Will o' the Wisp

I had an action item from a parking lot discussion today...a couple of friends had different mental definitions of "Will o' the Wisp" than I had.  One said "isn't that a book?" and the other "Isn't that a plant like a cattail?" whereas I had said it was a mysterious glowing light usually in a bog or a swamp.
Well, according to Britannica.com: "... a mysterious light seen at night flickering over marshes; when approached, it advances, always out of reach. The phenomenon is also known as will-o’-the-wisp andignis fatuus (Latin: “foolish fire”). In popular legend it is considered ominous and is often purported to be the soul of one who has been rejected by hell carrying its own hell coal on its wanderings. The phenomenon is generally believed to be due to the spontaneous ignition of marsh gas, which consists mostly of methane and which is produced by the decomposition of dead plant matter."


But wait!  Before I let it all go to my head in prideful righteousness, I did a search on Amazon.com and there are 183 entries in Books with the title Will o' the Wisp, the most famous being a publication from 1947 novel by the Baroness Orczy.


I also said that I thought it was a title of a jazz song - but upon further reflection I realized I was thinking of "Willow Weep for Me", famously played by Art Tatum, as demonstrated here. (Sotto voce: this is a really mindblowing performance - Art Tatum was a true genius on the piano.)

Sadly, I must report that a Will o' the wisp is not a cattail.  Sorry KP!