He was an asshole.) The devil, true to his word, refuses to let Jack into hell. Jack frees the devil in exchange for ten years of peace. Another (bad) deal is struck, although this one does have the advantage of being slightly less bad than the previous one. Once the devil is up in the tree, Jack carves a cross into the trunk. He convinces the devil to climb a tree so he might enjoy a delicious piece of fruit. And it is a bad deal - because guess what? A year later, the devil comes back to mess with Jack. Jack sets the devil free and, in return, the devil agrees A) to bar Jack from entering hell when he dies, and B) to leave Jack alone for a year.Ī quick aside: This seems like a bad deal. And much to the devil-coin’s dismay, there is a silver cross in that pocket, preventing him from returning to his original form. But when the devil obliges, Jack sticks the coin in his pocket. He convinces the devil to shape-shift into a coin to cover the tab. Here’s the most common version of the 18th-century Irish folktale:Ī grumpy bastard of a blacksmith by the name of Stingy Jack invites the devil for a drink but refuses to pay (hence, the “stingy” descriptor). Listen, my children, and you shall hear, of the midnight meddling of Stingy Jack, from whom the jack-o’-lantern derives its name. What if it’s in my blood? The Irish Origins of the Jack-O’-Lantern Growing up a stone’s throw away from Salem (of witch trials fame), Halloween was always a big deal.īut what if my love of jack-o’-lanterns goes deeper than that? For years, I believed it was my Massachusetts upbringing that instilled this passion in me. But I’m not giving up! I am admittedly addicted to the art of pumpkin carving, and more specifically, to the art of creating jack-o’-lanterns with big ole teeth and grotesque expressions.
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