Rowan & Pine: A Feminist Folklore & Mythology Podcast - October 14, 2023


Pine Cones： Jack O'Lantern ｜ Rowan & Pine Spooky Shorts

Pine Cones： The Witches' Code ｜ Rowan & Pine Spooky Shorts Episode Twenty-Three： Haunted Dolls - it's the WAAARREENNS

Episode Stats


Length

12 minutes

Words per minute

137.29

Word count

1,663

Sentence count

47

Harmful content

Toxicity

5

sentences flagged

Hate speech

2

sentences flagged


Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 Welcome, welcome, to the spookiest season of all, and a very special episode of Rowan
00:00:20.260 and Pine. We wanted to do something new for Spooktober this year, and that means you,
00:00:25.740 our lovely listener, get some extra content. We'll have a few shorter episodes being released
00:00:30.920 on Saturdays throughout the month. So for episode two of Pinecones, we wanted to explore
00:00:37.420 some captivating stories from the olden days gone by. I'm your host Niamh and today we're
00:00:43.660 going to delve into the creepy fable of Stingy Jack. It's a tale that has its roots in 19th
00:00:48.900 century Dublin and is apparently the origin of that iconic Halloween image, the jack-o'-lantern.
00:00:55.140 That name initially referred to the natural phenomenon of Ignis Fatus, the flickering marsh lights, also known as will-o'-the-wisp, that appear over bogs and can often lead travellers astray.
00:01:07.000 These days, when Halloween is in the air, people across the Western world carve frightening faces into pumpkins, lighting them from within to ward off evil spirits.
00:01:16.400 Maybe even to protect against the clever and cunning Stingy Jack.
00:01:19.780 So you can pause right here, make yourself an autumnal drink, get under that cosy blanket and light your favourite scented candle, because it's time for a tale.
00:01:39.640 Our story was first documented in the 1836 Dublin Penny Journal.
00:01:45.600 Imagine flickering gas lamps, cobblestone streets,
00:01:50.360 an air of gloom and British occupation lurking over the city.
00:01:55.540 Just like nowadays, people loved stories.
00:01:59.400 The story was old, apparently, even then,
00:02:02.520 and it has since become an enduring legend associated with Halloween.
00:02:08.880 Long ago, in a small village, lived a drunkard named Stingy Jack.
00:02:13.820 he wasn't held in very high regard by the townsfolk stingy jack whose real name has been
00:02:20.360 lost to the sands of time is sometimes recounted as a farmer sometimes a blacksmith but always a
00:02:28.160 man known far and wide for his cunning and miserly ways he was the type of fellow who would complain
00:02:34.400 over the price of a pint uh start a fight so he would never have to buy around and he always sought
00:02:40.060 to get the better end of any deal, tricking people out of their money and goods whenever
00:02:44.220 he could. Such was his trickery that the greatest trickster of them all, the devil himself,
00:02:51.180 got to hear about Jack, and he decided to pay him a visit.
00:02:56.900 One fateful evening, after the sun had dipped below the horizon and the moonlight took its
00:03:02.020 place, Jack found himself, as usual, drunkenly wandering between pubs in search of another
00:03:08.340 drink. He didn't quite make it to the next one when he happened upon a body face down on the road.
00:03:14.860 Jack's conscience, broken as it was, couldn't quite let him pass a stranger in need. So he
00:03:21.240 turned the poor soul over only to find an eerie grimace on his face. Jack's heart almost stopped
00:03:29.000 because he knew, he knew right away that he was looking upon the devil himself.
00:03:34.040 he realised that this must mean the time had come
00:03:38.000 his end was near
00:03:39.300 Satan had finally come to collect his malevolent soul 0.95
00:03:42.560 and bring it straight to hell 0.98
00:03:44.120 he panicked 0.94
00:03:47.860 thinking on his feet as the stranger rose
00:03:50.480 he begged and pleaded with the devil
00:03:53.420 to allow him one final drink
00:03:55.000 before surrendering to his eternal damnation
00:03:57.760 and he invited the devil along 0.95
00:04:00.600 jack drank with the devil he complimented him flattered him you're a shapeshifter he said
00:04:09.720 you can transform into anything can't you easily said the devil and he transformed into a cat
00:04:19.440 and then again into a dog this gave our jack an idea but can you transform yourself into metal
00:04:28.320 A coin, perhaps, said Jack, for I have no money to pay this tab.
00:04:34.100 No sooner had he said it than a shiny silver coin appeared on the table.
00:04:39.040 Jack took the coin, turning it over in his hands, odd that it had actually worked.
00:04:44.120 But he stopped just before he paid for his drink.
00:04:47.500 He slipped the coin into his pocket, where a crucifix was kept, and he held the medals close together.
00:04:54.120 The devil howled in rage, the coin burning, and sensed that Jack had tricked him.
00:04:59.720 He demanded to be released. Jack, however, was ready for a bargain.
00:05:05.220 How about we make a deal, he said to the devil, knowing the cross had him trapped.
00:05:10.380 I'll release you from this coin, and in return, you'll promise to grant me ten years to change my ways.
00:05:17.560 The devil, enraged, but unable to resist Jack's proposition, agreed.
00:05:23.240 triumphant jack went back to his life but the ordeal made no real difference
00:05:31.200 he continued his selfish ways living a life of indulgence and vice and greed
00:05:36.440 seasons passed and it was halloween when jack once again found himself on his way to that same pub
00:05:44.340 he stopped in his tracks when he happened upon another old man slumped on the side of the road
00:05:49.180 bracing for the worst he looked at the elder's face but it was normal jack sighed in relief
00:05:56.480 and helped the man to his feet offering him assistance however all the old man needed was
00:06:02.820 a drink of water so jack led him to the nearest stream his thirst quenched a transformation once
00:06:09.460 again happened this time the old man was actually revealed to be an angel in disguise and he was so
00:06:19.160 grateful at Jack's kindness that he granted him three wishes.
00:06:26.520 Ever the trickster. For his first wish, Jack wished that anyone who sat in his chair
00:06:31.700 from that moment on would be stuck to the spot. For his second wish, he wished that anyone who
00:06:38.720 cut a branch from his own sycamore tree from then on would be stuck to the spot. For his third wish,
00:06:45.640 he wished that anyone who used any of his tools
00:06:48.080 from that moment on would be
00:06:49.920 can you guess?
00:06:52.040 that's right, stuck to the spot
00:06:54.060 upon hearing these three wishes
00:06:57.840 the angel quickly realised
00:07:00.160 that Jack actually wasn't
00:07:02.080 such a kind stranger as he'd initially thought
00:07:04.380 so
00:07:05.720 he decided quietly then and there
00:07:08.240 that while he would grant
00:07:10.100 the wishes, Jack would not be allowed
00:07:12.280 into heaven when his time came
00:07:14.140 before long the devil's decade came to a close jack once again encountered him on a country road
00:07:24.900 recognizing him immediately panicked and desperate jack pleaded for one last favor
00:07:32.160 to eat an apple from a nearby tree before going to hell the devil perhaps feeling a modicum of
00:07:40.100 sympathy, maybe just open to another bargain, consented. The devil climbed the tree, but as he
00:07:48.040 reached for the apple, Jack carved a cross into the bark, effectively trapping the devil once more.
00:07:55.220 In yet another bargain, Jack proposed that the devil couldn't come down until he swore he would
00:08:01.260 never ever claim jack's soul once again desperate and once again matched in trickery the devil
00:08:12.580 agreed now you'd think that being given another chance would teach jack to become better but
00:08:19.400 the years passed jack grew old and weary and he never did change his ways he was still a trickster
00:08:27.440 he still argued and fought and drank to oblivion
00:08:32.000 he never learned to pay for a drink
00:08:34.320 he never made friends
00:08:36.060 he never made amends to those that he hurt
00:08:38.040 but eventually he died
00:08:40.000 his soul wandered up to heaven
00:08:43.740 but he wasn't welcome there
00:08:45.520 because the angel, the one that he helped
00:08:48.740 the angel remembered him
00:08:50.900 and so he was sent down to hell instead
00:08:53.960 but the devil had made a promise
00:08:56.720 he wouldn't allow jack into hell but knowing that jack now had nowhere to go the devil gave him a
00:09:03.540 lump of burning coal in the bowels of the inferno itself so that jack would have a light to guide
00:09:09.560 him through the darkness of wandering the earth for eternity so how do we get to the lantern
00:09:15.480 well jack couldn't exactly carry the burning ember of hell around in his bare hands
00:09:22.300 so he actually hollowed out a turnip
00:09:25.680 placing the coal inside
00:09:27.520 to use the turnip as a lantern
00:09:29.080 he became known to those
00:09:31.780 who saw him wander the earth
00:09:33.000 when the veil between existence is thin
00:09:35.080 as jack of the lantern
00:09:36.980 which became jack-o'-lantern
00:09:39.060 those who emigrated
00:09:42.940 from Ireland to America
00:09:45.280 brought that tradition with them
00:09:47.540 honouring Jack
00:09:48.620 or possibly warding him off
00:09:50.560 and the turnip became a pumpkin
00:09:53.140 and the halloween symbol was born
00:09:56.340 to this day jack uses his lantern to light his way as he wanders
00:10:01.240 trapped between two worlds until the end of days
00:10:04.720 and there you have it the eerie tale of stingy jack
00:10:13.420 and the origin of the lights you see lining porches and windowsills every october
00:10:17.720 hopefully next time you see one you'll remember the story and more importantly the karmic lesson
00:10:23.860 that even the cunning and selfish among us might just find themselves outwitted by fate in the end
00:10:29.940 thanks for joining me on this journey into folklore if you enjoyed the episode please
00:10:36.040 let us know subscribe rate and or leave a review and don't forget to share this podcast on your
00:10:41.880 socials tag us in anything and fuck yeah folklore until next time
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