The Legend of Stingy Jack and the Halloween Turnip

It’s almost Halloween! If you find yourself walking down a lonely, dark, and misty road on Halloween in Ireland, and you see a ghostly light and dim figure approaching, the best thing to do is turn around and hurry down the other side. You’ve come face to face with Stingy Jack and his Halloween turnip.

Stingy Jack was a terrible person. A blacksmith by trade, he spent most of his time cheating, lying, and stealing from local peasants and any unsuspecting visitor unfortunate enough to come into contact with him. When he wasn’t being a terrible person, he was at the local tavern becoming a hateful drunk.

His reputation spread. He became famous for his ability to discourage people from his life savings. His “silver tongue” became legendary.

Even the Devil started hearing about Stingy Jack and he didn’t like what he heard. He was the “Silver Tongue Devil”, wasn’t he? No one else was going to take HIS place! So he decided it was time to pay Stingy Jack a visit. Stingy Jack had run out of time.

One dark and unpleasant night, Stingy Jack was walking down the dark lane after spending several hours in his favorite tavern. He saw someone lying in the road and the figure was smiling unpleasantly at him. As he got a little closer, he realized it was nothing more than Satan and Stingy Jack knew his time was up; it was time to pay what was due to him.

Stingy Jack approached old Lucifer and said, “I know who you are and I’m ready to go with you. But, before we descend into the bowels of Hades, couldn’t you and I go back to the tavern and have a couple of rounds of beer to refresh us before our trip?”

The Devil thought about it for a moment, and seeing no reason not to go to the Tavern, he said to Stingy Jack, “Okay.”

They returned to the Tavern and spent a couple of hours drinking beer, and when it was almost morning, Stingy Jack turned to leave.

“Wait a minute,” said the devil, “you invited me here, you have to pay the bartender.”

“But, I don’t have any money,” Stingy Jack said, “You can pay him.”

But the Devil refused.

Stingy Jack thought about it for a second, and then came up with a solution.

“I know what we can do,” he told Lucifer. “You can turn into a silver coin and I can pay the bartender. When I go to the back room to get another keg of ale, you can turn back into yourself and we can sneak out the door.”

The Devil thought about it and was impressed with Stingy Jack’s plan. It was an idea worthy of him. So, he turned into a silver coin.

But instead of giving the silver coin to the innkeeper, Stingy Jack stuffed it into his filthy pocket, under a crucifix he kept there.

The devil was alive with anger. He couldn’t believe that Stingy Jack had tricked him!

Jack paid the bartender with his own money and left the tavern. The Devil kept begging him to release him and finally Stingy Jack made him a deal. “If you promise to leave me alone for ten years, I will set you free,” he told the Devil.

What could the Devil do? She promised and Jack released him.

The ten years passed quickly and Stingy Jack got worse than before. Everyone was afraid of him and his cheating ways and avoided him whenever possible.

Then, one cold, dark evening, Stingy Jack saw the same familiar figure lying in the road smiling at him again.

Oh no, he thought. “Already!”

He approached the Devil, who was now standing under a magnificent apple tree. “Okay,” she said. “You’ve got me this time. I’m ready. But before we go, could you do me a favor? For many days I’ve wanted one of those juicy apples from this tree, but they’re all up there. I’m old and I can’t get up there to get one. Would you do an old man a favor and climb the tree and bring me one last apple to eat during our trip to Hades?

The devil decided it wasn’t an unreasonable request, so he climbed up the tree and threw the best apple at Stingy Jack. Then, to his dismay, when he tried to climb down the tree, he discovered that Jack had carved crosses around the trunk of the tree and he was trapped! Frustrated again!

He begged and pleaded for Jack to let him down while Jack casually munched on his apple.

“Okay,” Jack said. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll disappoint you if you promise to leave me alone for another ten years and you must PROMISE never to take my soul to Hades.”

“It’s a deal,” the Devil sighed. What choice did he have?

So Stingy Jack once again released the Devil and laughed as he vanished into thin air.

Well, seven years passed and Stingy Jack reached the end of his life. He wasn’t too worried because he knew the devil couldn’t claim his soul and he could go to heaven. He died with a smile on his face.

When Stingy Jack strutted into Pearly Gates, St. Peter had a surprise for him. “There’s no way you’re getting into heaven, Stingy Jack. We don’t let criminals and bad people like you into heaven. Go back the way you came!”

Dismayed, Jack returned to earth and reflected on his situation. Finally, he went to the Gates of Hades. “You win, devil,” he said. “Let me enter Hades.”

The devil laughed. “I can’t let you into Hades, Jack,” he said. “I made you a solemn promise that I would not take your soul to Hades and I cannot go back on my word. You are doomed to wander forever in the darkness between Heaven and Hell. ETERNALLY!”

As Jack dejectedly turned to leave, the Devil said, “Here. Here’s an ember from Hades to help you light your way,” and threw an ember at Jack.

The only thing Jack had in his pocket was a turnip he had stolen (he loved turnips) and his pocketknife. He cut off the top of the turnip and scooped out the insides, carving holes in the sides so that when he put the coal inside, he would have a sort of lantern.

The devil made sure that news of Jack’s situation spread throughout the field. Local residents would sometimes see Jack’s lantern glowing dimly in the distance and avoid him. He became known as Jack of the Lantern, soon shortened to JACK O’LANTERN.

His wickedness did not stop, especially on All Hallows’ Eve, when it was easier for evil spirits to harass the living. So, the local peasants began to carve turnips and turnips and place candles inside them to scare Jack if he came near his house.

When the Irish came to America, they brought many of their traditions with them, including this one. However, it wasn’t long before they discovered that it was easier to carve a PUMPKIN to put in their windows and on their porches on Halloween than a TURNIP.

But you still have to be careful on Halloween: creepy things are everywhere!