Wick and the Wanderlings

Mother says, beneath the trees,
If we should fall and skin our knees,
Or fall behind and lose our way,
That's when Wick comes out to play.
Traditional children's skipping rhyme, Sianti.

Summary

The myth of Wick (and often their Wanderlings) can be found in some form all over the world. While this is true of many fairy tale archetypes, the noticable difference here is that the name 'Wick' remains the same regardless of culture and language.
Due to the diffuse nature of Wick stories, the details often change, but the core elements remain the same. As the Mukasi version is the one that is most popular and usually the basis for any adaptions, it is the chosen version for this telling.
Mukasi parents know to keep an eye on their children. There are many dangerous things out in the world- wild animals, treacherous terrain. A child that wanders can become a child that is lost for good. Whether Wick is one of the worst outcomes or one of the best depends entirely on the nature of the parent.
If a child wanders off- whether it be in the shadows and caves of a mountain, or the alleys and doorways of a city- they may find Wick. With skin the colour of a midnight sky and hair the colour of moonlight, she is an enchanting sight for young eyes.
"Are you lost?" Wick will ask them, and if she gets a yes, she will follow, "Do you want to be found?"
A child must always answer yes to this - if they do they will find their way back to their parents or their home unscathed. If they say no, Wick will take them away to become a Wanderling. She will teach them terrible secrets and make them pay tribute for her protection. They will not get a chance to leave until they are grown. When Wick tires of them, she will ask again, "Do you want to be found?"
If they say yes this time, they will return to the world- but will never get back the years they spent as a Wanderling.

Historical Basis

While no historical records can be found for any person named Wick who relates to any of the stories, the fact that the name is so fixed suggests there may be an element of truth to it. The earliest stories date back to prior to the creation of the Symposium, several thousand years, but consistently the figure pops up throughout history.
Scholars today are mostly of the opinion that while the 'original' Wick may not have been real, over the years many people have used that name and further perpetuated the myth.

Spread

Most cultures have their own versions of Wick's myth, and they can be expected to appear in any children's story anthology. The specific country of origin has been lost to The Creeping Forest, but records of versions of the story date back to approximately six thousand years ago. They appear at roughly the same time, despite the distance, in a radius of the remaining countries on the continent.
Mukasi's vast trading network and explorers are likely the cause of spread to further countries, helped by the migratory nature of the Groundless.

Variations & Mutation

There are several dozen versions of the story of Wick, and the eponymous character is rarely described the same way twice.
Below follows some well known variations.
Lamara: Here, Wick is most popularly described as a handsome young man with brown skin, black hair, and golden eyes. Here Wick is also supposedly in possession of great magical power, and will teach those children who would risk staying with him. For several hundred years there was a trend for Magi trying to make a name for themselves to claim to have been Wick-ed away as a youth and given secret insight into the magical arts.
Groundless: Wick here is Groundless themself, and in the language is usually defined with a pronoun meaning older sibling. They find the children who are left behind when a convoy moves on, and watch over them until it returns.
Maritun: Wick is Maritun instead of human, and is in fact a pair of identical twins. The colour and pattern of their scales changes from teller to teller, and in a recent award winning short film the colours were shown to constantly shift and change. One brother is always in the water, the other on land, and they claim young Marituns who do not follow their family into either.
Hildago: An entirely positive spin on the myth, in Hildago Wick is a young woman who comes looking for children who want to be lost and escape their families. Children with evil step-mothers or cruel fathers run into the night, in these stories, hoping Wick will find them and keep them safe.

Cultural Reception

In some cultures Wick is a cruel creature who snatches away disobedient or stupid children who do not do as they are told and stray from the path. In others, Wick is a kind alternative to some of the fates that befall lost children, keeping them safe from harm.
The popularity of the story varies from country to country. But whether it is the cover illustration on anthologies of folklore or a half page note near the end, there are few cultures that escape it entirely.

In Literature

This tale has led to many languages having the phrase, 'Wick-ed away', or something similar.
A few years ago a young adult series based loosely on the Wick myth gained popularity, leading to five books, a film adaption, and a stage musical. Wick features as a lonely anti-hero and immortal product of a magical experiment. His love interest purportedly has excellent hair.

In Art

Wick has been a popular subject in paintings over the years, in the background of depictions of families or outside the window, both a threat of disruption and a promise of safety. Due to their diverse image, they are also read into art that may or may not feature them when there is a figure that is hard to identify for definite as anyone else.
The Wanderlings was the first band to have a simultaneous top ten charting song in every country in the world, Pale Petal Dusk. The song was used as the opening track in the film Night Calling.