Wisps are small, softly glowing phantasms that drift through Skyrim’s snowfields and darker places. They rarely appear on their own: almost every group belongs to a Wispmother, and destroying a wisp actually damages the Wispmother it serves. Up close they feed on the living with a life-draining attack called Wisp’s Kiss.
Left alone, wisps tend to circle one another peacefully, and you can sometimes walk right through a cluster without being touched. Provoke them, though, and they charge in much like an Ice Wraith, jabbing with the small stinger at the end of their bodies. Unlike most enemies, they never give up the chase once combat starts. Kill a wisp with a sneak attack while it is unaware and its mistress may appear to avenge it.
Where to find them
- Snowy areas, where their pale glow blends in against the snow.
- Dungeons, tombs and caves with a Wispmother nearby.
- Blackreach, the vast Dwemer cavern beneath the province.
- Labyrinthian, the ruined city in Hjaalmarch.
In the wild a wisp can also act as a lure, floating ahead and drawing the curious traveller towards a Wispmother.
Lore
What exactly a wisp is remains unclear. Events in the game hint that they are lost souls held in service by a Wispmother. The 2920 book series describes Will-o-the-Wisps as strange blue glows, a mix of swamp gas and spiritual energy. The name itself borrows from the will-o’-the-wisp of European folklore, and the habit of leading wanderers astray recalls the púca of Celtic legend.
When a wisp dies it collapses into a Wisp Core that chimes faintly when touched. Harvest it for Glow Dust, an Alchemy ingredient. Wispmothers themselves are the source of Wisp Wrappings, so clearing a whole group pays off twice.
