Jack O Lantern the legend of Stingy Jack.

Every year in October, people carve pumpkins into what have become known as Jack O Lanterns. Sometimes candles are lit and put inside. Sometimes children go trick or treating and put their candy inside of a plastic pumpkin with a handle. There is a lot of folklore related to the Jack O Lantern. Depending on who is telling the story, the lead character of this Halloween tale also goes by other names including Jack the Smith, Flaky Jack, Drunk Jack, and Stingy Jack. This is a mythical character who is associated with All Hallows Eve and there are several legends about him. I will share here the most popular one.

Several centuries ago within the towns and villages of Ireland, there lived a man who was known to be a drunkard. He was called "Stingy Jack" by most and was known throughout the land as a manipulator, a deceiver, and an all-around bad human being. He was a consummate liar and no one thought anything good about him. As the legend goes, one fateful night, Satan overheard the tale of Jack's silver tongue and all of his evil deeds. The folklore indicates that the devil was jealous of one who was deemed to be rotten to the core. He did not believe what he heard so he decided to find out for himself if Jack lived up or rather down to his vile reputation.

As usual, Jack had been drinking and was inebriated. On this particular night he was wandering through the countryside when he stumbled up a body lying on his cobblestone path. Although he was drunk, Jack quickly recognized the eerie grimace on the face in front of him. He knew right away that he had crossed paths with the devil himself. Jack did not attempt to flee, but instead resigned himself to his fate. he knew this was the end of the line and that now he must pay for his lifetime of sinning. Jack was probably shaking like a leaf but for once he did the right thing.

Realizing his life was over and that Satan had come for his soul, Jack made one last request. He asked that the evil one allow him to drink ale before he carried him away to hell. Satan saw no reason to deny the request so he took Jack to the local pub and made sure he had a lot of different alcoholic beverages to drink. Once his thirst was quenched, Jack asked Satan to pay the tab. Jack convinced old slew foot to change himself into a silver coin that he could use to pay the bartender, and he complied. Jack placed the coin in his pocket where there was also a crucifix. Satan was helpless and agreed to Jack's life for 10 years if he would set him free.

ck'Ten years later to the date when Jack originally struck his deal, he naturally found himself once again in Satan's presence. Jack happened upon Satan in the same setting as before and he seemingly accepted it was his time to go to Hades for good. As Satan prepared to take him to hell, Jack asked if he could have one apple to feed his starving belly. Foolishly Satan once again agreed to this request. As Satan climbed up the branches of a nearby apple tree, Jack surrounded its base with crucifixes. Satan, frustrated at the fact that he had been entrapped again, demanded his release. As Jack did before, he made a demand: that his soul never be taken by Satan into Hades. Satan agreed and was set free.

aTen years later Jack once again found himself in the presence of Satan, in the very same spot where they had met a decade earlier. This time Jack asked if he could eat an apple before being taken away to hell. Satan climbed an apple tree and when he tried to come down, found out that he had been tricked yet again. Jack had surr0unded the tree with many crucifixes. This time he requested that Satan could never have his soul but the constant drinking took a toll and one day Jack died. When his soul tried to enter he was refused by Saint Peter. God said that his life was too sinful for him to enter through the pearly gates.

Jack then went down to the gates of hell but Satan was required to fulfill the oath he made to never take Jack's soul. In order that others would not end up with the same fate as Jack, Satandoomed him to wander the earth in between the realms of good and evil, with only an ember inside of a hollowed-out turnip,( o rutabaga). Over time this legend shifted into Jack wandering the earth with a candle inside of a Jack O Lantern. In some versions of the story, Jack's headless body carries the carved pumpkin with the light to warn others so they don't end up as he did.