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My favorite part of Halloween is the folklore, we understand the holiday as a day to “Trick Or Treat!” But that isn’t necessarily what it means to me.

I’ve always been interested in certain folklore, more so explaining things like

The Headless Horseman, the Horse with a rider who has a Jack O Lantern for a head, next to its riders cold headless body

or even what is a jack o lantern.

The item I have chosen for this challenge is the Jack O Lantern, and I thought I would explain its folklore, as well as the original headless horseman folklore, fasten your seatbelts and enjoy this blog!

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Why is it named the Jack O Lantern?

Jack O Lanterns originated in Irish Myths traced back from the 17th-19th century before it was what we know as a bright orange pumpkin, the Irish used Turnips, and various other gourds.

The name for the lantern that was otherwise grotesque, originated from “Stingy Jack”

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The Story Of Stingy Jack

Told by Mister Kai

a fellow named Jack invited the devil to have a drink with him, but due to his frugalness and stinginess he refused to pay

he begged the devil to turn into a coin so they both can share a laugh and have a good time, but Jack never used the coin for the drink, and the devil could not turn back.

When the devil was cleared from the trap that Jack set on him it was under pretenses that the devil wouldn’t come back for him for another year, and when he did he would take his life.

364 days go by, and once the devil comes to claim jacks life, jack has a brighter and more stingy idea; to get ten more years of life

he manipulated the devil to climb a fruit tree and take a bite, and once he did take a bit of the fruit jack carved vigorously into the tree's bark, a catholic cross, and the devil was trapped on top of the tree.

The devil guaranteed jack ten more years of freedom, but he grew angry.

however, Jack ed soon after, and god did not let him into heavens gate, and the devil did not want to deal with him either, and so since he said he would not claim jacks soul for another ten years, he gave him a piece of coal and bark from the tree he carved into a turnip and he was sent to roam with the turnip ever since.

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This myth lead many Irish people to carve faces into any type of food, turnips, potatoes, and small gourds and during the potato famine eventually used the fruit pumpkin that was native to America for this tradition to make America more like their home.

Stingy Jack folklore

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Theories and Connections

There is a creature in the Irish folklore, that is to claim souls for the devil, they call those men and women dulahans

Dullahan means “Without ahead” and this is where a small theory of mine comes into play

Dullahans travel to claim souls, and since they use pumpkins for heads/lanterns in children stories about the headless horseman, my theory is that

one met jack and saw how he used a pumpkin as a lantern, and since they couldn’t claim his soul they exchanged a lantern for freedom.

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Another small theory of mine is that since jacks soul couldn’t be claimed, he is why in time burton’s nightmare before Christmas there is a jack skeleton who runs Halloween, Halloween being Ol Hallows Eve which was started by Roman Catholics, and in Ireland the Stingy Jack lore, I believe he is Stingy Jack.

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What made me pick this topic?

My love for European Folklore, and Tim Burton Movies honestly, also a manga novel I’ve read as a child named “DRRR” has dull hands and I’ve slowly connected the similar stories together

If you could rename the Jack O Lantern what would it be?

I believe the name is almost perfect, if I could choose a name however maybe something similar to “Botún Jacks” meaning Jacks Mistake in Irish.

What stood out about the Jack O Lantern?

It is tied to almost all Halloween Irish folklore, and I believe that is very interesting.

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