Atmospheric ghost lights are lights (or fires) that appear in the atmosphere without an obvious cause. Examples include the
onibi
is a type of atmospheric ghost light in legends of Japan. According to folklore, they are the spirits born from the corpses of humans and animals. They are also said to be resentful people that have become fire and appeared. Also, sometimes th ...
,
hitodama
In Japanese folklore, Hitodama (Japanese ; meaning "human soul") are balls of fire that mainly float in the middle of the night.広辞苑 第五版 p.2255 「人魂」 They are said to be "souls of the dead that have separated from their bodies," ...
and
will-o'-wisp
In folklore, a will-o'-the-wisp, will-o'-wisp or ''ignis fatuus'' (, plural ''ignes fatui''), is an atmospheric ghost light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. The phenomenon is known in English folk belief, ...
. They are often seen in humid climates.
[ Tsunoda 1979, pages 11-53]
According to
legend
A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...
, some lights are wandering spirits of the dead, the work of
devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
s (or
yōkai
are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. The word is composed of the kanji for "attractive; calamity" and "apparition; mystery; suspicious." are also referred to as , or . Despite often being translated as suc ...
), or the pranks of
fairies
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...
. 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
UFO
An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...
s.
[Kanda 1992, pages 275-278.]
Some ghost lights such as
St. Elmo's fire
St. Elmo's fire — also called Witchfire or Witch's Fire — is a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a corona discharge from a rod-like object such as a mast, spire, chimney, or animal hornHeidorn, K., Weather Element ...
or the
shiranui
is an atmospheric ghost lights, atmospheric ghost light told about in Kyushu. They are said to appear on days of the noon moon such the (29th or 30th day) of the seventh month of the lunisolar Japanese calendar when the wind is weak, in the ...
have been explained as optical phenomena of light emitted through electrical activity. Other types may be due to combustion of flammable gases,
ball lightning
Ball lightning is a rare and unexplained phenomenon described as luminescent, spherical objects that vary from pea-sized to several meters in diameter. Though usually associated with thunderstorms, the observed phenomenon is reported to last c ...
,
meteor
A meteoroid () is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space.
Meteoroids are defined as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than this are classified as micr ...
s, torches and other human-made fires, the misperception of human objects, and pranks.
Almost all such fires have received such naturalistic explanations.
Australia
Min Min Light
Min Min is a light phenomenon that has often been reported in outback Australia.
History
Stories about the lights can be found in several Aboriginal Australian cultures predating the European colonisation of Australia, and have since beco ...
- a phenomenon believed to occur in outback Australia. The lights originate from before European colonization but have now become part of modern urban folklore.
Japan
In addition to the ''onibi'' and ''hitodama'', there are other examples of atmospheric ghost lights in legend, such as the ''
kitsunebi
Kitsunebi (狐火) is an atmospheric ghost light told about in legends all across Japan outside Okinawa Prefecture.村上健司編著 『妖怪事典』 毎日新聞社、2000年、134頁。。 They are also called "hitobosu", "hitomoshi" (火 ...
'' and the ''
shiranui
is an atmospheric ghost lights, atmospheric ghost light told about in Kyushu. They are said to appear on days of the noon moon such the (29th or 30th day) of the seventh month of the lunisolar Japanese calendar when the wind is weak, in the ...
'':
;
:In the
Nobeoka
is a city located in the north of Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 119,521 and a population density of 138 persons per km². The total area is .
History
The city was officially founded on F ...
,
Miyazaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,073,054 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 7,735 km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefecture borders Ōita Prefecture to the north, Kuma ...
area, atmospheric ghost lights were described in first-hand accounts until the middle of the
Meiji period
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
. 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
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...
, it is said to be the spiritual fire of a deceased person. In Miyakubo village,
Ochi District in the same prefecture (now
Imabari
270px, Imabari City Hall
270px, Aerial view of Imabari city center
is a city in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. It is the second largest city in Ehime Prefecture. , the city had an estimated population of 152,111 in 75947 households and a population ...
), 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.
;
:Related in legends on Nuwa Island,
Ehime Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...
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.
;
: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.
![Seiban Kaidan Jikki Kumobi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Seiban_Kaidan_Jikki_Kumobi.jpg)
;
:In a legend in Tenkō village,
Shiki District,
Nara Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the northwest, Wakayama P ...
(now
Sakurai), hundreds of spiders became a ball of fire in the air and one would die upon contact with it. Similarly, in Tamashimayashima, Kurashiki,
Okayama Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefectur ...
the ''Kumo no Hi'' is said to be the work of spiders. As a red ball of fire appears above the forest near the Inari shrine on the island, it is said to dance around above the mountains and forest and then disappear. In
Banshū (now
Hyōgo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...
), according to ''Nishihari Kaidan Jikki'' (in the section "Sayō Shunsō Anzekyū Ika wo Mishi Mono") an atmospheric ghost light would appear in the village of Sayō,
Sayō District, Banshū. Although "perhaps it is a spider fire", its details have not been made clear.
;
:In legends from the area around Honjō-ji,
Sanjō,
Niigata Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...
, Isono no Gongorō, after winning at gambling, was killed; his murder became an atmospheric ghost light. At a nearby family farm ''Gongorōbi'' is a sign of impending rain, and peasants who see it hurry to retrieve their rice-drying racks.
![Ehon-Sayo-Shigure Jiosenbi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Ehon-Sayo-Shigure_Jiosenbi.jpg)
;
:In a ''
Yomihon
is a type of Japanese book from the Edo period (1603–1867). Unlike other Japanese books of the periods, such as kusazōshi, they had few illustrations, and the emphasis was on the text. In storylines, Buddhist ethics such as karma are often prea ...
'' (''Ehon Sayo Shigure'') from the Edo period, at
Minakuchi,
Ōmi (now
Kōka
was a after ''Tenpō'' and before ''Kaei.'' This period spanned the years from December 1844 through February 1848. The reigning emperors were and .
Change of era
* December 2, 1844 (): The new era name of ''Kōka'', meaning "Becoming Wide ...
,
Shiga Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to the nort ...
) there was a person who made a livelihood out of selling ''jōsen'' (candy made from the sap of ''
Rehmannia glutinosa
''Rehmannia glutinosa'' is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has the name ''shēng dì huáng'' (). It is often sold as ''gān dì huáng'' (), ''gān'' meaning "dried".
Chemical constituents
A number ...
'', boiled into a paste) who was killed by a robber. It is said that the vendor became an atmospheric ghost fire, floating on rainy nights.
;''Sōrikanko''
:Told in legends of Shioire, Oodachi,
Hachinohe
is a city located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 221,459, and a population density of 725 persons per km2 in 96,092 households, making it Aomori Prefecture's second largest city by population. The city h ...
,
Aomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, ...
, its name means "the Kanko of Shioiri village". A beautiful girl named Kanko received many marriage proposals, but refused them all since she loved someone else. One of her suitors buried her alive in the Niida River, and her atmospheric ghost light became able to fly. When a
cement factory
A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...
was later built there, a small shrine to Kanko was included.
;
:Told in the legends of
Niigata Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...
, on rainy nights it would fly airily around a place where bodies are washed for burial.
;
:A legend from
Nagaoka District,
Tosa Province
was a province of Japan in the area of southern Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tosa''" in . Tosa bordered on Awa to the northeast, and Iyo to the northwest. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō syste ...
(now
Kōchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kōchi Prefecture has a population of 757,914 (1 December 2011) and has a geographic area of 7,103 km2 (2,742 sq mi). Kōchi Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the northwest and ...
), ''nobi'' appears in a variety of locations. An umbrella-sized fire would float, bursting apart into star-like lights that would spread from four or five ''
shaku Shaku may refer to:
* Shaku (unit)
* Shaku (ritual baton)
* Buddhist surname
In East Asian Buddhism, monks and nuns usually adopt a Buddhist surname and a Dharma name, which are combined in the surname-first East-Asian naming order. Since the 4th c ...
'' to several hundreds of meters apart. It is said that by putting saliva on a
zōri
Zori (), also rendered as zōri ( ja, , ), are thonged Japanese sandals made of rice straw, cloth, lacquered wood, leather, rubber, or—most commonly and informally—synthetic materials. They are a slip-on descendant of the tied-on sandal.
...
and calling it, it would dance brilliantly in the sky above one's head.
United States
Spooklight - a stationary unexplained light appearing west of the small town of
Hornet, Missouri as early as the 1830s.
Notes
References
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atmoshperic ghost light
Japanese folklore
UFO-related phenomena