π LEGEND Β· EXP. NΒΊ0270
ACTIVE
Stingy Jack and the Lantern
Stingy Jack and the Lantern is a legend from Ireland, IE β a folk story passed down over generations. This file collects its origins, its meaning and how it has been retold.
Where does the legend of Stingy Jack and the Lantern come from?
- Location
- Ireland, IE
- Kind of legend
- Folk tale
- Coordinates
- 53.142, -7.692
- Testimonies
- 0
- Last updated
LOCATION
What is the legend of Stingy Jack and the Lantern?
The glowing jack-o'-lantern of Halloween owes its name to an old Irish tale of a crafty drunkard called Stingy Jack. Meeting the Devil in a tavern and unwilling to pay for his drink, Jack persuaded him to turn into a coin, then slipped the coin into his pocket beside a silver cross, trapping the Devil until he swore to leave Jack alone for a year. Later Jack tricked him again, coaxing him up a tree for an apple and carving a cross into the bark so he could not climb down, winning a promise that the Devil would never claim his soul. But a life of cheating and drink caught up with Jack, and when he died Heaven would not have him. Bound by his bargain, the Devil could not take him to Hell either, and instead threw him a single burning ember from the flames. Jack placed the coal inside a hollowed turnip to light his endless wandering through the dark, and became Jack of the Lantern. Irish and Scottish emigrants carried the custom to America, where the plentiful pumpkin replaced the turnip, and so the tale still glows each October.
π Source: Enigma Atlas
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