Halloween Monsters: Jack-o-Lanterns

As a fantasy and paranormal romance author, I am fascinated by folklore, fairytales, myths, monsters, and Halloween!

For several years, I’ve been on a fact-finding mission focused on the history of traditional Halloween “monsters” including their origins and evolution in folklore, literature, and pop culture.

Today, let’s take a look at the JACK-O-LANTERN.

Okay, so this is not your traditional Halloween “monster”, but I’ve included it in my research because jack-o-lanterns are not only a Halloween tradition, but they are also associated with several of the more traditional monsters including the Headless Horseman and scarecrows. So let’s dig in…

Carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns is a Halloween tradition that I’ve always loved. Granted, scooping out the gunk is disgusting. But picking out the perfect pumpkin, coming up with the design, and carving it out is something my parents did with me and my brother, and we now do with our kids. We also roast the pumpkin seeds.

Interestingly, I discovered that no two sources completely agree on the full story of their history. My sources do agree that this tradition apparently gets its origins from the British Isles – Ireland most likely. They didn’t have pumpkins, so they carved turnips or beets into little hand-held lanterns.

Where my sources disagree concerns the carving faces into them, particularly at Halloween.

Some sources attribute this to the legend of Stingy Jack who has some interactions with the devil. When he dies, heaven doesn’t want him, and hell can’t take him, so he wanders the earth as a spirit with only a burning coal to light his way. So people started carving these lanterns with faces and putting them in their windows to ward off evil spirits. These sources don’t explain how this started happening at Halloween. However, as a time traditionally considered to be when evil spirits lingered, I’d say the correlation is obvious.

Some sources say these were used by boys to play pranks on travelers. Others say that they were carried by children on Nov 1 and 2 (All Saints and All Souls Days) when they went door to door begging for soul cakes. To light their way or to ward off evil souls is not mentioned. Maybe both?

Sources start to agree again when they say that this tradition was brought to America by the Irish where they discovered pumpkins (indigenous to North America) and started using those instead. However, recorded history associates carving pumpkins with fall in general, not necessarily Halloween, in the early 1800s. But as time goes on, they became more and more linked to the Halloween traditions.

These days, while pumpkins are linked with fall, the carving of them into jack-o-lanterns is entirely linked with Halloween. And the carvings are getting more and more elaborate. Not in my household, though. Ha! But there are pumpkin carving contests with incredible works of art displayed. Whether they’re warding off evil spirits, lighting the way, or are just for looks, jack-o-lanterns are fun. I hope this is one tradition that sticks around!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Looking for some jack-o-lantern-related paranormal romance and fantasy books to consume? Check out my posts on the Headless Horseman and on scarecrows!

Interested in the history and evolution of other traditional Halloween “monsters” in folklore, literature, and pop culture? Check out my other posts…

TRADITIONAL HALLOWEEN “MONSTERS”

RESOURCES

Please note that I am NOT a historian, literature professor, or expert on these subjects.
I am just having fun spending a few hours researching them to share what I find with you.

3 thoughts on “Halloween Monsters: Jack-o-Lanterns”

Add yours

    1. Ummm… my pumpkin carving looks very sad next to yours. Awesome Iron Man!

      Reply

Leave a Comment

Up ↑