Stingy Jack — the OG of the O’ Lantern
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower, and every pumpkin a lantern.
—Albert Camus
The Irish told of a man known as Stingy Jack. A crafty, drunkard old sot who feared his end of days, Jack fooled Satan himself to spare his soul with a drink and a coin, and with a tree full of apples; all by his wit and a sign of the cross.
In the legend of Stingy Jack, an unscrupulous drunkard tricks Satan with his cleverness and a sign of the cross…
Rumors of Jack’s cunning disposition resonated in the ears of Hell as Satan embarked to collect his treacherous soul. The two squared face to face on a road less traveled. Jack, sensing his end, bargained for a last drink, to which he greedily finished without a means to pay.
“Change into a coin,” whispered Jack, “and later ye can return to your devilish form.”
Impressed by such blatant dishonesty, Satan obliged. Jack instead cleverly palmed the devil and placed him snug in a pocket containing a cross. Satan, now trapped, struck a deal; Jack will remain free from damnation for the space of a decade.
Reaquaintence
As promised, up to the day, their paths once again crossed in an orchard where Jack slumbered off his previous debauchery.
“Might me have one last apple?’ Jack asked in humbled tones, “The red delicious upon that high branch?”
To waste no time, Satan quickly ascended, retrieved the final request, only to find Jack had carved crosses along the base of the tree. Satan raged and agreed never to summon Jack to the depths of Hell again.
Revenge
Upon his true end, unscrupulous Jack was barred not only by the gates of Heaven for his damning nature, but also at the gates of Hell.
“Fool me once,” Satan proclaimed, “—shame on me; but fool me twice…”
True to his word, Satan kept the gates of Hell closed to Jack, and offered his blackness to be illuminated by a mere *will-of-the-wisp to burn in the palms of Jack’s hands.
Now for his wickedness, Jack roams the dark eternity, his way lit by a hell-fire ember placed in the head of a carved-out root.
Generations to follow have continued to carve a lighted gourd to ward off evil or even Old Jack himself.
The history of the jack-o’-lantern dates back to folklore of Stingy Jack’s eternal walk, piercing the darkness with a hellfire ember in a carved gourd.
So tells of why there are jack-o-lanterns on cold October nights. From Jack’s misguided fortunes of the past, carried directly into our Halloween traditions today.
Until next time, my lovelies….
*Illuminations attributed to atmospheric phenomena near marshland or swamp. Visible by night, many cultures have adopted their folklore to explain spirits that lead travelers to lost locations or undesirable fates.
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photo credits: pixabay Monicore AI • pexels Danny Doneo • Fabian Kohle
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