will-o'-the-wisp

1. See ignis fatuus (sense 1).
2. A delusive or misleading hope.

[From the name Will (nickname for William).]

noun

An erroneous perception of reality: delusion, hallucination, ignis fatuus, illusion, mirage, phantasm, phantasma. See real/imaginary.

This is the commonest English name for faint, flickering lights seen in marshy areas. It implies a supernatural being, carrying a burning bundle of straw as a torch, to lead travellers astray; there are many other local names (Wright, 1913: 200-1; Briggs, 1976: 231). Tradition varies as to their nature; some informants spoke of them as ghosts, others as fairies. If ghosts, they were usually said to be unbaptized infants, unable to enter Heaven yet not deserving Hell; if fairies, they were usually regarded as a specialized species, but sometimes an individual trickster like Puck or Robin Goodfellow, or a local group such as the pixies, will be credited with this role.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - lygtemand

Nederlands (Dutch)
dwaallicht

Français (French)
n. - feu follet

Deutsch (German)
n. - Irrlicht, Schimäre, nicht zu fassende Person

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - φωσφορισμός των βάλτων, (μτφ.) χίμαιρα, φτερό στον άνεμο

Italiano (Italian)
fuoco fatuo, persona elusiva

Português (Portuguese)
n. - fogo-fátuo (m), algo que engana

Русский (Russian)
блуждающий огонек, ненадежный человек, обманчивая надежда, недостижимая цель

Español (Spanish)
n. - fuego fatuo, quimera

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - irrbloss

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
鬼火, 磷火, 迷惑人之物

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 鬼火, 磷火, 迷惑人之物

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 도깨비불, 사람을 홀리는 것, 신출귀몰하는 사람

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - きつね火, 鬼火, 人をだますもの, 幻影

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) السراب الجاري, الوهج المستنقعي, أمل خادع‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮אור ביצות, אשלייה, דבר מטעה, פאטה מורגנה, חפץ שאין להשיגו, אדם חמקמק‬

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