Light the Way: The Story of the Jack-O-Lantern

Figure 1: Jack-o-lanterns (Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

The end of October is marked by a variety of holidays, including Samhain, All Saint’s Day, El Dia de los Muertos, and Halloween.  A favored past time of Halloween is the tradition of carving a pumpkin, which is referred to as a jack-o-lantern (Figure 1).  Jack-o-laterns have a very long history, as well as an interesting origins story.  Many people, however, are unaware of this history, which is the topic of today’s blog post.

The tradition of carving pumpkins is a relatively new one.  It is a tradition that stems from the United Kingdom (Ireland, Scotland, and England) where for centuries various types of gourds were carved and lit around this time of the year.  The Irish and Scotts preferred to carve potatoes and turnips (Figure 2), while the English chose beets.  The exact origins of this tradition are believed to have Pagan roots and were related to harvest festivals.  Unfortunately, the original stories of how and why such practices began are unknown, but they may have derived from natural acts of decomposition of plants in marshy areas.  These plants sometimes catch on fire during this process, and a story to explain this phenomenon may have been born.  

Figure 2: Carved turnips were the original jack-o-lanterns (Source: CBC)

A more common story about the origins of the jack-o-lantern, however, comes from Irish folklore, and it is the tale of Stingy Jack, who tricked the Devil multiple times.  The first time was when Jack invited the Devil for a drink at a local tavern, but when it came time to settle their bill Jack refused to do so.  Instead he convinced the Devil to turn into a coin, which he then kept near a Christian cross.  This trapped the Devil, which angered Him greatly, but He bargained for his release with Jack by agreeing not to bother him for a year and not take his soul if Jack died during that time.  The Devil honored his word and returned a year later to have His revenge on Jack, but Jack was once again not having it.  He asked the Devil to pick some fruit from the top of a tree, and when the Devil was up in the tree Jack trapped Him by carving a cross into the base of the tree.  The Devil once again bargained for his freedom, but this time the penalty was ten years before He and Jack would meet again.  Unfortunately, Jack passed away during that time, but his consequences did not.  God was offended by Jack’s trickery and refused to allow him entrance into Heaven.  The Devil was weary of Jack’s antics and also refused him entry into Hell.  This left Jack cursed to roam the Earth as a lost soul, but God took pity on him, so to speak, and gave him an eternally burning ember to light his way as he traveled.  Jack carved a gourd and placed the ember in it as his lantern to light his way.  It is said that people carved gourds and left them at their windows either to commemorate Jack’s deeds or to scare him and other wicked spirits from entering their homes, lest they be tricked, too.

But this begs the question as to how exactly pumpkins became the carving medium of choice?  This is an easy question to answer.  Immigrants from the United Kingdom came to the US and found the native gourd, the pumpkin, a better medium for continuing their tradition, hence how the new tradition was born here in the United States.  So whatever your reason for carving a jack-o-lantern this year you will now have some cultural knowledge to accompany your past time.

Works Cited

Brinn, Jan. Pumpkin carving: The history of the jack-o’-lantern. 8 October 2015. Electronic. 2 August 2019.

History.com Editors. History of the Jack O’ Lantern. 27 October 2009. Electronic. 2 August 2019.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The History of 'Jack-O'-Lantern'. 2019. Electronic. 2 August 2019.

Local Legend: The Ozark Howler

Artistic depiction of the Ozark Howler (Source: Pinterest)

Growing up in various parts of the world I have realized that every culture and region has their own local legends.  In Europe it was all about dwarfs and fairies, in Illinois it was about the snipe.  Upon arriving in Missouri I was shocked to learn about Momo (the local version of Bigfoot) and later the Ozark Howler.  This latter mythical creature is the topic of today’s blog post, which will address what the Ozark Howler reportedly is, its origins, and most likely explanation for the legend’s creation.

The Ozark Howler is a mythical creature that resides in the Ozark highlands of Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas.  It is described by locals (which refers to individuals who have lived in the region for generations, the descendants of Scottish, English, and Irish immigrants) as a large feline like creature that has an inhuman, unidentifiable screech, thick fur, stocky build, horns, glowing eyes that are red in color, and a short and ringed tail.  It is a nocturnal creature that in early legends could reportedly lead to the death of the individual who encountered it, meaning it was either a death omen or a bad luck creature that killed those unfortunate enough to meet up with it.

Many claim that the Ozark Howler is most likely a misidentified panther, lynx, bobcat, or black bear.  These are likely explanations since there is no reputable evidence that demonstrates such a creature exists.  Despite this there are several individuals, particularly in the Ozarks, who affirm that the Ozark Howler is real and actively seek evidence to support their claims.

The origins of this legend are murky.  There is strong evidence to suggest that the legend was a cross over from myths that exist in the United Kingdom.  It is believed that were brought over by the English, Irish, and Scottish immigrants who originally settled the Ozark Highlands.  This connection is made because of the parallels between the Ozark Howler and Cu Sith, which is a mythical creature described as a large black dog with glowing eyes that is also a death omen.  The creatures’ descriptions and relationship with death are too similar to ignore.  Another explanation for the Ozark Howler legend is that it is derived from American Indian legends about large cats.  Unfortunately, no substantive evidence of such legends could be found.

Another explanation for the Ozark Howler legend is that it was created as a means of dealing with unfamiliar creatures in a foreign land.  The Ozark Howler legend has been passed down through generations of “locals”, which as described above are the descendants of European immigrants.  These individuals came to the area with very little information about the area or local wildlife.  The descriptions of the Ozark Howler match those of various local animals, including panthers and other local, large felines, black bears, and even elk.  The latter comes up as the creature’s howl is compared to the bellow of an elk.  The newly arrived immigrants may have been scared and made up the legend as a means of coping with the unknown but very real creatures they encountered.  This has already happened previously with the origins of the Bigfoot legends.  Coupled with the Cu Sith legend it appears that the Ozark Howler legend is a combination of a reaction to unknown lands and already known cultural knowledge, which was used to rationalize their fears and experiences.    

Works Cited

Admin. Ozark Howler Information. 18 December 2018. Electronic. 31 July 2019.

Driscoll, Shawn. Ozark Howler. 2019. Electronic. 31 July 2019.

No Author. The Ozark Howler: Quintessential American Form of a European Plague Beast. No Date. Electronic. 31 July 2019.

Uptegrove, Sam. UPTEGROVE: Ozark howler: Myth, hoax or reality? 29 April 2015. Electronic. 31 July 2019.

(Un)Solved Mysteries: The Franklin Expedition

Figure 1: Original graves of the first three recovered crew members (Source: Brian Spenceley)

The Franklin Expedition, named after Sir John Franklin and commissioned in 1845 by the British government to seek a navigable route through the Northwest Passage, has been the subject of much mystery and mystique.  The intrigue began in 1848 when after three years no one heard from the two-ship crew, despite vocal concerns voiced by Lady Franklin in the years prior.  In 1850 a search party was sent out, followed by dozens more all seeking to locate the crew of the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus.  Ultimately, the mummified remains of three crew members were discovered, along with some artifacts related to the mission and crew.  The crew members were buried on Beechey Island (Figure 1). 

It is unclear when specifically the rumors about what specifically happened to the crew began or how and why they came to be.  The most audacious rumor was about cannibalism among the crew, and the legends of mythic creatures taking apart and killing the crew have become popular due to fictional accounts of the voyage and its demise.  Today’s blog post will address what we know happened to the Franklin Expedition and its crew based on physical anthropological and archaeological expeditions and analyses from the past 30 years.

Tales of the lost Franklin Expedition had existed for generations, but it was in the 1980s that Owen Beattie, several other anthropologists (primarily graduate students), and an Inuk field assistant (Arsien Tungilik) led a forensic anthropological and archaeological expedition into discovering new evidence on the Franklin Expedition.  Their work led to the discovery of several crew members, as well as the exhumation of the three previously discovered crew members.  Analyses of the recovered remains led to conclusions that starvation, disease (e.g. lead poisoning and tuberculosis), and poor nutrition led to the demise of the crew members.  Subsequent investigations have downplayed the importance of the lead poisoning, which had been originally linked to damaged canned goods, and instead cite evidence of zinc deficiencies as stronger evidence for the crew demise.  Zinc deficiencies could have been caused by the consumption of spoiled food or a lack of fresh meat resources, which lends credence to two of the original hypotheses.  Thus far no studies have provided evidence of cannibalism having occurred among the crew members.

Figure 2: HMS Erebus as discovered underwater (Source: Archaeology Magazine)

 
Fervor surrounding the Franklin Expedition died down shortly after Beattie and his team published their final results and conclusions.  It was not until the early 2000s and political tensions between Russia and Canada that renewed interest into the Franklin Expedition came about.  A team of Canadian researchers, including various Canadian archaeologists, were commissioned by the Prime Minister to locate the two lost ships: the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus.  They conducted aerial surveys based on previously collected Inuit oral history and interview evidence, as well as consulted living Inuit again for confirmation of previously acquired information.  Through the use of this information provided by the Inuit the Canadian team was able to locate both ships in the exact place the Inuit told them that they would. 

The team was unable to report their findings initially, but this gave them the time to collect evidence from the ships and conduct proper analyses (Figure 2).  Time was a necessary component of their investigation because the ships were below water, meaning specialized underwater archaeological methods had to be conducted.  Furthermore, because of these were Artic waters special training had to be done, as well, to avoid and safeguard against the dangers of the frigid waters.  Ultimately, both ships were found largely intact, and a variety of artifacts were recovered.  Unfortunately, they have not been able to dispel some of the more salacious rumors about the crew, but their discovery to put to rest the mystery of what happened to the ships and where specifically they crashed, ending their mission and leading to their ultimate demise.

Research into the Franklin Expedition is still on going.  Again, despite there being no evidence to support claims of cannibalism this idea persists today.  It still remains unknown the exact cause of death for all of the crew members.  Further complicating matters is the recent genetic evidence that demonstrates of the 24 crew members identified through DNA analyses that four were women.  It is unknown if this was an error due to poor sampling or if women were in deed on the ships (either smuggled or women who purposefully masqueraded as men in order to join the crew).  While several mysteries have been solved more remain, and it will be interesting to see what the next chapter of anthropological discoveries will be.

Bibliography

Daley, J. (2017, April 26). DNA Could Identify the Sailors (Including Women) of the Doomed Franklin Expedition. Retrieved from Smithsonian Magazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dna-extracted-doomed-franklin-expedition-sailors-180963031/

Inskeep, S. (2017, March 21). 'Ghosts' In The Arctic: How The Long-Lost Franklin Expedition Was Found. Retrieved from National Public Radio: https://www.npr.org/2017/03/21/520818684/ghosts-in-the-arctic-how-the-long-lost-franklin-expedition-was-found

Mathur, A. (2017, April 25). Mummified Crew Remains Of Ill-Fated Franklin Expedition Undergo DNA Identification. Retrieved from Science Times: http://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/13497/20170425/mummified-crew-remains-of-ill-fated-franklin-expedition-undergo-dna-identification.htm

McMahon, T. (2014, September 10). Face to face with a Franklin crew member, 140 years later. Retrieved from MacLeans: https://www.macleans.ca/society/face-to-face-with-a-franklin-crew-member-140-years-later/

Woods, A. (2016, July/August). Franklin’s Last Voyage. Retrieved from Archaeology Magazine: https://www.archaeology.org/issues/220-1607/features/4559-canada-erebus-discovery

Worrall, S. (2017, April 16). How the Discovery of Two Lost Ships Solved an Arctic Mystery. Retrieved from National Geographic: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/04/franklin-expedition-ship-watson-ice-ghosts/