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| - Stingy Jack is a dreg who outsmarted The Devil numerous times but was eventually doomed to roam the world.
- As the story goes, several centuries ago amongst the myriad of towns and villages in Ireland, there lived a drunkard known as "Stingy Jack." Jack was known throughout the land as a deceiver, manipulator and otherwise dreg of society. On a fateful night, the devil overheard the tale of Jack's evil deeds and silver tongue. Unconvinced (and envious) of the rumors, the devil went to find out for himself whether or not Jack lived up to his vile reputation.
- According to the legend, Stingy Jack was a miserly, drunken and thoroughly unpleasant old man who lived in Ireland long ago. Jack is said to have met and gotten the better of the Devil twice during his lifetime. On the first occasion he made the Devil promise to leave him alone for seven years. On the second occasion Jack made the Devil promise never to take his soul.
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| abstract
| - As the story goes, several centuries ago amongst the myriad of towns and villages in Ireland, there lived a drunkard known as "Stingy Jack." Jack was known throughout the land as a deceiver, manipulator and otherwise dreg of society. On a fateful night, the devil overheard the tale of Jack's evil deeds and silver tongue. Unconvinced (and envious) of the rumors, the devil went to find out for himself whether or not Jack lived up to his vile reputation. Typical of Jack, he was drunk and wandering through the countryside at night when he came upon a body on his cobblestone path. The body with an eerie grimace on its face turned out to be the Devil. Jack realized somberly this was his end; the devil had finally come to collect his malevolent soul. Jack made a last request: he asked the devil to let him drink ale before he departed to hell. Finding no reason not to acquiesce the request, the devil took Jack to the local pub and supplied him with many alcoholic beverages. Upon quenching his thirst, Jack asked the devil to pay the tab on the ale, to the devil's surprise. Jack convinced the devil to metamorphose into a silver coin with which to pay the bartender (impressed upon by Jack's unyielding nefarious tactics). Shrewdly, Jack stuck the now transmogrified devil (coin) into his pocket, which also contained a crucifix. The crucifix's presence prevented the devil from escaping his form. This coerced the devil to agree to Jack's demand: in exchange for the devil's freedom, the devil had to spare Jack's soul for 10 years. Ten years later to the date when Jack originally struck his deal, he found himself once again in the devil's presence. Same as the setting before, Jack happened upon the devil and seemingly accepted it was his time to go to hell for good. As the devil prepared to take him to the underworld, Jack asked if he could have one apple to feed his starving belly. Foolishly, the devil once again agreed to this request. As the devil climbed up the branches of a nearby apple tree, Jack surrounded its base with crucifixes. The devil, frustrated at the fact that he been entrapped again, demanded his release. As Jack did before, he made a demand: that his soul never be taken by the devil into hell. The devil agreed and was set free. Eventually, the drinking and unstable lifestyle took its toll on Jack; he died the way he lived. As Jack's soul prepared to enter heaven through the gates of St. Peter, he was stopped. Jack was told that because of his sinful lifestyle of deceitfulness and drinking, he was not allowed into heaven. The dreary Jack went before the Gates of Hell and begged for commission into the underworld. The devil, fulfilling his obligation to Jack, could not take his soul. To warn others, he gave Jack an ember, marking him a denizen of the netherworld. From that day on until eternity's end, Jack is doomed to roam the world between the planes of good and evil, with only an ember inside a hollowed turnip to light his way.
- According to the legend, Stingy Jack was a miserly, drunken and thoroughly unpleasant old man who lived in Ireland long ago. Jack is said to have met and gotten the better of the Devil twice during his lifetime. On the first occasion he made the Devil promise to leave him alone for seven years. On the second occasion Jack made the Devil promise never to take his soul. When Jack eventually died he was not allowed into Heaven because of his wickedness. Desperate for somewhere to stay, Jack went down to Hell. However, the Devil reminded Jack of his promise never to take his soul, telling Jack to go back where he came from, effectively to become a wandering ghost. Jack protested that it was night time on Earth and he would not be able to see where he was going. The Devil tossed him a lump of coal from the fires of Hell. Jack put it into a turnip that he had been eating, making the world's first jack-o-lantern. Ever since that day, Jack's spirit has been traveling the world, using his jack-o-lantern to light his way, always looking for a place to stay but never finding one.
- Stingy Jack is a dreg who outsmarted The Devil numerous times but was eventually doomed to roam the world.
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