Will-o'-the-Wisp

In folklore, a will-o'-the-wisp (or ignis fatuus) is an atmospheric ghost light seen by travelers at night, especially over bogs, swamps, or marshes.

A peasant travelling home at dusk sees a bright light traveling along ahead of him. Looking closer, he sees that the light is a lantern held by a "dusky little figure", which he follows for several miles. All of a sudden he finds himself standing on the edge of a vast chasm with a roaring torrent of water rushing below him. At that precise moment the lantern-carrier leaps across the gap, lifts the light high over its head, lets out a malicious laugh and blows out the light, leaving the poor peasant a long way from home, standing in pitch darkness at the edge of a precipice. This is a fairly common cautionary tale concerning the phenomenon; however, the ignis fatuus was not always considered dangerous. There are some tales told about the will-o'-the-wisp being guardians of treasure, much like the Irish leprechaun leading those brave enough to follow them to sure riches. Other stories tell of travelers getting lost in the woodland and coming upon a will-o'-the-wisp, and depending on how they treated the will-o'-the-wisp, the spirit would either get them lost further in the woods or guide them out.
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This is a part of my '30 day challenge' and this time I'm using Inktober 2020 prompt list, because I think it's the most popular and it's fun to see how many people will do their own interpretations.

It's my 2nd '30 day challenge' this year - if you want to see the previous one, you can check it out on my blog, here: https://pkozera.com/illustration/june-daily-art-challenge/

Day 2 "Wisp"

If you want to contact me, write here: pt.kozera@gmail.com