The Ellylldan is a spirit of Welsh tradition.
Elf fire of the Ellyllon, which lures towards precipice and mountain stream.
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
Welsh folk belief; classically recorded by Wirt Sikes in 1880, supplemented by John Rhŷs in 1901.
Wales: the Ellylldan waits in the moorland and flashes its fire lures there.
Moderate: the main sources are Sikes’ British Goblins and Rhŷs’ Celtic Folklore; the equation with Pwca comes from Sikes himself.
Welsh: ellyll means elf or goblin, dan derives from tân, fire, mutating to dan; Ellylldan is the elf-fire. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Recommended internal links:
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.
Against its influence, cross-cultural tradition names these protective means:
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