Joan the wad is a Will-o'-the-Wisp in Cornish folklore and sometimes referred to as 'The Queen of the Piskies' and the consort of Jack o' Lantern.
Etymology
‘wad’ is a dialect word for a torch.
Origin
originally limited to the area round Polperro, where it was noted by Jonathan Crouch in his history of the town;
Behavior
Piskies particularly loved to lead people astray, often into bogs and marshes, by appearing like the light from a cottage window or as a man carrying a lantern. This was known as being 'Pisky-led' and explains another name for the Pisky - Jack o' Lantern. It is commemorated in the rhyme:
- Jack o'the lantern! Joan the wad,
- Who tickled the maid and made her mad!
- Light me home, the weather's bad
In other collections of Cornish stories, she actually is the Jack o' Lantern. It is considered lucky to carry a small carving or image of her, hence the rhyme.