Lanterns of the Will-o-the-Wisps?

   As I age, things around me have started to look a lot differently than they did before.  Perhaps my eyesight is really on that downhill slide or maybe I am just taking the time to really, really see things. You know, there is a huge difference between looking at things and actually seeing them.  Now, I see things.  I see things as they really are but also how they could possibly be seen from an imaginative view.  Both perspectives are intriguing. 

  This morning as the sunbeams started peeping over the pines on the far side of the Bayou, the flowering heads of the cord grass in the marsh were literally glowing.  The reality side of me knew that this was due to the angle of the sun causing the beams to hit the tufted tops and leaving the lower part of the marsh darkened.  The imaginative side of me saw the lanterns of the Will-o-the Wisps.  Legend has it that these tiny spirits used their lanterns to lure unsuspecting travelers into the bogs.  There the travelers would become mired forever...never to be seen again. Yes, my mind travels in weird patterns.

  All of this does make you wonder if views like this morning's was the basis for many of the folktales that can be found drifting around the bayous.  Sitting on the pier in the darkness of the predawn hours makes you ponder a lot of things.

To Capture A Ghost!

  It never fails that folks who claim to have captured a ghost, Big Foot, Loch Ness Monster or Elvis on film always present a very blurry photo.  In the picture, the "proof" is obscure, to say the least.  Most of the time, it is downright difficult to even distinguish anything in the photograph.  Hey!  I am good at that type photography!  A lot of my photos are blurry, distorted and hard to decipher.  I figure that I should be famous by now!

  Actually, there are things on the Bayou that are unexplainable.  Sights and sounds during the wee hours of the morning can send chills up the spine.  Couple these with a good old fashioned tale and things can get pretty eerie!  Now, I am not saying there are things out there but I am sure not saying that there aren't.  Lets just leave it at that.  

  There are tales that at some point in history this very area was a not so savory place to be.  The Bayou was known to be home of a good many large alligators that left little evidence if a "body" needed to disappear without a trace.  Folklore says that the bayous are all haunted because of such transgressions.  Personally, I have yet to come across any evidence that proves or disproves the accounts but one never knows.  Then...back to the photography skills...a photo taken this morning may be "proof"!  A "ghost" appeared in my photograph!  I was taking pictures of the sunlight playing on a rising mist covering the marsh and somehow captured my apparition!  The ghost is in one photo and not the next!  Where did it go???  

  To be honest, the wispiness of the low lying fog can appear to be many things.  This is what brings tales of Will-o-the-wisps, swamp ghosts and water spirits.  The early morning mist carried by a soft breeze can conjure all sorts of mystical thoughts. (We won't mention that a cloud blocked the sun's rays at an opportune time making the marsh a lot darker!)  My "Ghost of the Bayou" needs a believable tale to go with it.  Perhaps, this shall become the basis for yet another Clue Hunt on the Bayou!  Then again....maybe it really was a ghost!

A Wee Bit Loony...or The Call of the Will-o'-the-Wisps!

   In winter here on the Bayou, it is not an uncommon occurrence to hear some mighty strange sounds coming over the water.  Most folks up north who live near lakes will quickly recognize the noise as the call of a loon.  Some find the call a bit unsettling but I, on the contrary, find the wail more comforting.

   Although the Common Loon has several different calls, it is the wail that I hear the most often. Loons most often sleep on the water and very rarely come ashore.  Their large feet and heavy bodies make them almost clumsy while trying to walk.  On the water, the birds are most graceful.  Since they doze while floating, the wail is a way to keep tabs on each other if they drift apart.  The "hoot" is another method of tracking. This is a softer, shorter call than the wail.  (Also, just because it is called a hoot, don't think it sounds like an owl. To me it sounds more like some lonely puppy than an owl.) Male loons do a "yodel" as a territorial call.  This I rarely hear as it is more prominent during mating season when the birds are far north of here.  

  Like I said, I love to hear the loons and only wish that they would hang around during summer. Then I could keep the windows open at night and listen to the loons' haunting calls.  In the meantime, I listen to the wails as often as I can and know that the loons are near.  These wails give substance to another of my tall tales of the Bayou.  I have a tendency to tell unsuspecting folks that the calls are those of the Will-o'-the-Wisps that live in the marshes.  Ahh, yes!  Will-o'-the-Wisps...those fairy beings that lure folks into the marsh with their wee lights and hauntingly beautiful songs!  I LOVE MY BAYOU!

Will-o-the-Wisp!

Will-o-the-Wisp is the name that I have given to the ragdolls that Darling Daughter and I make. I posted pictures of a few back months ago and wrote about how I came up with that name. There is a legend about Marsh Sprites called Will-o-the-Wisps. The legend tells of some not-so-nice sprites that would lure travelers off of a well beaten path into the boggy marsh and to a certain misfortune. The luring would be done with mysterious lights that would twinkle in the marsh. The twinkling lights now have been explained away as "swamp gas"bubbles that spontaneously combust causing flickering lights to been seen in marshes, mires and bogs. My dolls on the other hand, are sweet little sprites but still abide near the marsh!

Tonight, I saw the equivalent of Will-o-the-Wisps. It was late evening just before dark, when over the marsh I saw orbs of light. I was taken aback at first..not sure that I had seen anything other than an oily blotch on my glasses. Since I take my camera on every outing, I tried taking a picture of the ball of light. This was a bit harder to do than I anticipated..this little orb was bouncing all over the place! I snapped about a dozen pictures of whatever it was that was captivating my attention. I did notice that there were several of them..some bigger than the others but all just tiny bubbles of light. They would start down low near the marsh grass and they float..no..sort of bounce or glide upwards. After reaching about twenty feet above the marsh they would either disappear into the trees lining the edge of the Bayou or simply fall back to the marsh.

I watched for a while and still have not figured out what causes these phenomena. I noticed in the pictures that some are not round but have a sort of "two-winged" shape..perhaps they are little glowy bugs? If so..they appeared to be about four or five inches across and had sort of an iridescence about them..shiny..sort of glow-in-the-dark. Any ideas of what I am seeing or do we just mark it up as "Will-o-the-Wisps"!

Will-o-the-wisp

Sometimes on the darkest of nights, a mere hint of twinkling light can be see over the marsh. This twinkling usually lasts just a fraction of a second causing a person to question if it was really seen. "Will-o-the-wisp"! One legend claims that the Will-o-the-wisp are marsh sprites. Those little beings that flit about the marshes playing all sorts of tricks on unsuspecting passersby. These little sprites or pixies flicker their lanterns just enough to lure curious onlookers into the bogs. Then, depending upon the teller of the tale, the outcome could be either as benign as giggling faeries or as evil as sudden death. I like the giggling faeries concept since I tend to try looking on the lighter side of things and don't really want to contemplate murderous marsh sprites that might dwell in my Bayou. The pixie lights in question have been theorized as little blips of "swamp gas" that spontaneously combust. Scientists claim that as plant or animal matter decomposes in the mud, tiny bits of gas are released. This "gaseous bubble" (and we won't touch that one!) escapes the mud's hold and rises above the surface only to spontaneously light on fire for a split second. Alrighty now..sounds logical..but I still like the giggling sprites!

Now that we know what the Will-o-the-wisps are, I will tell you a little about my "Will-o-the-wisp" dolls. Back several months ago, with the help of my talented daughter, I started making rag dolls. That is when Agatha and Belina were born..they were featured in an earlier post. My daughter designed the pattern and does the sewing and I get to play "dress-up" with the dolls. These dolls are not the "play with" dolls that would be given to toddlers. There are far too many things that might come loose with rough play. These Will-o-the-wisp dolls are more for the older group..teenagers that want something to brighten the room..college students that might want a conversation piece.. or simply someone that likes unique things. Last week, my cousin came to visit and informed me that I needed to name the line of dolls..she made a suggestion which was adorable but I needed something that could be associated with the Bayou. I thought and thought. The tale of the Will-o-the-wisps came to mind. Yes..that is it. Will-o-the-wisp! The name seemed to fit and the happy dolls now had a label! I worked today to finish another sprite. This one definitely is a bit unique..not that the other two were any too commonplace. The birth of Coralina

was quite the occasion. She is my "hippie" sprite. From her bright orange hair held in place with

a headband to frayed denim skirt, she is a surefire flowerchild! She makes me smile! Then came Delia..she is a cross between sophistication and funkiness! Purple and blue hair just speaks of sophistication and elegance! Then add a teal and purple rattail on the back and whoa! funkiness! hehe! Each one is different..no two could ever be the same just as I a sure no two marsh sprites could ever be identical. Things from the imagination can be a wild and free as the mind can make them and well..these are a bit on the wild side!