Ellylldan, the elf fire of the Welsh moors
By Ralf Ittermann · last reviewed on
The Ellylldan is a spirit of Welsh tradition.
Elf fire of the Ellyllon, which lures towards precipice and mountain stream. The entry traces the elf fire’s reputation across the moors of Wales, where it was said to lure travelers astray.
Ellylldan, also Ellyll Dan, is the Welsh elf fire, a subtype of the Ellyllon, the Welsh elves. The name means elf fire. It lures wanderers with flashing fire lures across the moorland, until they stand at precipices or by raging streams.
The classic source is Wirt Sikes’ British Goblins of 1880. In the tale recorded there, a farmer follows the light for miles and suddenly stands at the edge of a chasm above a roaring mountain stream.
Type: Fiery will-o’-the-wisp, subtype of the Ellyllon
Origin: Welsh folk belief
Texts: Wirt Sikes, British Goblins (1880); John Rhŷs, Celtic Folklore (1901)
Period: Welsh folk belief, classically recorded in 1880
Appearance: fiery will-o’-the-wisp, small dark figure with a lantern
Textual history
Period of the Texts
Welsh folk belief; classically recorded by Wirt Sikes in 1880, supplemented by John Rhŷs in 1901.
Area of Diffusion
Wales: the Ellylldan waits in the moorland and flashes its fire lures there.
Sources
Moderate: the main sources are Sikes’ British Goblins and Rhŷs’ Celtic Folklore; the equation with Pwca comes from Sikes himself.
Name and variants
Welsh: ellyll means elf or goblin, dan derives from tân, fire, mutating to dan; Ellylldan is the elf-fire. According to Sikes’s own interpretation, dan also carries a hint of enticement or lure: the alluring elf-fire.
Form and Activity
Appearance
Ellylldan is a fiery will-o’-the-wisp; in Sikes’ account it appears as a small dark figure carrying a lantern. It embodies the deceptive elf-fire that flashes up in the darkness.
Effect
Ellylldan waits in the moorland and flashes its fire-lures. In the recorded Sikes tale, a farmer follows the light for miles and suddenly finds himself standing at the edge of a chasm above a raging torrent; this is the classic pattern of luring towards ruin.
Profile: Ellylldan
The key aspects of the elf-fire at a glance.
Welsh folk belief: a subtype of the Ellyllon, the Welsh elves, classically described by Wirt Sikes in 1880.
Nocturnal wanderers in the moorland: the Ellylldan flashes its fire-lures at them and draws them off the safe path.
A fiery will-o’-the-wisp; in Sikes’ account a small dark figure with a lantern that always lights the way ahead.
Lures with fire-baits across the moor until the pursuer stands at chasms or raging streams.
No ellylldan-specific defence is attested; against Welsh fairies in general, iron or the turning of one’s clothes inside out were considered effective.
According to Sikes, the Pwca, the Welsh Puck; also related are the English will-o’-the-wisp, the Scandinavian Lyktgubbe and the Breton Sand Yan y Tad.
Sikes and the alluring light of Wales
Welsh ellyll means elf or goblin, dan derives from tân, fire; Ellylldan is the elf-fire. The classic source is Wirt Sikes’ British Goblins from 1880, supplemented by John Rhŷs’ Celtic Folklore from 1901.
Sikes notes that dan may also suggest an enticement or a lure, pointing to the alluring elf-fire; this second strand of meaning is his own interpretation. His account also provides the archetypal image: a farmer follows the light for miles and suddenly finds himself standing at the edge of a chasm above a raging torrent.
Legacy and interpretation
Ellylldan is widely received through Sikes and stands as the standard example of the Welsh will-o’-the-wisp. The equation with Pwca comes from Sikes and is often adopted uncritically.
From a religious-studies perspective, Ellylldan shows the will-o’-the-wisp motif in its Welsh form as the elf-fire of the Ellyllon. As always, the natural explanation lies in marsh gas. The equation with Pwca should be marked as Sikes’ own interpretation, not as pan-Welsh certainty.
Defence given thin evidence
No ellylldan-specific defence is attested. Against Welsh fairies in general, means such as iron or turning one’s clothes inside out were considered effective; but this is not recorded specifically for the Ellylldan, so it is honest to speak of thin evidence. What the tale itself suggests is simply not to follow the flashing light in the moor.
Pwca, Puck and the neighbours' lights
According to Sikes, the Pwca, the Welsh Puck, is merely another name for the Ellylldan, linking it to the Puck and Robin Goodfellow circle; however, this equation remains his own interpretation. It corresponds to the English will-o’-the-wisp, the Scandinavian Lyktgubbe and the Breton Sand Yan y Tad. In the British Isles it is joined by the English Hinkypunk, the Scottish Spunkie and the Irish Tine Ghealáin.
Frequently asked questions about Ellylldan
What does Ellylldan mean?
Elf-fire, from ellyll, elf, and dan from tân, fire.
What does the Ellylldan do?
It lures wanderers with flashing fire across the moor to chasms and raging streams.
Is Ellylldan the same as Pwca?
Wirt Sikes equates the two; this is his own interpretation and not a general Welsh certainty.
Further links
Further reading:
- Celtic – all beings of the Celtic cultural sphere
- Hinkypunk, Joan the Wad – spirit lights from the English neighbourhood
- Spunkie, Tine Ghealáin – the Scottish and Irish relatives
- Iron, Salt, Amulet – traditional protective means
- Protection Compass – an overview of protective means
Literature (selection)
Further standard works in the bibliography.
As a Welsh will-o’-the-wisp with its own name and its own tale, the Ellylldan remains easy to grasp: the elf-fire of the Ellyllon leads to chasm and torrent, and it is against exactly this that its story warns.
