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Ghosts & Phantoms Night
“He who has been fortunate enough once to behold it is enabled to see closely into his own heart and to read the thoughts of others.”
~ The Green Ray, Jules Verne, 1882
'Tis the season! Keep your eyes peeled for ghosties, ghoulies, and green things that go flash in the night!
Throughout history, people have reported strange visitations in the skies and on the earth—ghostly figures, mysterious lights, fiery globes, wandering flames, strange atmospheric apparitions, and things glimpsed only for an instant before vanishing. Some eventually acquire a scientific explanation; others pass into folklore, and others remain yet to be explained.
Among the stranger apparitions to haunt British folklore are those that appear in an eerie shade of green—most famously, the Green Ladies of Scotland.”
Often appearing with a greenish hue or dressed in a green gown, these apparitions are generally more melancholy than malevolent and, in some traditions, are even regarded as guardians of the places they haunt. Green Ladies are associated with such historic sites as Stirling Castle, Crathes Castle, Fyvie Castle and Skipness Castle in Scotland, as well as Caerphilly Castle in Wales.
Other eerie green lights have decidedly earthly explanations. The ignis fatuus, or will-o’-the-wisp, is the mysterious light traditionally reported hovering over marshy ground and long associated with spirits leading travellers astray. Fireflies can produce their own cool greenish glow, while unusual atmospheric effects have inspired strange tales in virtually every age.
And then there is the rare green flash or green ray—a genuine optical phenomenon in which a brilliant spot or sliver of green may appear for only a second or two as the Sun slips below, or rises above, the horizon. It is most easily seen where there is a clear, distant horizon, such as over the open sea.
This tartan brilliantly captures that vivid green apparition against the deep reds and oranges of a sunset sky.
Have you ever seen the elusive green flash?
An old romantic legend holds that once you have glimpsed the green ray, you will never again go wrong in matters of the heart.
So, as we move into the darker season, keep your eyes peeled. Not every bright flash in the gathering darkness is coming from someone’s kilt hose! 💚 🧡 ❤️ 💙 🖤 💛 ❇️ 🌇 👻
The Green Flash tartan represents a non-supernatural atmospheric phenomena that is the equivalent of a green ghost - a seldom seen, fleeting greenish spectre in the sky for those lucky enough to glimpse it.
Green flashes and green rays are rare optical phenomena that occur shortly after sunset or before sunrise, usually observed from a low altitude where there is an unobstructed view of the horizon, such as on the ocean.
This phenomenon was popularized by Jules Verne in his novel The Green Ray (French: Le Rayon vert) in 1882.
In the book, the heroes are trying to observe the green ray in Scotland. After numerous unsuccessful tries caused by clouds, flocks of birds or distant boat sails hiding the sun, the phenomenon is eventually visible, but the heroes, finding love in each other's eyes, don't pay attention to the horizon.
From Ian B. Thompson's "Jules Verne, Geography and Nineteenth Century Scotland":
Verne professed an affection for Scotland to an almost obsessive degree. He claimed descent on his mother’s side from a Scottish ancestor. His mother, Sophie Allotte de la Fuÿe was descended from a Scottish archer, Allotte, in the guards of Louis XI. Secondly, since childhood he had revelled in the writings of Sir Walter Scott and the mysterious past of Ossian and read widely, in translation, Scottish history and literature.
“All my life I have delighted in the works of Sir Walter Scott, and during a never-to-be-forgotten tour in the British Isles, my happiest days were spent in Scotland. I still see, as in a vision, beautiful, picturesque Edinburgh, with its Heart of Midlothian, and many entrancing memories; the Highlands, world-forgotten Iona, and the wild Hebrides. Of course, to one familiar with the works of Scott, there is scarce a district of his native land lacking some association connected with the writer and his immortal work”.
Thirdly, he regarded Scotland as being downtrodden by the English, linking the history of Scotland to his anti-British imperialist views. As a Breton, he empathised with the “Celtic Fringe” of Ireland and Scotland as conquered and exploited lands. Ironically, he sympathised with the view of Scotland founding its own colonies overseas and in Les Enfants de Capitaine Grant, the plot revolves around the search for the lost Scottish sea captain on his mission to claim a territory as a colony. The first visit to Scotland in 1859 exceeded his wildest imaginings and inspired three novels. In addition to these books, Verne was to populate his novels with Scottish figures, who were invariably cast in a romantic and heroic mould, especially as seafarers and explorers. Huet calculates that 27 Scots feature in 10 novels, while Humeau suggests a figure of 40 Scots in total with major or minor roles. With this profound affection for Scotland and admiration of its people and culture, it is unsurprising that three of his novels should be set in Scotland.
Above is a photo sequence (by Brocken Inaglory) showing the green flash observed in Santa Cruz, California
By designer Carol A.L. Martin, the Green Flash tartan illustrates the bright green spot and ray emanating from the blue of the ocean horizon at sunset or sunrise.
For more on the physics and common fallacies relating to this phenomena, click the photo image of an observed green flash sequence at sunset in Santa Cruz, California.