Joan the Wad and Piskey Shop, Polperro, Looe, Cornwall (cropped)

Joan the Wad is a

mythological Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

character in

Cornish folklore Cornish mythology is the folk tradition and mythology of the Cornish people. It consists partly of folk traditions developed in Cornwall and partly of traditions developed by Britons elsewhere before the end of the first millennium, often sh ...

. She is the Queen of the

Pixie A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas arou ...

s, which are tiny mythical creatures usually associated with the counties of

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

and

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

in England. ''Wad'' is an Eastern Cornwall colloquial term for

torch A torch is a stick with combustible material at one end, which is ignited and used as a light source. Torches have been used throughout history, and are still used in processions, symbolic and religious events, and in juggling entertainment. In ...

or bundle of straw.

Folklore

Joan the Wad has been associated with Jack o' the Lantern, the King of the Pixies. The two may also be considered

will-o'-the-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, ...

type characters who lead travelers astray on lonely moors, hence the rhyme:

Jack-the-lantern, Joan-the-wad, That tickled the maid and made her mad, Light me home, the weather's bad.

However, Joan is also to thought use her Wad (Torch) to light the way to safety and good luck, as another rhyme says, "Good fortune will nod, if you carry upon you Joan the Wad".

Iconography

Joan the Wad is often depicted naked and associated with fire and water elements. In the last century, there was a thriving

cottage industry The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the project via remote ...

in Joan the Wad lucky charms. People carried small figures of Joan the Wad for

good luck Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at any time, both due to rand ...

: a small collection of such antique figures is housed at the

Museum of Witchcraft The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, formerly known as the Museum of Witchcraft, is a museum dedicated to European witchcraft and magic located in the village of Boscastle in Cornwall, south-west England. It houses exhibits devoted to folk magic ...

Boscastle Boscastle ( kw, Kastel Boterel) is a village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, in the civil parish of Forrabury and Minster (where the 2011 Census population was included) . It is south of Bude and northeast of Tin ...

. Her image also appears on door knockers to serve as a protective spirit.

References

Cornish legendary creatures Mythological queens Cornish folklore Fairy Queens Female legendary creatures Pixies {{myth-stub