Wikia

Will O' the Wisps

Background information
Feature films	Brave
Television programs
Video games
Park attractions	World of Color Celebrate the Magic
Portrayed by
Portrayed by
Animators
Voice
Performance model
Designer
Inspiration
Honors and awards
Character information
Full name
Other names	Wisps
Personality
Appearance	Floating balls of blue light If one looks closely: They have flame shaped heads, glowing eyes, and oval shaped bodies
Birthday
Occupation
Affiliations
Goal	To lead people to their fates whether good or bad
Home	Scottish Highlands and possibly other areas
Relatives
Pets
Allies	Princess Merida, Queen Elinor
Minions
Enemies	Mor'du
Likes	changing fates of people
Dislikes
Powers and abilities	Magic Have the ability to change one's fate
Weapons
Fate	One wisp waves at the viewers and immediately vanishes.
Quote

[Source]

Will O' the Wisps are characters in Brave.

Background

They are spiritual, etherial beings. They have the appearance of small floating blue lights. They play an important role in the story, as they can lead one to their fate!

Role in the Film

Princess Merida discovered the existence of the Will' O' the Wisps at a young age while trying to retrieve an arrow in the forest. She soon follows them, not knowing that she is being stalked by Mor'du, but they lead her back to her family before he can attack.

Years later, she encouters them again, and following their path, led her to the Witch's cottage where she receives a fate - a changing spell. The wisps appear to her again two times, to guide her to the castle ruins where Mor'du lives, and later to lead her to her mother in danger.

When Mor'du is killed, the spirit of the Prince is freed, and he became a Wisp. One wisp is last seen near the end of the film where it waves at the viewers and vanishes.

Trivia

Mark Andrews explained the origins of the wisps, and how they treated them in the movie:"The will o’ the wisps are in a lot of Scottish folktales. They were said to lead you to treasure or doom—to change your fate—but they’re an actual phenomenon of swamp and bog gas seeping up through the earth and interacting with the natural resources to create the blue flames. People would follow these lights thinking they were little fairies, and basically drown or get sucked down into the bogs.

We made the wisps like actual little spirits. They’re almost like Marley’s ghost in a way, because Marley’s ghost isn’t an evil spirit—even though he’s frightening, he’s trying to warn Ebenezer to change his ways. That’s what the wisps are doing. There’s a duality to them, because they’re either good or evil—they lead Merida into more and more trouble, but in the end, they’ve led her exactly where she needs to go."