[soc.culture.celtic] A Halloween Story

jlc@atux01.UUCP (J. Collymore) (10/14/86)

As per my tradition (and marking my return to the net after a 20-month
abscence), I am posting this halloween folk-tale for the enjoyment of you, your
friends, relatives and neighbors.

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		    HOW	THE JACK O' LANTERN GOT	ITS NAME
			    (AN	IRISH FOLK TALE)




	There was once a very old, miserly man named Jack.   He	 was
	even  more  miserly and	selfish	than Scrooge.  No one in the
	town liked him at all, which just made him more	 bitter	 and
	miserly.

	Well, one day, Jack took a walk	out to a  nearby  woods	 and
	proceeded  to take a nap under a tree.	Suddenly, Jack awoke
	to find	the devil sitting next to him smiling  evilly.	 The
	devil had long been following Jack's selfish and greedy	ways
	and wanted to make a bargain  for  Jack's  soul.   Well,  of
	course	Jack  was  terrified of	this prospect, but you don't
	get rich by not	using your head, so Jack  quickly  formed  a
	plan.

	Jack told the devil that he couldn't make deals	on an  empty
	stomach,  so  would  the devil please climb the	tree and get
	him a piece of fruit.  The  Devil  agreed  and	climbed	 the
	tree.  Once up in the tree, Jack took out a knife and carved
	a cross	into the bark of the tree.  Now	as  everyone  knows,
	the  devil  can't  pass	 over  the sign	of the cross, so the
	devil was stuck	up in the tree indefinitely.  The devil	 was
	(needless to say) furious with Jack and	threatened Jack	ter-
	ribly.	Jack said that HE would	offer the devil	a deal:	  If
	the  Devil  promised never, in anyway to try and take Jack's
	soul, he would scratch out the cross so	the devil could	 get
	down.  The Devil didn't	like this at all, but neither did he
	like the prospect of being up a	tree forever, so  the  devil
	grudgingly   agreed   to  Jack's  terms.   So  saying,	Jack
	scratched away the cross and let the devil down.  The  devil
	then vanished.

	Well, Jack died	eventually, and	his spirit went	 to  heaven,
	but upon reaching the Gates to Heaven, his way was barred by
	Saint Peter.  Saint Peter said that a man who had led such a
	narrow and uncharitable	life could not be permitted entrance
	to Heaven.  Jack was shocked, and he begged and	pleaded	with
	Saint Peter to let him in, but still he	was denied.

	Accepting his fate, Jack turned	and proceeded  to  the	only
	other place that his soul could	go, so he proceeded to Hell.
	Well, when he got to the Gates of Hell,	the devil was there.
	When  Jack  asked  admittance,	the Devil mockingly told him
	that under different circumstances Jack	could have  entered,
	but  he	 reminded  Jack	 of the	deal they had made.  So	say-
	ingly, Jack could not stay in Hell,  either.   Jack  had  no
	place  to go, and realized with	horror that he must walk the
	Earth (in purgatory) forever!

	Well, since damned souls cannot	be abroad during  the  light
	of  day,  they must walk the Earth at night.  So Jack's	soul
	wandered the Earth looking for a place to rest.	  Especially
	on  Halloween,	which  you  know  is slang for "All Hallow's
	Eve," the night	all souls of the dead roam the earth.

	Jack wanted to light his way on	his endless  search,  so  he
	dug  up	a large	turnip,	cut out	holes in it, and he placed a
	lighted	candle inside of it, making it into a  lantern.	  He
	then  went forth, into the night mists searching for a place
	that his soul may rest.

	And that is why	we call	it to this day,	a  Jack	 O'  Lantern
	(meaning:   the	 Lantern  of  Jack), and why we	see it every
	Halloween.

	It is also said	that lighting the Jack O' Lantern, and plac-
	ing  it	in your	window,	helps light the	way for	all the	lost
	and wandering souls on this particular night.



	(I hope	you all	enjoyed	this story.)



					Happy Halloween,

					  Jim Collymore