Volume: CBÉ 0106

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1. Will-o'-the-wisp (continued)

   

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   but St. Peter wouldn't let him in. "You are too bad for this place" say he "and we can't possibly let you in." He then turned and went down to the gate of hell and knocked there. The big devil came out to him. "What's wrong with you" says the devil. "I want to get inside" says he "We can't let you in here says the devil "you're too clever for us." I'll never be able to get out this long dark passage by myself" says the smith. The devil went back and got a wisp of straw and lit it and gave it to him to give him light coming back the dark passage.
   He wasn't let into heaven and he wasn't let into hell, so he is now travelling around the world with his wisp of straw, and that is the person that we call "Will-o-the Wisp."

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Date

   1935

   Item type

   Lore

   Folktales index—relevant types

   AT0330A: The Smith and the Devil (Death)

   Language

   English

   Writing mode

   Handwritten

   Writing script

   Roman script

   Informant

   • Mrs. Roche