Post Halloween Spookyness: The Story of Stingy Jack
I was watching the CBS Sunday Morning show, my Sunday morning guilty pleasure, and they had a story on about the history of the Jack O’ Lantern. I found it really interesting as I had never heard the story before. So here it is, enjoy!
The Story of Stingy Jack
As the story goes, Stingy Jack was a miserable, old drunk who liked to play tricks on everyone: family, friends, his mother and even the Devil himself. One day, he tricked the Devil into climbing up an apple tree. Once the Devil climbed up the apple tree, Stingy Jack hurriedly placed crosses around the trunk of the tree. The Devil was then unable to get down the tree. Stingy Jack made the Devil promise him not to take his soul when he died. Once the devil promised not to take his soul, Stingy Jack removed the crosses and let the Devil down.
Many years later, when Jack finally died, he went to the pearly gates of Heaven and was told by Saint Peter that he was too mean and too cruel and had led a miserable and worthless life on earth. He was not allowed to enter heaven. He then went down to Hell to meet the Devil. The Devil kept his promise and would not allow him to enter Hell. Now Jack was scared and had nowhere to go but to wander about forever in the darkness between heaven and hell. He asked the Devil how he could leave as there was no light. The Devil tossed him an ember from the flames of Hell to help him light his way. Jack placed the ember in a hollowed out Turnip, one of his favorite foods which he always carried around with him whenever he could steal one. For that day onward, Stingy Jack roamed the earth without a resting place, lighting his way as he went with his “Jack O’Lantern”.
Irish immagrants brought the Jack O’Lantern tradition and the story of Stingy Jack to America. Initially they had used turnips, rutabagas and gourds, but found that pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve out. They would place lights inside the hallowed out pumpkins to ward off evil spirits and keep Stingy Jack away. muahhahaha!
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