spunkie

A solitary being of the Scottish Lowlands that delights in playing tricks on lost travelers. It manifests a light to lure its victims — who perceive it as a light in a distant window — to their destruction. See also ignis fatuus, will-o-'the-wisp.

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An English custom practiced on the last Thursday of October in Somerset is Punkie Night. Children will walk around carrying a jack o'lantern (punkie).

References

Sources

  • Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits. New York: Facts On File, Inc.
  • Jamieson, J. (1841). An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language. Vol. 2. Edinburgh: William Tait, p. 466.