Lantern man

A lantern man is an atmospheric ghost light, in the folklore of The Fens of East Anglia, seen around Wicken Fen and other areas.[1] According to the stories, first collected by folklorist L.F. Newman,[2] the lights, believed to be evil spirits trying to draw victims to their death in the reed beds,[3][4] were drawn to the sound of whistling[4] and could be evaded by laying face down on the ground with your mouth in the mud.[2][3] The phenomena, which seems to be a variation of will-o'-the-wisp folklore, is now dismissed as the result of combustible marsh gas.[4]

Encounters

A local fisherman recounted to parapsychologist Peter Underwood how he had once thrown himself to the floor to escape the attention of a lantern man which had been drawn to his whistling.[1][3]

Another local man recounted to folklorist L.F. Newman how he had attracted the attention of a lantern man while whistling to his dog while walking on the fen. The man had taken shelter at the home of a friend, who hung out a horn on a long pole to distract the spirit. The following morning the horn was found to have been burnt up.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Underwood, Peter (1984), "Wicken Fen, Cambrdgeshire", This Haunted Isle, Harrap, ISBN 9780245542329
  2. 1 2 3 James, Maureen (2014), "Of Strange Phenomena: Black Dogs, Will o' the Wykes and Lantern Men", Cambridgeshire Folk Tales, History Press, ISBN 9780752466286
  3. 1 2 3 Codd, Daniel (2010), "Inexplicable Incidents, Bizarre Behaviour and Peculiar Places: John Clare's Will-o'-the-Whisps", Mysterious Cambridgeshire, JMD Media, ISBN 9781859838082
  4. 1 2 3 O'Dell, Damien (2011), "More Tales from the Fens: Wicken Fen", Paranormal Cambridge, Amberley, ISBN 9781848681385
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