Santelmo
Marshes, rice paddies and coastal wetlands
Santelmo is a ball of blue-white fire, roughly the size of a person's head, seen drifting low over rice paddies, rivers and marshland at night. The name comes from Saint Elmo, the patron invoked by sailors, whose name is also attached to the electrical glow seen on ships' masts.
In folk explanation it is a soul: someone who drowned, someone who died unbaptised, someone who was buried badly. It is said to approach if you call to it, and to keep pace with you if you run.
The natural reading
Lights of this kind have long been reported over wetlands worldwide and are usually attributed to ignited marsh gas or to genuine electrical discharge in humid, charged air. Neither explanation has ever done much to shorten the stories — a floating flame over black water is unsettling whatever is producing it.
Santelmo — Common Questions
What is santelmo in Filipino folklore?
Santelmo is a drifting ball of pale fire reported over Philippine marshes, rivers and fields at night. Folk belief treats it as a wandering soul, while natural explanations point to ignited marsh gas or atmospheric electrical discharge.