Which Halloween character/creature/thing is MOST iconic?

[Pumpkin_Man]

Let's face it. Jack o'lanterns are to Halloween as Christmas trees are to Christmas, turkeys are to Thanksgiving, and firecrackers are to the 4thof July. Of course, I will admit that Halloween wouldn't be the same with out all the cretures of the night, but then those creatures of the night don't go away when it's November 3rd. Angelique graced my tv screen tonight as she has many other nights. Count Dracula will be turning into a bat next July when I celebrate my Birthday, and there will be plenty of other ghosts, haunted houses, and all the rest, next month, and through out the year, BUT jack o'lanterns are only here in October, with the rare exception of my fake jack o'lanters when there a "Little Halloween."

Mike

[Undertaker]

Yeah, the pumkin/jackalantern is indeed iconic! More so in America, maybe less in England??? The Celts if you really want to go back or pagans?

[Murfreesboro]

I guess the pumpkin jack-o-lantern is America's one undeniable contribution to the ancient tradition. Jack-o-lanterns are just magical. Love love love them.

[Midnite Shadow]

I guess the pumpkin jack-o-lantern is America's one undeniable contribution to the ancient tradition. Jack-o-lanterns are just magical. Love love love them.

Agree whole-heartedly Murf!!! Love them!!

[Pumpkin56]

Of course it's the Jack-o-Lantern. Look at Sam! He's a pumpkin-head!!

[jerseygirl13]

I definitely think the jack o'lantern.

[Jack Skellington]

I like the story of the Jack O'Lantern.

Taken from Wikipedia:

An old Irish folk tale tells of Stingy Jack, a lazy yet shrewd farmer who uses a cross to trap the Devil. One story says that Jack tricked the Devil into climbing an apple tree, and once he was up there Jack quickly placed crosses around the trunk or carved a cross into the bark, so that the Devil couldn't get down. Another myth says that Jack put a key in the Devil's pocket while he was suspended upside-down.

Another version of the myth says that Jack was getting chased by some villagers from whom he had stolen, when he met the Devil, who claimed it was time for him to die. However, the thief stalled his death by tempting the Devil with a chance to bedevil the church-going villagers chasing him. Jack told the Devil to turn into a coin with which he would pay for the stolen goods (the Devil could take on any shape he wanted); later, when the coin/Devil disappeared, the Christian villagers would fight over who had stolen it. The Devil agreed to this plan. He turned himself into a silver coin and jumped into Jack's wallet, only to find himself next to a cross Jack had also picked up in the village. Jack had closed the wallet tight, and the cross stripped the Devil of his powers; and so he was trapped.

In both myths, Jack only lets the Devil go when he agrees never to take his soul. After a while the thief died, as all living things do. Of course, his life had been too sinful for Jack to go to heaven; however, the Devil had promised not to take his soul, and so he was barred from hell as well. Jack now had nowhere to go. He asked how he would see where to go, as he had no light, and the Devil mockingly tossed him an ember that would never burn out from the flames of hell. Jack carved out one of his turnips (which was his favourite food), put the ember inside it, and began endlessly wandering the Earth for a resting place. He became known as "Jack of the Lantern", or Jack-o'-Lantern.

There are variations on the legend:

Some versions include a "wise and good man", or even God helping Jack to prevail over the Devil.
There are different versions of Jack's bargain with the Devil. Some variations say the deal was only temporary but the Devil, embarrassed and vengeful, refuses Jack entry to hell after Jack dies.
Jack is considered a greedy man and is not allowed into either heaven or hell, without any mention of the Devil.
In some variations, God gives Jack the turnip
Jack tricks the Grim-Reaper into giving him eternal life, and in exchange, the reaper takes his head to hell with him. Jack then wanders the earth using a carved pumpkin for a head.
An African-American variant holds that Jack, here called Big Sixteen, actually killed the Devil and was later refused entry to hell by the Devil's widow.[9]
The Jack of lantern was also thought to be the ghosts of unrightous men who mis-led travelers into marshes and moor.[10]

Despite the colourful legends, the term jack-o'-lantern originally meant a night watchman, or man with a lantern, with the earliest known use in the 1660s in East Anglia; and later, meaning an ignis fatuus or will-o'-the-wisp.[11] In Newfoundland and Labrador, both names "Jacky Lantern" and "Jack the Lantern" refer to the will-o'-the-wisp concept rather than the pumpkin carving aspect.


People have been using vegetables in Britain to make lanterns for centuries. They used to use Turnips, before they found the Pumpkin growing in North America. Pumpkins are easier to carve than Turnips.

[Lillith]

I like the story of the Jack O'Lantern.

Taken from Wikipedia:

An old Irish folk tale tells of Stingy Jack, a lazy yet shrewd farmer who uses a cross to trap the Devil. One story says that Jack tricked the Devil into climbing an apple tree, and once he was up there Jack quickly placed crosses around the trunk or carved a cross into the bark, so that the Devil couldn't get down. Another myth says that Jack put a key in the Devil's pocket while he was suspended upside-down.

Another version of the myth says that Jack was getting chased by some villagers from whom he had stolen, when he met the Devil, who claimed it was time for him to die. However, the thief stalled his death by tempting the Devil with a chance to bedevil the church-going villagers chasing him. Jack told the Devil to turn into a coin with which he would pay for the stolen goods (the Devil could take on any shape he wanted); later, when the coin/Devil disappeared, the Christian villagers would fight over who had stolen it. The Devil agreed to this plan. He turned himself into a silver coin and jumped into Jack's wallet, only to find himself next to a cross Jack had also picked up in the village. Jack had closed the wallet tight, and the cross stripped the Devil of his powers; and so he was trapped.

In both myths, Jack only lets the Devil go when he agrees never to take his soul. After a while the thief died, as all living things do. Of course, his life had been too sinful for Jack to go to heaven; however, the Devil had promised not to take his soul, and so he was barred from hell as well. Jack now had nowhere to go. He asked how he would see where to go, as he had no light, and the Devil mockingly tossed him an ember that would never burn out from the flames of hell. Jack carved out one of his turnips (which was his favourite food), put the ember inside it, and began endlessly wandering the Earth for a resting place. He became known as "Jack of the Lantern", or Jack-o'-Lantern.

There are variations on the legend:

Some versions include a "wise and good man", or even God helping Jack to prevail over the Devil.
There are different versions of Jack's bargain with the Devil. Some variations say the deal was only temporary but the Devil, embarrassed and vengeful, refuses Jack entry to hell after Jack dies.
Jack is considered a greedy man and is not allowed into either heaven or hell, without any mention of the Devil.
In some variations, God gives Jack the turnip
Jack tricks the Grim-Reaper into giving him eternal life, and in exchange, the reaper takes his head to hell with him. Jack then wanders the earth using a carved pumpkin for a head.
An African-American variant holds that Jack, here called Big Sixteen, actually killed the Devil and was later refused entry to hell by the Devil's widow.[9]
The Jack of lantern was also thought to be the ghosts of unrightous men who mis-led travelers into marshes and moor.[10]

Despite the colourful legends, the term jack-o'-lantern originally meant a night watchman, or man with a lantern, with the earliest known use in the 1660s in East Anglia; and later, meaning an ignis fatuus or will-o'-the-wisp.[11] In Newfoundland and Labrador, both names "Jacky Lantern" and "Jack the Lantern" refer to the will-o'-the-wisp concept rather than the pumpkin carving aspect.


People have been using vegetables in Britain to make lanterns for centuries. They used to use Turnips, before they found the Pumpkin growing in North America. Pumpkins are easier to carve than Turnips.

I've heard this, Jack! I like that you posted this.

[Undertaker]

Since America is not that old and pumpkins originated in this Country, the English, Irish Scots enfluence and immigrants saw the pumpkin as much bigger than the turnip! But it is interesting the early history of early Halloween/All Hallows

[Pumpkin56]

I saw a video online about Trick r Treat and one of the people they were talking to said he likes to think of Halloween as sort of the Frankenstein's monster of holidays since it's stitched together from so many traditions. How perfect is that?

[Jack Skellington]

Since America is not that old and pumpkins originated in this Country, the English, Irish Scots enfluence and immigrants saw the pumpkin as much bigger than the turnip! But it is interesting the early history of early Halloween/All Hallows

Exactly. It's also much easier to carve than turnips. I think I remember reading that pumpkins have been growing in North America for around 6000 years!

Pumpkin56, that sounds great!

[NeverMore]

I guess it's pure luck for us that the first person to look at a pumpkin and say "hmmm... that looks easy to carve" didn't see a watermelon first.

[Jack Skellington]

I guess it's pure luck for us that the first person to look at a pumpkin and say "hmmm... that looks easy to carve" didn't see a watermelon first.

Good point!

[Murfreesboro]

It's the season. Watermelons are a summertime fruit. They are done by Oct. 31.

[dark master]

its got to be michael myers.