The Amazing Christmas Symbolism of Little Jack Horner

Interpreting the nursery rhyme of Little Jack Horner and showing how it contains deep symbolic structures relating to Christmas and the winter solstice.
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Song at the beginning is from Akira the Don's Meaning Wave Christmas album. • Jonathan Pageau - OBVI...

[@jarlnicholl1478]

"Jack Horner" sounds like a name of some Tom Clancy character.

[@julieg2060]

Corner = inglenook, the dark hidden space next to the fireplace. Christmas pie = a recipe brought to England by Crusaders returning from Holy Land. It has/had 12 ingredients including lamb, fruits, spices, honey, wrapped up in dough. All ingredients symbolize Nativity Scene. Modern versions are the mincemeat pie and the New Orleans King Cake, but the more traditional is easier and tastier.

[@kingwolf3381]

Know where to find a recipe?

[@pledgestone]

When my daughter asked if Santa existed, I told her yes, and I explained to her that he is the spirit of Christmas that inspires people and that they buy presents because of this inspiration. I had never heard this before, but it sounded logical to me, and she was happy with this. Years later, I saw your video, and you say the same. Your story of your niece and the Tooth Fairy was similar to my experience with Santa. I never learned this, but intuited the truth of it. Interesting stuff!

[@papuciowy1465]

Lying is a sin.

[@joshuasartor4943]

Ironic that this obscure fairy tale became a major character in the Puss in Boots movie

[@shotinthedark90]

Jonathan, I recently watched "The Polar Express" immediately after watching your videos on the Christmas tree and the existence of Santa. It absolutely blew my mind and I wondered if you would dedicate a video to unpacking the movie, because I want to know if you see in it everything that I saw.

[@looqo7632]

OMG! That outro!

[@adamshellard6935]

LMAO that killed me

[@Kolajer]

Killed me dead 😂

[@martinw4261]

Yeah, I had to go watch the whole W A V E mix again. A K I R A T H E D O N kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWauYa2kj718pZY

[@lisaonthemargins]

@@Kolajer Always better to be killed dead

[@ChristHoon]

"Look, a magic puppet!" 🎵Cause I’m a real boy! No strings attached🎵

[@pirigal6689]

I love your intro

[@maxsiehier]

I'd absolutely like some videos on word symbolism! Or sources to learn about it myself...

[@TheExtract]

A modern Christmas parallel that immediately comes to mind for me (albeit much more superficially straightforward) is in Home Alone 2 when the two burglars Harry and Marv rob the toy store. They wait under cover in a hidden place until it is dark, not knowing just how much they might profit or what they will find and end up profiting greatly and sinfully when they crack open the safe and cash register. The "what a good boy am I" phrase is echoed in their wishes to themselves "Merry Christmas Harry" & Happy Hanukkah Marv". Probably a less naive example than that of the boy who you could argue doesn't quite understand his own hypocrisy...

[@jefferymuter4659]

Of relation: HellBoy, when he grows his horns out, he also creates a flaming crown.

[@genebrady]

Also seems like the inversion of christmas present symbolism in the way his corner is alone apart from others whereas the angel watching at the top of the tree represents total unity. (I'm glad I watched those videos first, not sure I would have followed this without it!)

[@thefreerangehuman4804]

Wow this was good!

[@superastral1]

Good analysis. Going to watch Gremlins netx!

[@Joshualbatross]

There's a lot of Jacks in Silicon Valley. They've been quite mischievous lately, maybe there's some hope they can turn things around.

[@wyattoterry4576]

All said too definitively

[@omglolzbbqsauce]

Thumb as the odd finger out ? Crowns as having multiple hierarchical points - master of hierarchies "good boy" as a congratulations for a dog ?

[@ItsaUFOduh]

Very insightful. Could you do another video about the name "Jack" and "Jacob" as they're used in symbolism?

[@oekmama]

I thought that Horner points to Jack (a kind of everyman) was naughty (bad behavior being equated with being devilish), and was excluded from the round, being pushed to the periphery, the corner. His being naughty and his exclusion is contrasted with his relabeling himself as „good“… because how horrible is it to be labelled and put aside? He has claimed his power to label himself, and validated his competence in bringing the plum from the depths of the pie. Thank you so much for your analysis.

[@kevinhertzler7662]

I’m just discovering your videos and it’s like food and I’m just eating it up! Thank you! A couple of thoughts while watching this: 1. When you mentioned the horn representing a crown it made me think of the ram caught in the thicket as the offering in lieu of Abrahams son, Isaac (which points to Jesus as the lamb with the crown of thorns to be sacrificed). And with respect to the Christmas pie, it reminds me a little of King cake I would eat while in New Orleans during the holidays. Not only was it a delicious breaded “cake” with filling but there was also a baby Jesus inside, hence the name, and if you got the piece with the King, then it was a sign of good luck. One final thought, I’m seeing symbols more and more everywhere. It’s kind of scary because it’s all hidden in plain sight. What is that?

[@suppression2142]

How's you experience been after two years? I'm currently experiencing the same thing.

[@johannakunze3300]

I feel like you're often to vague in the deeply important point (here around minute14/15). Can you please try to explain more thoroughly why his behavior is bad? The same idea lies behind the sinfulness of practising magick, right?

[@HanifCarroll]

If I'm understanding correctly, it's because it's an inversion of the "Santa Clause" situation. With Santa, you're good for the entire year, he deems you as such, and you are rewarded BY HIM for your good behavior. Your gift is a result of your goodness. But Little Jack Horner flips it. He's not judged as good, and thus deserving as reward. He comes across reward and deems himself as good BECAUSE of it. With Santa, you're rewarded because you were good. Little Jack Horner was good because he was rewarded. And I think that has further implications about "being good for goodness' sake", but I'd have to think about that further. This is all just a guess. I'm still pretty new to the symbolism game, but I find it fascinating, so I thought I'd try to answer your question.

[@johannakunze3300]

Thanks! That helped a lot to further think about this. The other aspect of his behavior besides the judging is the taking. And this, though much more appealing than merely suffering from a lack, in a movie would be recognized as villainous behavior immediately. It's alternative would a) be giving your best and hoping for the best results and b) result from the motivation to save someone or bring the gold from the dragon back to the whole village. Simply taking, by contrast, seems basically like stealing. And that is no good long-term strategy in a social reciprocal species. Also, and as much as I've stolen fire from heaven, having yourself as the highest ideal means, psychologically speaking, you're a narcissistist (or better, a psychopath as Doc Hyatt pointed out). I guess I have some idea now what is meant by moral behavior (beside empty rules).

[@jkovert]

@@johannakunze3300 And why was he in the corner? Perhaps he was bad, and sent there as punishment. But with judgment there is always some mercy - his parents at least let him have his pie. But he was still defiant - he said "Bad, my ASS... got my plumb, bitches."

[@SmoothHourglass]

What is the origin of the meaning of symbols such that you can claim the meanings you find in this poem are in fact actually present beyond your putting them there after the fact? Where do these meanings come from so that they may be accessed by others independently of your own finding them? What makes this analysis objective?

[@jarlnicholl1478]

He'll never answer to your comment.

[@SmoothHourglass]

@@jarlnicholl1478 Him being willing to engage my questioning will be an indication of him being philosophically rigorous or being a sophist.

[@nolanknows1401]

Raining Outside you pompous fool. You should be ignored simply for this comment alone. A man can never be too busy to not engage with a doofus such as yourself? You're the measure with whether one is serious or sophistical? You're lucky we are not near each other... for I would beat you to tears for that, child.

[@SmoothHourglass]

@@nolanknows1401 if one claims to have a truth and to be communicating that truth, which i suspect Pageau is doing here (if not what sort of project is this and what is its purpose?) Then he should be able to communicate what is true and how it comes to be true. If he cannot justify or sufficiently qualify his claims but is claiming that they are true then he is a sophist. One who claims knowledge but does not in fact possess it. If he cannot demonstrate how he knows or provide reasoning then he is a sophist or is in possession of incommunicable esoteric knowledge and we all have to take him at his word.

[@mostlydead3261]

You are to begin by stating your precise issues and disagreements with what has been said in this video, if you have any and if you are capable of formulating them.

[@sunnyedgren4516]

Do you have a book recommendation where I could learn more about the symbolism of Mother Goose?

[@stephenpaccone8120]

Obviously Santa Claus exists

[@pledgestone]

My take on Jack Horner was that he was being punished by being placed in a corner. He was judged as bad, and isolated from society. He then "pulled out a plum" and judged himself as "good". Thanks for adding to my understanding.

[@nolanknows1401]

Jonathan, have you ever seen Sunshine by Danny Boyle?

[@deitrichhenderson2078]

Why are there ads for latter day Saints on his videos

[@omglolzbbqsauce]

k do hickory dickory dock next

[@stephenpaccone8120]

Lol I heard that in dice voice

[@omglolzbbqsauce]

​@@stephenpaccone8120he came to mind when i wrote it

[@julijanacvejic517]

If I am anticipating correctly what are you going to point out next, does it mean that I am finally starting to figure out this "simbolism thing"😃 that you are so patiently teaching us all this time?😊

[@Hitlerbaddaringood]

Could you explain the meaning of the meaning to the meaning for the meaning about the meaning describing the meaning surrounding the meaning under pinning fart jokes? Thank you.

[@JonathanPageau]

If you knew the symbolism of fart jokes, you would understand quite a bit about what is happening in the western world right now.

[@Hitlerbaddaringood]

@@JonathanPageau hard to describe the feeling of having modern Dionysius commentary on my fart joke joke. I'm a huge fan sir. P. S. If you get a chance you neeeeed to check out Randall Carlson's Massonic/Holy Grail symbolism series. I would love to hear you talk about that stuff.

[@Hitlerbaddaringood]

kzbin.info/aero/PLTRcDAFHjDShu1MLc-xRBOCA_e5QbDv8X

[@SpiritualFox]

That was a great and accurate description of that compact tale. You say it's negative and greedy? I didn't get that as a first impression. The 'what a gud boy am i' part i found deeply disturbing. Unless rewarded or punished, he doesn't know right from wrong. He literally only found out he was a good boy by discovering a plum that may very well have not been there. I suppose that's fine for a child who's outsourced his morality. However... Sargon's got a thumbnail from the last day or two declaring himself a Gud Boy. He _did nothing wrong._ Starting to think his schtick is pushing boundries in the hopes _His Father_ will appear, at which point he declares he (technically) 'did nothing wrong.' Long story as to why that is. -Fox

[@lGalaxisl]

When children have done something wrong, parents or caretakers sometimes makes them stand in a corner, facing it, for some time. Does this have something to do with it?

[@JonathanPageau]

Maybe, but in the sense that sending the child to the corner is akin to being exiled, or being put at the end of the line, it is a little "hades".

[@tytyvyllus8298]

Moses having horns is also symbolic of his very face being an altar to YHWH ; altars had horns.

[@benjaminslayton4335]

Obviously, Santa Claus Exists.

[@SimpleKeep]

Little(6) Jack Horner(6) sat in a corner(6). Just a coincidence.

[@nunyqwe6372]

In 3:27 you got 666 hand gesture, just saying.

[@Skalesthegoat]

Little Jack is dead, I'M BIG JACK HORNER!

[@MrTimberwolfsden]

Ha! Obviously you watched Akira’s video

[@Epikification]

Odd choice