Top 12 Ball Lightning Folklore From All Around World

6. The Ghost Lights of the American South

Advertisement

Ball lightning takes on a spectral form in the American South, especially in states like Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri; local stories have long been based on these enigmatic illuminations, usually observed floating above the ground in rural places. Among the most well-known instances are the enigmatic light orbs observed in the desert outside Marfa town—the Marfa Lights of Texas. Folklore holds that these lights could be lost travelers, Spanish conquistadors, or Native American ghosts ceaselessly crossing the ground. In other variants of the stories, the lights are supposed to be the lanterns of ghost miners or railroad workers still serving their functions in the next world. Other tales connect the lights to more ominous beginnings—that of ghosts of dead criminals or victims of terrible occurrences. Another well-known event in Arkansas is the Gurdon Light, commonly referred to as the soul of a railroad worker dead in a terrible accident now seeking for his head using a spectral lantern. Though many tales have recounted the lights interacting with onlookers or even chasing anyone who dare to investigate too closely, these ghost lights are not only passive events in local tradition. Some legends caution anyone who comes upon the lights to find their electrical equipment is malfunctioning without reason or that they are inexplicably confused. These customs reflect the immense human interest with the supernatural and the unexplainable since they survive despite scientific attempts to explain the lights as optical illusions or natural events. Strong reminders of the rich past of the American South and the ongoing impact of mythology in forming our knowledge of enigmatic natural events like ball lightning come from the ghost lights of the area.