The Corpse Candle

British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 2 Chapter 9

by Wirt Sikes

Corpse Candles are ghostly candle lights that allow us to see through the veil, or seen as an omen of forthcoming doom. How the candle lights are not tricked and how they can be seen coming from the mouth of a corpse. Sikes tells us the story of Morris Griffith and the 'Light before the Burying' as well as how Corpse Candle lights can be seen on the surface of water and streams. He finishes off by discussing the origins of the phantoms of the spirit world which ends the last chapter of Book 2 of British Goblins.

• The Corpse Candle 0:55
• Its Peculiarities 2:12
• The Woman of Caerau 4:05
• Grasping a Corpse Candle 6:26
• The Crwys Candle 7:24
• Lights issuing from the Mouth 8:39
• Jesting with the Canwyll Corph 9:48
• The Candle at Pontfaen 12:18
• The Three Candles at Golden Grove 15:21
• Origin of Death-Portents in Wales 16:02
• Degree of Belief prevalent at the Present Day 17:28
• Origin of Spirits in General 19:34
• The Supernatural 19:56
• The Question of a Future Life 21:30

Names Used in this Section

All proper names, and words in Welsh or other languages, are recorded here in the show-notes and we've done our best to get the pronunciations right for you.

Caerau Crwys Candle Canwyll Corph Pontfaen Aneurin Llandovery Cymry Flambeau Lledrith Cardiff Marquis of Bute John Richards 'O wi! O Dduw!' Jenny fach, Hach Thomas Mathews Liber Landavenis St. Samson St. Bubricius William John Lanboydi Carmarthenshire Morris Griffith Pembrokeshire Tre-Davydd Llanferch-Llawddog Mr. Higgon Joshua Coslet Heol Bwlch y Gwynt (Windgap Lane) Llandilo Fawr parish Prophet Jones Golden Grove Earl of Cawdor St. David King Arthur Pelagian Gwrach y Rhibyn Cyhyraeth Cambridgeshire Evansville, Indiana Feast Tolaeth Disraeli Lothair Plato Aristotle

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