Stingy Jack | The Jack-O'-Lantern Story

Ever wonder about the origins of the jack-o'-lantern? Long ago in Ireland, lived a blacksmith named Jack. He was selfish, cruel, manipulative, and deceptive leading to his nickname Stingy Jack. His vile reputation eventually comes to the ear of Satan who becomes hellbent on stealing his soul. But Jack isn't going to hell without a fight! Follow along with Stingy Jack's story as he matches wits with the Devil, on an eerie journey that will lead to darkness lightened only by the glow of the jack-o'-lantern!
MYTHOLOGY HAS BEEN TOLD AND RETOLD IN MANY FORMS ACROSS TIME, STORIES AND ACCOUNTS MAY VARY.
MUSIC:
"Melody of Twilight" by Brandon & Derek Fiechter
"Jack O' Lantern" Musiikiin Monsteri
CLIPS:
Stock footage of Ireland
OPENING:
www.fiverr.com/saif_edits
ARTISTS FEATURED:
Scott Hegarty
Joel Hustack
Francisco Bollaine
Anastasiya Cemetery art
Aleksandra Mokrzycka
Julien Serror
Brenda Loschiavo
Scott Hegarty
Frang Dushaj
Allan Swart
Sidharth Chaturvedi
REFERENCES:
www.history.com/news/history-...
www.historicmysteries.com/the...
www.novareinna.com/festive/ja...
www.pumpkinnook.com/facts/jac...
oldsoulartisan.com/blogs/libr...
If we used your artwork please let us know so we can give proper credit!

[@sturg0353]

I’ve gotta respect him for being able to outsmart satan himself twice!

[@michaelfixedsys7463]

While drunk

[@juneroberts5305]

Stingy Jack was a lot of things, but he certainly wasn't Stupid Jack. 😁 Edited to fix punctuation.

[@angusroberts2548]

It’s so funny and yet so chilling

[@Gorehoundula]

In fairness, Satan is a grade A dipshit in this weird story.

[@thebobbrom7176]

You'd think he'd had learned the first time

[@Drawboy66]

Billy: You cut his head off?! Grim: Yep.

[@AnjelCaido69]

Who remembers jack-o-lantern from Billy and Mandy

[@robynian6381]

I don't but I do remember billy and mandy.n grim.mandy mon!

[@aidanhever3369]

I do.

[@Isabella2335.]

Me!

[@BMFlame9393]

Grew up on Billy & Mandy, and Courage the Cowardly dog

[@Chillerveli]

Based

[@BigBWolf90]

Satan: the problem isn't living forever Jack, but living with yourself forever

[@smartguy458]

I almost feel bad Jack. I mean, he managed to keep himself from going to Hell, something I'm sure a lot of people would do anything to do, but he never changed his ways even after outsmarting the Devil. Now that he's kept from Heaven and Hell, his soul can never pass on.

[@logantrimble006]

So Jack is like the original Lobo from DC comics. All because neither heaven nor hell will take them.

[@Havok91]

Very similar to the character of Jack from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy! I love how much attention they paid to history!

[@maggiesheartlove2734]

I am IN LOVE with Irish folklore!! I surely hope there will be more stories from Ireland in the future.

[@noellehollar4347]

I had no idea the jack-o'-lantern had such a fascinating history! What a great video - just in time to ring in All Hallows Eve. Thank you for putting together this presentation. I especially loved all the artwork! 😍

[@rogueascendant6611]

Ikr?! I never heard of this story before! Thanks Mythology Unleashed! You just made my day better!

[@txmetalhead82xk]

That was a very cool story.

[@dbtempo879]

@@rogueascendant6611 TOTALLY IT SPOOKED ME HALF TO DEATH I LOVED IT MAN

[@glennmorganfan9411]

This is a VASTLY different telling than I've always heard.

[@crassweller11]

What is your version?

[@daniele7989]

Wild, I've never heard another version

[@vermiciosknid9629]

I read the one where he helped an angel and was granted 3 wishes. wish 1:if anyone came by to take something from his toolbox they'd be trapped until Jack released them. wish 2:if anyone came by to take something from his breadbox they'd be trapped until Jack released them. wish 3:if anyone came by to take an apple from his apple tree they'd be trapped until Jack released them.

[@JJtvee]

There are many iterations of this story on KZbin but this narrator is by far the best!

[@blackbway]

In 2007 I won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place pumpkin carving at a single event at a hotel in California, only i didn't enter all The pieces under my name because each person could only enter once.

[@blackbway]

I have seen a willo wisp twice in my life. Once when i was small and last year. They were slow moving, lingering lights that drift along the ground and sometimes floats up into the air. I am a person who doesn't believe in ghosts and spirits and is not easily spooked. When i saw the most recent one, i watched it for about half an hour, getting as close as possible to make sure that it wasn't coming from any man made object. It would be worth to note that i was out in a desert valley in California on an old farm with 80 acres of property. There were only two of us staying there, and i know where the other person was at the time. What ever it was, it drifted slowly across the plains and and across the dirt road over to the other property until it was out of sight. I followed it closely while it was on our property and even flicker my mag light at it a few times. I didn't have any wired feelings, but i still didn't figure out what it was. It also just floated across the barb wire fence without distractions. This could be a once in a lifetime occurrence, but i get to witness it twice.

[@angeldougan9334]

lol I'm surprised that Jack didn't just go to the nearest pub after St. Peter told him off at the Pearly Gates

[@stardust949]

I only read about Stingy Jack this past Monday! We had Family pumpkin carving night on Tuesday---and I told the tale of Stingy Jack! Now, hey ho---here you are. I shared this at Facebook---hope lots more people listen and enjoy. Thank you.

[@DartCat200]

I LOVE HOW YOU TOLD THIS STORY

[@yolman25]

Thank you for sharing the story of the most iconic symbol of Halloween 🎃. Great content

[@francierose2792]

WoW! Great story and art work! Thank You!

[@pentegarn1]

When I was in Cornwall they told us Jack was the companion to Joan the Wad...Queen of the Pixies. You can buy Jack and Joan talismans that when said with a certain chant will keep you from being pixie lead while out in the woods . The chant goes something like "Jack O' lantern. Joan the Wad. Who tickled the maids and mad them mad. light me home the weather's bad."

[@tonybarde2572]

There is a tiny spark of hope for Jack: Only someone who is free of sin can lift his curse

[@skyden24195]

Brandon and Derek Fiechter music, good choice. They create a lot of incredible, and varied, types of ambient themed music. I really like their "Elf" series/playlists of songs. By the way, I met Jack O'The Lantern about a year ago. I didn't stand there and tried to look, but made for the bridge that spanned the crook; for once you cross that bridge, my friend, the ghost is through, his power ends.

[@MythologyUnleashed]

That's the Headless Horseman's song from the Disney cartoon!

[@skyden24195]

@@MythologyUnleashed lol, yeah, I just thought it'd be fun-stupid to put it as part of Jack's story/mythology.

[@txmetalhead82xk]

The thing is, either Ichabod couldn’t outrace the Headless Horseman, or the tale was folklore and not proven true.

[@jasonrohan7471]

Amazing what you learn when you get curious.

[@TalesFromTheHauntedLibrary]

This is a fairly late version of the legend from well into the Christian era. Irish and Scottish pagans were carving Jack O' Lanterns long before they were absorbed into Christianity.

[@jimlahey9158]

So whats the story behind them doing it?

[@TalesFromTheHauntedLibrary]

@@jimlahey9158 - The festival of Samhain ('summer's end') was a time when the old Celtic cultures believed the land of the dead was closest to our own, and some spirits, both good and wicked, might slip through in the living world. Samhain traditions were meant to welcome lost loved ones by setting a place for the deceased at the table, and also to ward off goblins and wicked ghosts by fooling them into thinking your house was already haunted - Carving impish faces into hollowed turnips and putting them in the window with a lit candle made it look like there were already evil ghosts inside, hopefully causing the spirits to seek another house to haunt. If a wicked ghost did knock at the door, you could render it harmless by offering it hospitality, because kindness robs them of power over you - But turning it away would give it power to visit evil upon evil and they would torment you all night. This belief evolved into trick-or-treat traditions.

[@jimlahey9158]

@@TalesFromTheHauntedLibrary thank you for that explanation

[@dragowolfraven3806]

Nice one.Just in time for Halloween😊

[@burningman3797]

Wow the tricksters keeping getting away

[@JimmyC1994]

I reckon the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet-to-come looked at this guy and went to their boss and said "hey, tell us more about this Ebeneezer guy?"

[@bhawankishore7236]

Amazing story, absolutely loved it 😍

[@kalligalamb]

There is a similar story in Hungarian folktales - Koplaló Mátyás (Starving Matthew) who tricked the devil's three times for a hundred gold and so was forbidden entrance to both haven and hell. So he sits eternally between them, so they say.

[@ErikPT]

Mate this means historic folklore is embedded in human’s love for scary stories

[@gensischronicles1148]

I love this story and the way you presented it, great video!

[@RedDragonNine]

Thank you for the amazing story.

[@generalstoaschicken]

The art in this video is amazing!

[@loganentertainment1814]

Let's be honest, this story is pretty cool.

[@batspidey7611]

An excellent video for All Hallows Eve.

[@stevenmullins166]

Absolutely top of the line story writing I loved it Keep up the good work

[@Jeremyhiggins-lu3gl]

Jack-o'-lantern 🎃

[@marinakaiser7639]

Great, Jack-o lantern😁Thank you

[@arcanicsonata]

It may also have been the origin of how the statement, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me" started. 🤔

[@dashalogan3093]

wow that was great.. never knew that... good video as always

[@avacornthelastponybender8583]

So wait, the thing that keeps Jack from going into your house is....the thing he always carries around with him? That's like if Dracula walked around with a clove of garlic in his pocket

[@lifewithlee6298]

I read one more version in a book where the devil actually has to ask for that piece of cold back because all of hell fire 🔥 has somehow gone out, and you can only restart hellfire with fire From he’ll.

[@jfb173jb]

It's kind of the Sisiphys story. With beating a dangerous entity of death to keep out of Hell/Tarturus. With big consequences for both con men.

[@bjgoodrich5864]

Happy early All Hollow's Eve everybody!🎃🦇🎃

[@dragowolfraven3806]

Thanks. I love Halloween😊

[@floridaboy.californiaman.649]

I've heard the tale of stingy Jack before , but didn't know there is a few different versions of it, I'll need to check it out. 🎃🍂🍁👽

[@scotthegarty5636]

Hey thanks for using my pic! It was a great video on the subject of Stingy Jack! I’m definitely gonna check out some more of your videos! Hope you have a happy Halloween!

[@MythologyUnleashed]

Your art is gorgeous! Credited in the description!

[@magicplayers123]

which one is yours? you guys are awesome providing these contents.

[@scotthegarty5636]

@@magicplayers123 It's the one at 7:34 :)

[@magicplayers123]

@@scotthegarty5636 I like it keep it up ❤️

[@nc1237]

That’s the story of the jack o latern ❤

[@BatmanBeyond21]

Happy Halloween this was so awesome have a fantastic scare today 🎃👻👻

[@jakabokbotch420]

I always hear the version where he was called sinner jack and where he was a tailor not a blacksmith

[@ameliawarfield5637]

Great Halloween story.

[@robbabcock_]

Good stuff!

[@GatorDoom]

Fascinating

[@tell-me-a-story-]

The song “Found a peanut” has a similar plot. A foolish person wakes up kind of hungry, and finding a peanut, and knowing darn well it was rotten, eats it anyway. This one rotten peanut kills our wacky protagonist, and they go to heaven, but aren’t accepted in. Then they go to hell, but hell doesn’t want them either. We don’t know what our peanut eating protagonists has done to deserve this, maybe they stole all the world’s peanut. Well, we wake up and it was all a dream. Then, we find a peanut.

[@xLonGxLegZx]

This story paints Satan as a gullible idiot which is, oddly, the most unbelievable thing about this story to me

[@matheussanthiago9685]

I'm he's satan he's been the but of the christian joke ever since there is christianity

[@radrno7]

I'd say more like an honorable worker. The Devil is a debt collector, so the more you keep trying to delay it, the worse it will be for you, because they have all the time in the world while you don't. There's no point in stalling the inevitable, specially if not even God will accept you.

[@jenniferphipps2012]

Stingy Jack, The Pumpkin King

[@dowsingelf77]

Tim Burton, please get on this one

[@marinakaiser7639]

Great story 👍‼‼

[@Pinkink-1108]

Liked this but you missed a lot of detail to this story. I guess there is a lot of different tales of this but it seems like the cliff note version. The way I herd this was different, but the part that stood out the most was the apple tree. Do you know how long it would take the car crucifix into it. Not only one but dozens. The way I heard it was he placed them down below the tree. It just seems more feasible. But no hate just opinion. I do like your retelling of the story.

[@justchill4885]

...You're telling me Satan was this gullible? lol

[@xshadowxless8906]

Watching this on Oct30 Might watch this again tomorrow

[@smiththeinspiringanimator7042]

Nice!

[@GarrettFruge]

Happy Halloween, everyone!

[@skyden24195]

And may the Happy of the Hallow be ween to you!

[@danielr7866]

This channel came out in 2019 and it is still new

[@gardnerhill9073]

There's a whole subset of European folklore about wanderers who can't enter either Heaven or Hell - usually soldiers who tricked the Devil in some way, or in this case a clever miser.

[@mattvee4827]

#MythsDecember2022 This is the first Mythology Unleashed video I’ve ever seen!

[@christopherpotter6650]

This is one amazing Irish ghost story that can be told on Halloween! Stingy Jack really tricked the Devil a few times so he wouldn’t take his soul. Stingy Jack’s name was shortened to Jack-O-Lantern. Many centuries later, the Irish and the Americans carve out turnips and pumpkins into creepy glowing faces on Halloween night. Stingy Jack’s ghost with a glowing turnip really inspired people to make glowing faces on turnips and pumpkins for the Halloween season. Stingy Jack’s debt with the Devil should’ve been settled. 🎃😈

[@neslihankurum4852]

Super

[@VictorHernandez-nj2lo]

Ever since October 2016,when someone mentions a pumpkin, I think about David Pumpkins from Saturday Night Live XD

[@kalel311superman9]

cool story i remember my first halloween i was 4 or 5 my uncle carved jack o lanterns for me and my cousins and i dressed as superman my favorite character

[@bursegsardaukar]

Jack reminds me of John Constantine.

[@christopherpotter6650]

This is some amazing Irish ghost story that inspired people to carve pumpkins into glowing faces on Halloween. So Stingy Jack met the Devil but then he tricked him so he wouldn’t take him to Hell for his sins. But then Stingy Jack died because of his heavy drinking. After he died, Jack went to Heaven, but God refused to let him in because of his unsavory ways. So Jack went to Hell but the Devil refused to let him stay and then Jack went back to the land of the living and carved a turnip into a glowing face and walk the Earth for all eternity. Everyone called Stingy Jack’s ghost, Jack of the Lantern. Some centuries later, Jack of the Lantern was shortened to Jack-O-Lantern. The Irish people used to carve turnips into creepy glowing faces on Halloween, but then they started to use pumpkins because they were easier to carve. I also know that Samhain was invented by Celtic people in ancient Ireland. Then the Christians changed it to All Hallows’ Eve and then it was changed to Halloween. Samhain was invented by Celtic pagans and All Hallows’ Eve or Halloween was invented by Christians. The Celts dressed up as ghosts and spirits in attempt not to be recognized by any wandering ghosts from the land of the dead after the harvest season. Christians created All Hallows’ Eve in Ireland for those who departed but they also dressed up as ghosts so they wouldn’t get scared by any evil spirits on that holiday. Halloween became a more popular name centuries later. Halloween would mean holy or saintly evening. I love Halloween very much and I adore such ghost stories, especially the one about Stingy Jack. 👻🎃🕸😱

[@jonaswerner8480]

I mean, seriously? Fool me once, shame on you Fool me twice, shame on me

[@tell-me-a-story-]

I think the reason satin was somewhat charitable to Jack was because he respected the Hustle.

[@megrimlock6140]

Oh my god imagine the state of his liver

[@Zippy_boys]

nice story

[@SPQR-Z]

All Hallows’ Eve goes back to the Celtic pagan festival Samhain which was further influenced and combined with the ancient Roman pagan festival of the dead called Feralia. Halloween has been around for over 2000 years in one form or another. Always celebrated on the eve of November 1st when the Veil between the worlds of the living and dead is at it’s thinnest

[@la_la5216]

Jack: *outsmarts satan* God: that's my boy but still not going to heaven!

[@Didymus20X6]

Could have been worse. He could have been beaten in a fiddle contest by some guy from Georgia.

[@jeremybennett3909]

Happy Halloween jack

[@RayKoshorek]

"The Wicked Spirit" Jack O'Lantern is a perfect choice for the CWA (Cightural Wrestling Action) Universe in the Next Generation Roster. Don't you agree with me?

[@damori3604]

Interesting

[@alon8163]

Wow

[@reddrago8274]

Surprised the Devil would keep his word. And that he was disgusted by a simple trickster's deeds when there are murderers, rapists, dictators, in Hell from throughout history.

[@PhanThon83]

😳🙏

[@noelhaynes9608]

N. H. II- Poems of Mercy 1-5, N. H. II- Peaceful Poems 1-5, N. H. II- Humble Poems 1-5, and N. H. II- Poems of Courage 1-5 are on KZbin, and here is a link to one of them: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ap3OZ2uFlrFgppI

[@marinakaiser7639]

Wish everybody wonderfu Weekend and great creepy Halloween ‼

[@adriennedy6917]

So for 10 years basically there was no Satan this guys a hero.

[@s.beccari4678]

So evil that the devil pretend to be a corpse just to meet up with him and fanboy out... Lol

[@geardantonio7826]

Ripper old Jack

[@amandamiller94]

There R more stories of stingy Jack

[@Zakoo-2347]

Stingy jack could have told god he captured satan and he had 2 chances to do it but he didn’t

[@sydneichandler-dixon8113]

Halloween Jack x man

[@kunanonyantakanok5217]

Satan is surprisingly nice in this story.

[@cannicrow2628]

Sigma male Jack

[@SilverWolfMage]

#Myth100k

[@theorca3275]

Is St. Peter real or just a fairy tale person?

[@brandonkelly9217]

St. Peter is said to be the angel who guards the gate to heaven, so he’s real to people of Abrahamic faiths

[@theorca3275]

The Christians say he's just a fairy tale, how do we know who to believe?

[@davidlyons3678]

I do 🤣

[@willlastnameguy8329]

Satan is kind of stupid.

[@6688ya]

0:34 I came because of Connor McGregor

[@monaiannucci7831]

Me?

[@user-ci9dy6xg8v]

Lp

[@roachdoggjr1940]

i hate these stories. They always start off so good, then it turns into, "and then he outsmarted the oldest thing in the universe with an obvious trick. Wouldn't you know it? And THEN!?!?! He did it AGAIN!"

[@roachdoggjr1940]

"I'm a being of unknowable cruelty! I will do you every single favor that you ask of me!"

[@karenritter2574]

Similar tales from another channel

[@tony198332]

I would rather walk the earth for eternity than spend it in hell but the devil doesnt send you to hell GODS judgment does the devil has no say on who goes to hell he can only corrupt you and cause you to sin we humans have a free will to choose JESUS CHRIST as our lord and savior the devil has no say on where we go when we die

[@dearoboy625]

This is so fake