Fuoco Fatuo

The Will-o’-the-Wisp and the Snake (1901) by Hermann Hendrich.

A Symbolist interpretation of the fuoco fatuo

The other evening, I mentioned in passing that I had not seen a single firefly this year. It was a casual observation, spoken with quiet disappointment, and the conversation soon drifted to more pressing matters.

Last night, during an evening passeggiata, a friend quietly led me away from our usual route toward the old church cemetery. She offered no explanation. Only when I peered through the iron fence did I understand.

The tombstones shimmered beneath hundreds of lightning bugs, their tiny lanterns flickering through the darkness like a host of wandering souls. There were more lights among the graves than stars above. For a moment, the cemetery became a place of enchantment, and every firefly seemed a will-o’-the-wisp—fuoco fatuo—wandering silently among the dead.

I turned toward my friend. The smile on her face said everything.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, July 1st, Feast of the Most Precious Blood