him with a WorldWreckingWave (also a major case of CutscenePowerToTheMax, since Archimonde is immune to magic in gameplay, the Detonate spell wouldn't affect him, much less deal damage).
*** FridgeLogic kicks in when you remember that Archimonde was [[SummonMagic summoned]] into Azeroth and thus must be vulnerable to banishment, he's just very resistant to all magic.

* ''[[NexusWar Nexus Clash]]'' has them as some of the low-level minions of the [[OurLichesAreDifferent Lich]]. They're not very effective in combat but they're cheap, can heal their masters with LifeDrain, and their ghostly nature means that even invisible characters can't hide from them.

* ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'': [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Will-O-Wisp_%28move%29 Will-O-Wisp]] (Originally named ''[[GhostLights Onibi]]'') exists as a status move that inflicts the Burn status on the target Pokemon if it hits. It is commonly learned by Ghost-type and Fire-type Pokemon.

See HitodamaLight for the Japanese equivalent and FauxFlame when it's a supernatural illusion of fire conjured up by someone. See also TreacherousSpiritChase.