Supernatural Stories

A Story by Novram

There are legends and sources for certain paranormal terms.

Will o the wisp is a ghost light. The term comes from the will and wisp of a torch. Will was an evil blacksmith in English lore. And the wisp were the sticks bundle or paper that burns. The carrier of the torch is said to be cursed to roam the Earth forever. Also called fools fire, they can be a mischievous ghost, or sprite, searching for peace in the woodlands. Orbs are also sometimes thought to be ghostly illuminations, like Will o the wisp.

A Jack o lantern was also a ghost light, or spook light. The name comes from an Irishman named Stingy Jack, who made a deal with the devil. He was another blacksmith, who drank a lot and acted as a trickster. Jack was doomed to carrying a light while wandering aimlessly for his misdeeds. He carved out a root vegetable and put a flame inside. This becomes the basis for the ‘Jack o lantern’ at Halloween.

The crossroads in the Mississippi Delta, is where bluesman named Robert Johnson, sold his soul to the devil. Before his trip, Robert was an average guitar player. While he lived in the Magnolia State, Robert met the evil spirit, at the crossroads. He agreed to give his spirit in exchange for greater musical talent. After he returned, he became a virtuoso and a blues legend. The story of the crossroads is like an American version, similar to the tale about the Jack o lantern.

The Banshee is a female spirit of Gaelic, Irish origin. They wail or cry out to announce the death of a person. To see a banshee means someone close to you is going to die. Then hearing the screams of the entity means the person has passed from this earth.

There was a banshee queen, called Aibell, a guardian spirit of Ireland. She had many other fairy woman reporting to her. They looked over the burial mounds and would scream out or engage in keening, or singing for the dead. Multiple banshees wailing would indicate the passing of a very important person of the baile.

The banshee is a woman entity, similar to the Grim Reaper, which is usually a male skeleton figure. They are both harbingers of impending death.

The Wild Hunt; were ghost riders in the sky, at midnight, on evil horses. They were phantoms, elves and hellhounds. Spectral entities of the witcher, take people from their beds in the dead of night. In Norse mythology; Odin, king of the gods, would conduct hunts. He used dogs to pursue other supernatural beings.

And in English lore; the huntsman were dark figures that rode black horses, accompanied by viscous canines in the woods at night. They would hunt for bad people who had done ill deeds to others.

A Mare is a supernatural being, that comes to people at night, sitting on their chest while they sleep. They cause humans to have bad dreams, hence the term ‘nightmare’. The legend is from European and Norse folklore. They could tangle people’s hair at night, or mangle tree branches. Mares were also thought to ride horses, not unlike in the wild hunt. And there are some stories of them being like shape shifters that could appear as animals.

There are countless stories, related to the supernatural and the paranormal, passed down through the centuries.

Sources:

Wikipedia.org; Will-o-the-wisp, Jack o Lantern, Robert Johnson, Banshee, Wild Hunt,
Mare (folklore).

© 2024 Novram

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Annette Pisano-Higley

“A Mare is a supernatural being, that comes to people at night, sitting on their chest while they sleep. They cause humans to have bad dreams, hence the term ‘nightmare’. The legend is from European and Norse folklore”
Novram, your story/essay, once again is truly enlightening. Well-penned and researched. Now I know that Mares visit in the night to disturb our dreams- great lore! I will have to try leaving out some apples for them to put them in a better mood so I can get some sleep:) ! Thanks for the fascinating lesson.