早在300多年前，纳撒尼尔·克劳奇在1685年出版的《英国皇帝在美洲》一书中就提到，他曾经看见印第安人临死前出现在他们屋外的一种神秘亮光。
1656年，来自威尔士尔迪甘郡的牧师约翰·戴维斯也曾报告说，他和其他人曾经目睹过似乎预示着死亡的彩色亮光。这些亮光可能出现在任何地方，空中、门庭或屋子里。小亮光标志着小孩子的死亡，较大的亮光意味着成人的死亡，同时出现多个亮光意味着许多人将会死去。戴维斯报告说，曾经有一个人在屋内看见五处亮光，结果当晚他的五个仆人就异常地死于窒息。
苏格兰高地的居民说，如果岸边礁石附近出现了鬼火，则预示着那里将要发生触礁或沉船，而且事实证明这种说法非常准。人们有时把这种亮光称为“死亡烛光”，直到20世纪这一说法仍然很盛行。
一个叫韦尔的目击者向民间传说作家埃文斯温茨提供了下面的描述：
“死亡烛光是一种亮度很高的光，不管出现这种光亮的房子或地方原本有多暗，在亮光下所有一切都如同白天一样清楚。这种光亮不是一团火焰，而是蓝莹莹的一片亮光。仿佛有一个看不见的人拿着它四处游动，有时还滚来滚去。你靠近它却什么也摸不着，因为那是一种幽灵。”
1909年，在宾夕法尼亚州斯托克顿地区也出现了所谓的“死尸烛光”，这在当地居民中引起了不小的震动，许多报纸也都有报道。其中一则报道是这样的：“近年来，在一具两年前发现的被肢解的女尸的头上，突然出现了一团火焰。每天晚上9点至午夜，那亮光就会准时出现并不停地在空中盘旋。但只要有人想靠近去探查个究竟，它就会立刻消失。”报道末尾还补充说，有些迷信的村民相信那亮光是被害妇女的灵魂，为的是提醒人们记住那个罪犯还活着，要将凶手捉拿归案。
有些民间传说中神仙的出现也与鬼火有关。1910年，一个与埃文斯温茨一同在牛津大学就读的爱尔兰人向他讲述了自己奇怪的经历。有一天，他和一个同伴骑马从利默里克回家，突然他们看见远处有一个亮光在“上下跃动、忽远忽近，一会儿缩小成一个小火花，一会儿又变大成一团明亮的黄色火焰”。后来他们又看见了两道类似的亮光，“当亮光扩大成6英尺高、4英尺宽的火焰，我们看见每个亮光中间似乎都有一个容光焕发的人”。那两团亮光相互靠近，当它们接触到一起的时候，他们看见亮光里的两个人开始并排行走，“他们的身体发出刺眼的光亮，如同烈日一样，比他们周围的黄光和头上的光环都要亮得多”。由于他们头部周围的光环过于耀眼，两个目击者根本无法看清他们的面容。
至今也没有人能解释得清“死亡烛光”的诡异与玄秘，它仍然裹着一层层的谜团飘游……
Introduce:Be in early 300 old before, · gram Lao Ji is in Nathanle to was published 1685 " British emperor is in America " mention in one book, before he once saw Indian on one's deathbed, appear in their outdoor a kind of mysterious light. 1656, come from Cambria Er enlighten Gan Jun's priest writings brush · Davis ever also reported about say, he and someone else once had been witnessed it seems that the chromatic light of adumbrative death. These light may appear in anyplace, empty in front courtyard of medium, door or house. Little light is indicating the death of dot, bigger light means adult death, many light appear to mean a lot of people in the meantime will gone. The report says Davis, once a person sees 5 place light inside house, result that evening 5 his lackey die at choking with respect to singularly. The dweller of Scotland upland says, if jack-o'-lantern appeared near bank reef, strike a reef or heavy ship will produce over there adumbrative move, and the fact proves this kind of view is very standard. People calls this kind of light sometimes " dead candle power " , till 20 centuries this one view still very be current. A witness that calls Wei Er provided the description below to folklore writer Aiwensiwenci: "Dead candle power is the light with a kind of very tall brightness, no matter appear,this kind of shiny building or place have many originally dark, all below light everything as be clear about like by day. This kind of brightness is not posse blaze, however light of La Yingying. As if the person that one is lost sight of is taking it everywhere move about, still boil to boil sometimes. You stand by it however whats are felt do not wear, because that is one kind ghostliness. " 1909, in Ni Yazhou of guest evening standard Situokedu the area also appeared so called " cadaver candle power " , this was caused in local dweller not small shake, a lot of newspaper also have a story. Reporting first among them is such: "In recent years, be gotten on by the head of the female cadaver of dismemberment in what before providing two years, discover, appeared suddenly posse blaze. Came at 9 o'clock in the evening everyday midnight, that light is met punctual appear and keep circling in sky. But want somebody to want to stand by only go probing after all, it can disappear immediately. " reportorial fine returns complement to say, a little superstitious villager believes that light is the soul of be murdered woman, remember for the sake of reminding people that convict is living still, want to bring to justice murderer arrest. Of the immortal in some folklore appear to also be concerned with jack-o'-lantern. 1910, an Irish that reads in Oxford together with Aiwensiwenci told about his strange experience to him. One day, he and a companion are equestrian come home from Limolike, suddenly they see far has a light to be in " jump up and down
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