Jack Frost came to the mountains early this year. We had scattered frost in some areas of Bradford County by the beginning of October. Usually, we will not have a frosty visit from Jack Frost until late October.

Have you ever wondered why the name Jack is used in many of our sayings, such as Jack Frost, jack o’ lantern and jack of all trades.

“Jacky Frost, Jacky Frost,

Came in the night.

left the meadows that

he crossed,

All gleaming white.”

According to a popular Scandinavian legend, Jack was an elf that the Norse Vikings named Jokul Frosti, meaning Icicle Frost. Jack, who was believed to possess artistic abilities, was said to sneak into towns late at night and make elegant frost designs on windows and over the winter on leaves and grass. Although the legend of Jack Frost has not been associated with Christianity, he often appears in modern day secular Christmas entertainment programs.

“Painted with his silver brush

Every windowpane.

Kissed the leaves and made them blush,

Blush and blush again.”

Jack Frost also appears frequently in literature, films, television, songs and video games, portraying a sinister mischief maker. Jack has also made several appearances in modern day comic books as one of the Christmas protagonists. Although unrelated to Christmas, people have now wholeheartedly accepted Jack as a Yuletide figure.

“Jacky Frost, Jacky Frost,

Crept around the house,

Sly as a silver fox,

Still as a mouse.”

In Norse mythology, Jack Frost was an elf that embodied crisp, cold, wintry weather. Jack (the son of the winds) was a popular figure in Anglo-Saxon and Norse winter customs. In Viking lore, Jack was referred to as either Jokul Frosti or Icicle Frost.

On cold mornings, he was believed to be responsible for the frosty, fernlike crystal patterns on windows. Jack was often portrayed as an invisible spirit that could not be touched or heard. Though Jack was basically friendly and jolly, if provoked he could kill his victims by covering them with snow.

“Out our little Jenny came,

Blushing like a rose.

Up jumped Jacky Frost,

And pinched her little nose.”

–Author unknown

The term jack o’ lattern was first applied to a night watchman and later used in reference to mysterious lights sometimes seen at night over bogs, swamps and marshes. Today, this light is known as will o’ the wisp and the medieval Latin words, ignis fatuus, meaning foolish fire.

These ghostly lights seen by travelers at night resemble a flickering lamp that is said to recede if approached, drawing travelers from the safe paths. One explanation for these mysterious fires is the gases from decomposing plant matter igniting when they oxidize.

However, these mysterious lights were also associated with a guy named Jack.

Today we carve pumpkins to create jack o’ lanterns; however, turnips were used for the first jack o’ lanterns. The story goes that Jack wanted the devil to buy him drinks so he tricked the devil into turning himself into a coin. Jack then put the coin into his pocket and skipped out on the bar tab. By using a silver cross,

Jack kept the devil in his pocket, preventing the devil from changing back into his original form. Eventually, Jack allowed the devil to go, with a promise that he wouldn’t harm Jack or claim his soul.

However, Jack again tricked the devil, by convincing him to climb up a tree and pick him an apple. While the devil was up in the tree, Jack carved a cross on the trunk, which prevented the devil from descending the tree.

Again, Jack freed the devil on the condition that he would not take revenge on Jack or claim his soul when he died.

After Jack died, God would not allow him into heaven, and the devil kept his word and rejected Jack’s soul at the gates of hell. Instead, the devil gave Jack a single burning coal to light his way and sent him off into the night.

Jack put the burning coal into a carved turnip and supposedly has been roaming the earth ever since.

Today, we use a pumpkin instead of a turnip to make our jack o’ lanterns.

Bill Bower is a retired Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Officer. Read his blog and listen to his podcasts on the outdoors at www.onemaningreen.com.