In the reign of King Arthur, there lived, near
the Land's End of England, in the county of Cornwall, a worthy farmer, who had
an only son named Jack. Jack was a boy of a bold temper; he took pleasure in
hearing or reading stories of wizards, conjurors, giants, and fairies; and used
to listen eagerly while his father talked of the great deeds of the brave knights
of King Arthur's Round Table. When Jack was sent to take care of the sheep and
oxen in the fields, he used to amuse himself with planning battles, sieges,
and the means to conquer or surprise a foe. He was above the common sports of
children, but hardly anyone could equal him at wrestling; or, if he met with
a match for himself in strength, his skill and address always made him the victor.
In those days there lived on St. Michael's Mount, of Cornwall, which rises out
of the sea at some distance from the mainland, a huge giant. He was eighteen
feet high, and three yards round; and his fierce and savage looks were the terror
of all his neighbours. He dwelt in a gloomy cavern on the very top of the mountain,
and used to wade over to the mainland in search of his prey. When he came near,
the people left their houses; and, after he had glutted his appetite upon their
cattle, he would throw half a dozen oxen upon his back, and tie three times
as many sheep and hogs round his waist, and so march back to his own abode.
The giant had done this for many years, and the coast of Cornwall was greatly
hurt by his thefts, when Jack boldly resolved to destroy him. He therefore took
a horn, a shovel, a pickaxe, and a dark lantern, and early in a long winter's
evening he swam to the Mount. There he fell to work at once, and before morning
he had dug a pit twenty-two feet deep, and almost as many broad. He covered
it over with sticks and straw, and strewed some of the earth over them, to make
it look just like solid ground. He then put his horn to his mouth, and blew
such a loud and long tantivy, that the giant awoke, and came towards Jack, roaring
like thunder: 'You saucy villain, you shall pay dearly for breaking my rest;
I will broil you for my breakfast.' He had scarcely spoken these words when
he came advancing one step farther; but then he tumbled headlong into the pit,
and his fall shook the very mountain.
'O ho, Mr. Giant!' said Jack, looking into the
pit, 'have you found your way so soon to the bottom? How is your appetite now?
Will nothing serve you for breakfast this cold morning but broiling poor Jack?'
The giant now tried to rise, but Jack struck him
a blow on the crown of the head with his pickaxe, which killed him at once.
Jack then made haste back, to rejoice to his friends with the news of the giant's
death. When the justices of Cornwall heard of this valiant action, they sent
for Jack, and declared that he should always be called Jack the Giant-Killer;
and they also gave him a sword and belt, upon which was written in letters of
gold:--
This is the valiant Cornishman
Who slew the giant Cormoran.
The news of Jack's exploits soon spread over the
western parts of England and another giant, called Old Blunderbore, vowed to
have revenge on Jack, if it should ever be his fortune to get him into power.
The giant kept an enchanted castle in the midst of a lonely wood. About four
months after the death of Cormoran, as Jack was taking a journey into Wales,
he passed through this wood; and, as he was very weary, he sat down to rest
by the side of a pleasant fountain, and there he fell into a deep sleep. The
giant came to the fountain for water just at this time, and found Jack there;
and as the lines on Jack's belt showed who he was, the giant lifted him up and
laid him gently upon his shoulder, to carry him to his castle; but, as he passed
through the thicket, the rustling of the leaves waked Jack; and he was sadly
afraid when he found himself in the clutches of Blunderbore. Yet this was nothing
to his fright soon after; for, when they reached the castle, he beheld the floor
covered all over with the skulls and bones of men and women. The giant took
him into a large room, where lay the hearts and limbs of persons who had been
lately killed; and he told Jack, with a horrid grin, that men's hearts, eaten
with pepper and vinegar, were his nicest food, and, also, that he thought he
should make a dainty meal on his heart. When he had said this, he locked Jack
up in that room, while he went to fetch another giant, who lived in the same
wood, to enjoy a dinner off Jack's flesh with him. While he was away, Jack heard
dreadful shrieks, groans, and cries from many parts of the castle; and soon
after he heard a mournful voice repeat these lines:--
'Haste, valiant stranger, haste away,
Lest you become the giant's prey.
On his return he'll bring another,
Still more savage than his brother;
A horrid, cruel monster, who,
before he kills, will torture you.
Oh valiant stranger! haste away,
Or you'll become these giant's prey.'
This warning was so shocking to poor Jack, that
he was ready to go mad. He ran to the window, and saw the two giants coming
along arm in arm. This window was right over the gates of the castle. 'Now thought
Jack, 'either my death or freedom is at hand.'
There were two strong cords in the room. Jack made
a large noose, with a slip-knot at the ends of both these, and, as the giants
were coming through the gates, he threw the ropes over their heads. He then
made the other ends fast to a beam in the ceiling, and pulled with all his might,
till he had almost strangled them. When he saw that they were both quite black
in the face, and not the least strength left, he drew his sword, and slid
down the ropes; he then killed the giants, and thus saved himself from a cruel
death. Jack next took a great bunch of keys from the pocket of Blunderbore,
and went into the castle again. He made a strict search through all the rooms,
and in them found three ladies tied up by the hair of their heads, and almost
starved to death. They told them that their husbands had been killed by the
giants, who had then condemned them to be starved to death, because they would
not eat the flesh of their own dead husbands.
'Ladies,' said Jack, 'I have put an end to the
monster and his wicked brother; and I give you this castle and all the riches
it contains, to make you some amends for the dreadful pains you have felt.'
He then very politely gave them the keys of the castle, and went farther on
his journey to Wales.
As Jack had not taken any of the giant's riches
for himself, and had very little money of his own, he thought it best to travel
as fast as he could. At length he lost his way; and, when night came on, he
was in a lonely valley between two lofty mountains. There he walked about for
some hours, without seeing any dwelling-place, so he thought himself very lucky
at last in finding a large and handsome house. He went up to it boldly, and
knocked loudly at the gate; when, to his great terror and surprise, there came
forth a monstrous giant with two heads. He spoke to Jack very civilly, for he
was a Welsh giant, and all the mischief he did was by private and secret malice,
under the show of friendship and kindness. Jack told him that he was a traveller
who had lost his way, on which the huge monster made him welcome, and led him
into a room, where there was a good bed in which to pass the night. Jack took
off his clothes quickly; but though he was so weary, he could not go to sleep.
Soon after this, he heard the giant walking backward and forward in the next
room, and saying to himself:--
'Though here you lodge with me this night,
You shall not see the morning light;
My club shall dash your brains out quite.'
'Say you so?' thought Jack. 'Are these your tricks
upon travellers? But I hope to prove as cunning as you. Then, getting out of
bed, he groped about the room, and at last found a large thick billet of wood;
he laid it in his own place in the bed, and hid himself in a dark corner of
the room. In the middle of the night the giant came with his great club, and
struck many heavy blows on the bed, in the very place where Jack had laid the
billet, and then he went back to his own room, thinking he had broken all his
bones. Early in the morning, Jack put a bold face upon the matter, and walked
into the giant's room to thank him for his lodging.
The giant started when he saw him, and he began
to stammer out, 'Oh, dear me! is it you? Pray how did you sleep last night?
Did you hear or see anything in the dead of the night? 'Nothing worth
speaking of,' said Jack carelessly; 'a rat, I believe, gave me three or four
slaps with his tail, and disturbed me a little, but I soon went to sleep again.'
The giant wondered more and more at this; yet he did not answer a word, and
went to bring two great bowls of hasty-pudding for their breakfast.
Jack wished to make the giant believe that he could
eat as much as himself; so he contrived to button a leathern bag inside his
coat, and slipped the hasty-pudding into this bag, while he seemed to put it
into his mouth. When breakfast was over, he said to the giant, 'Now I will show
you a fine trick; I can cure all wounds with a touch; I could cut off my head
one minute, and the next put it sound again on my shoulders: you shall see an
example.' He then took hold of the knife, ripped up the leathern bag, and all
the hasty-pudding tumbled out upon the floor.
'Ods splutter hur nails,' cried the Welsh giant,
who was ashamed to be outdone by such a little fellow as Jack; 'hur can do that
herself.' So he snatched up the knife, plunged it into his stomach, and in a
moment dropped down dead.
As soon as Jack had thus tricked the Welsh monster,
he went farther on his journey; and, a few days after, he met with King Arthur's
only son, who had got his fathers leave to travel into Wales, to deliver a beautiful
lady from the power of a wicked magician, by whom she was held in enchantment.
When Jack found that the young prince had no servants with him, he begged leave
to attend him; and prince at once agreed to this, and gave Jack many thanks
for his kindness.
King Arthur's son was a handsome, polite, and brave
knight, and so good-natured, that he gave money to everybody he met. At length
he gave his last penny to an old woman, and then turned to Jack, 'How shall
we be able to get food for ourselves the rest of our journey?'
'Leave that to me, sir,' replied Jack; 'I will
provide for my prince.'
Night now came on, and the prince began to grow
uneasy at thinking where they should lodge.
'Sir,' said Jack, 'be of good heart; two miles
farther there lives a large giant, whom I know well; he has three heads, and
will fight five hundred men, and make them fly before him.'
'Alas!' cried the King's son, 'we had better never
have been born than meet with such a monster.'
'My lord, leave me to manage him, and wait here
in quiet till I return.'
The prince now stayed behind, while Jack rode on
at full speed; and when he came to the gates of the castle, he gave a loud knock.
The giant, with a voice like thunder, roared out, 'Who is there?'
Jack made answer, and said, 'No one but your poor
cousin Jack.'
'Well,' said the giant, 'what news, cousin Jack?'
'Dear uncle,' said Jack, 'I have heavy news.'
'Pooh!' said the giant, 'what heavy news can come
to me? I am a giant with three heads, and can fight five hundred men, and make
them fly before me.'
'Alas!' said Jack, 'here is the king's son coming
with two thousand men to kill you, and to destroy the castle and all that you
have.'
'Oh, cousin Jack,' said the giant, 'this is heavy
news indeed! But I have a large cellar underground, where I will hide myself,
and you shall lock, bolt, and bar me in, and keep the keys till the king's son
is gone.'
Now, when Jack had barred the giant fast in the
vault, he went back and fetched the prince to the castle; they both made themselves
merry with the wine and other dainties that were in the house. So that night
they rested very pleasantly, while the poor giant lay trembling and shaking
with fear in the cellar underground. Early in the morning, Jack gave the king's
son gold and silver out of the giant's treasure, and accompanied him three miles
forward on his journey. The prince then sent Jack to let his uncle out of the
hole, who asked him what he should give him as a reward for saving his castle.
'Why good uncle,' said Jack, 'I desire nothing but the old coat and cap, with
the old rusty sword and slippers, which are hanging at your bed's head.'
'Then,' said the giant, 'you shall have them: and
pray keep them for my sake, for they are things of great use. The coat will
keep you invisible, the cap will give you knowledge, the sword will cut through
anything, and the shoes are of vast swiftness; they may be useful to you in
all times of danger, so take them with all my heart.'
Jack gave many thanks to the giant, and then set
off to the prince. When he had come up with the king's son, they soon arrived
at the dwelling of the beautiful lady, who was under the power of a wicked magician.
She received the prince very politely, and made a noble feast for him: when
it was ended, she rose, and, wiping her mouth with a fine handkerchief, said,
'My lord, you must submit to the custom of my palace; to-morrow morning I command
you to tell me on whom I bestow this handkerchief, or lose your head.' She then
left the room.
The young prince went to bed very mournful, but
Jack put on his cap of knowledge, which told him that the lady was forced, by
the power of enchantment, to meet the wicked magician every night in the middle
of the forest. Jack now put on his coat of darkness, and his shoes of swiftness,
and was there before her. When the lady came, she gave the handkerchief to the
magician. Jack, with his sword of sharpness, at one blow cut off his head; the
enchantment was then ended in a moment, and the lady was restored to her former
virtue and goodness. She was married to the prince the next day, and soon after
went back, with her royal husband and a great company, to the court of King
Arthur, where they were received with loud and joyful welcomes; and the valiant
hero Jack, for the many great exploits he had done for the good of his country,
was made one of the Knights of the Round Table.
As Jack had been so lucky in all his adventures,
he resolved not to be idle for the future, but still to do what services he
could for the honour of the king and the nation.
He therefore humbly begged his majesty to furnish
him with a horse and money, that he might travel in search of new and strange
exploits. 'For,' said he to the king, 'there are many giants yet living in the
remote part of Wales, to the great terror and distress of your majesty's subjects;
therefore, if it please you, sire, to favour me in my design, I will soon rid
your kingdom of these giants and monsters in human shape.'
Now when the king heard this offer and began to
think of the cruel deeds of these bloodthirsty giants and savage monsters, he
gave Jack everything proper for such a journey. After this, Jack took leave
of the king, the prince, and all the knights, and set off; taking with him his
cap of knowledge, his sword of sharpness, his shoes of swiftness, and his invisible
coat, the better to perform the great exploits that might fall in his way. He
went along over hills and mountains; and on the third day he came to a wide
forest. He had hardly entered it, when on a sudden he heard dreadful shrieks
and cries; and forcing his way through the trees, saw a monstrous giant dragging
along, by the hair of their heads, a handsome knight and a beautiful lady. Their
tears and cries melted the heart of honest Jack; he alighted from his horse,
and, tying him to an oak-tree, put on his invisible coat, under which he carried
his sword of sharpness.
When he came up to the giant, he made several strokes
at him, but could not reach his body, on account of the enormous height of the
terrible creature; but he wounded his thighs in several places; and at length,
putting both hands to his sword, and aiming with all his might, he cut off both
the giant's legs just below the garter; and the trunk of his body, tumbling
to the ground, made not only the trees shake, but the earth itself tremble with
the force of his fall. Then Jack, setting his foot upon his neck, exclaimed:
'Thou barbarous and savage wretch, behold, I come to execute upon thee the just
reward for all thy crimes'; and instantly plunged his sword into the giant's
body. The huge monster gave a groan, and yielded up his life into the hands
of the victorious Jack the Giant-Killer, whilst the noble knight and the virtuous
lady were both joyful spectators of his sudden death. They not only returned
Jack hearty thanks for their deliverance, but also invited him to their house,
to refresh himself after his dreadful encounter, as likewise to receive a reward
for his good services.
'No,' said Jack, 'I cannot be at ease until till
I find out the den that was the monster's habitation.'
The knight, on hearing this, grew very sorrowful,
and replied: 'Noble stranger, it is too much to run a second hazard; this monster
lived in a den under yonder mountain, with a brother of his, more fierce and
cruel than himself; therefore, if you go hither, and perish in the attempt,
it would be a heartbreaking thing to me and my lady; so let me persuade
you to go back with us, and desist from any further pursuit.'
'Nay,' answered Jack, 'if there be another, even
if there were twenty, I would shed the last drop of blood in my body before
one of them should escape. When I have finished this task I will come and pay
my respects to you.'
So when they had told him where to find them again,
he got on his horse and went after the dead giant's brother.
Jack had not ridden a mile and a half before he
came in sight of the mouth of the cavern; and, nigh the entrance of it, he saw
the other giant sitting on a huge block of timber, with a knotted iron club
lying by his side, waiting for his brother. His eyes looked like flames of fire,
his face was grim and ugly, and his cheeks were like two flitches of bacon;
the bristles of his beard seemed to be thick rods of iron wire; and his long
locks of hair hung down upon his broad shoulders like curling snakes. Jack got
down from his horse, and turned him into a thicket; then he put on his coat
of darkness, and drew a little nearer to behold this figure, and said softly,
'Oh monster! Are you there? It will not be long before I shall take you fast
by the beard.'
The giant all this while could not see him, by
reason of his invisible coat; so Jack came quite close to him, and struck a
blow at his head with his sword of sharpness; but he missed his aim, and only
cut off his nose, which made him roar like loud claps of thunder. He rolled
his glaring eyes round on every side, but could not see who had given him the
blow; so he took up his iron club, and began to lay about him like one that
was mad with pain and fury.
'Nay,' said Jack, if this be the case, I will kill
you at once.' So saying, he slipped nimbly behind him, and jumping upon the
block of timber, as the giant rose from it, he stabbed him in the back; when,
after a few howls, he dropped down dead. Jack cut off his head, and sent it,
with the head of his brother, to King Arthur, by a waggon which he had hired
for that purpose. When Jack had thus killed these two monsters, he went into
their cave in search of their treasure. He had passed through many turnings
and windings, which led him to a room paved with freestone; at the end of it
was a boiling cauldron, and on the right hand stood a large table, where the
giants used to dine. He then came to a window that was secured with iron bars,
through which he saw a number of wretched captives, who cried out when they
saw Jack: 'Alas! Alas! young man, you are come to be one among us in this horrid
den.'
'I hope,' said Jack, 'you will not stay here long:
but pray tell me what is the meaning of you being here at all?'
'Alas,' said one poor old man, 'I will tell you,
sir. We are persons that have been taken by the giants who hold this cave, and
are kept till they choose to have a feast; then one of us is to be killed, and
cooked to please their taste. It is not long since they took three for the same
purpose.'
'Well,' said Jack, 'I have given them such a dinner,
that it will be long enough before they have more.' The captives were amazed
at his words.
'You may believe me,' said Jack, 'for I have killed
them both with the edge of this sword, and have sent their large heads to the
court of King Arthur, as marks of my great success.'
To show that what he said was true, he unlocked
the gate, and set the captives all free. Then he led them to the great room,
and placed them round the table, and placed before them two quarters of beef,
with bread and wine; upon which they feasted their fill. When supper was over,
they searched the giant's coffers, and Jack divided among them all the treasures.
The next morning they set off to their homes, and Jack to the knight's house,
whom he had left with his lady not long before.
He was received with the greatest joy by the thankful
knight and his lady, who, in honour of Jack's exploits, gave a grand feast,
to which all the nobles and gentry were invited. When the company were assembled,
the knight declared to them the great actions of Jack, and gave him, as a mark
of respect, a fine ring, on which was engraved the picture of the giant dragging
the knight and the lady by the hair, with this motto round it:--
Behold in dire distress were we,
Under the giant's fierce command;
But gain'd our lives and liberty
From valiant Jack's victorious hand.
Among the guests then present were five aged gentlemen,
who were fathers to some of those captives who had been freed by Jack from the
dungeon of the giant. As soon as they heard that he was the person who had done
such wonders, they pressed round him with tears of joy, to return him thanks
for the happiness he had caused them. After this the bowl went round, and everyone
drank the health and long life of the gallant hero. Mirth increased, and the
hall was filled with peals of laughter. But, on a sudden, a herald, pale and
breathless, rushed into the midst of the company, and told them that Thundel,
a savage giant with two heads, had heard of the death of his two kinsmen, and
was come to take his revenge on Jack; and that he was now within a mile of the
house, the people flying before him like chaff before the wind. At this news
the very boldest of the guests trembled; but Jack drew his sword, and said,
'Let him come, I have a rod for him also. Pray, ladies and gentlemen, do me
the favour to walk into the garden, and you shall soon behold the giant's defeat
and death.'
To this they all agreed, and heartily wished him
success in his dangerous attempt.
The knight's house stood in the middle of a moat,
thirty feet deep and twenty wide, over which lay a drawbridge. Jack set men
to work to cut the bridge on both sides, almost to the middle, and then dressed
himself in his coat of darkness, and went against the giant with his sword of
sharpness. As he came close to him, though the giant could not see him for the
invisible coat, yet he found some danger was near, which made him cry out:--
'Fa, fe, fi, fo, fum,
I smell the blood of an Englishman;
Let him be alive or let him be dead,
I'll grind his bones to make my bread.'
'So say you my friend?' said Jack; 'you are a monstrous
miller indeed!'
'Art thou,' cried the giant, 'the villain that
killed my kinsmen? Then I will tear thee with my teeth, and grind thy bones
to powder.'
'You must catch me first,' said Jack; and throwing
off his coat of darkness, and putting on his shoes of swiftness, he began to
run, the giant following him like a walking castle, making the earth shake at
every step.
Jack led him round and round the walls of the house,
that the company might see the monster; then, to finish the work, he ran over
the drawbridge, the giant going after him with his club: but when he came to
the middle, where the bridge had been cut on both sides, the great weight of
his body made it break, and he tumbled into the water, where he rolled about
like a large whale. Jack now stood by the side of the moat, and laughed and
jeered at him, saying, 'I think you told me you would grind my bones to powder;
when will you begin?'
The giant foamed at both his horrid mouths with
fury, and plunged from side to side of the moat, but he could not get out to
have revenge on his little foe. At last Jack ordered a cart-rope to be brought
to him; he then drew it over his two heads, and by the help of a team of horses
dragged him to the edge of the moat, where he cut off his heads: and before
he either ate or drank, sent them both to court of King Arthur. He then went
back to the table with the company, and the rest of the day was spent in mirth
and good cheer. After staying with the knight for some time, Jack
grew weary of such an idle life, and set out again in search of new adventures.
He went over hills and dales without meeting any, till he came to the foot of
a very high mountain. Here he knocked at the door of a small and lonely house,
and an old man, with a head as white as snow, let him in.
'Good father,' said Jack, 'can you lodge a traveller
who has lost his way?'
'Yes,' said the hermit, 'I can, if you will accept
such fare as my poor house affords.'
Jack entered, and the old man set before him some
bread and fruit for his supper. When Jack had eaten as much as he chose, the
hermit said: 'My son, I know you are the famous conqueror of giants; now, at
the top of this mountain is an enchanted castle, kept by a giant named Galligantus,
who, by the help of a vile magician, gets many knights into his castle, where
he changes them into the shape of beasts. Above all, I lament the hard fate
of a duke's daughter, whom they seized as she was walking in her father's garden,
and brought hither through the air in a chariot drawn by two fiery dragons,
and turned her into the shape of a deer. Many knights have tried to destroy
the enchantment and deliver her, yet none have been able to do it, by reason
of two fiery griffins, who guard the gate of the castle, and destroy all who
come nigh; but as you, my son, have an invisible coat, you may pass by them
without being seen; and on the gates of the castle you will find engraved by
what means the enchantment may be broken.'
Jack promised that in the morning, at the risk
of his life, he would break the enchantment; and after a sound sleep, he arose
early, put on his invisible coat, and got ready for the attempt. When he had
climbed to the top of the mountain, he saw the two fiery griffins; but he passed
between them without the least fear of danger, for they could not see him because
of his invisible coat. On the castle-gate he found a golden trumpet, under which
were written these lines:--
Whoever can this trumpet blow,
Shall cause the giant's overthrow.
As soon as Jack had read this, he seized the trumpet,
and blew a shrill blast which made the gates fly open, and the very castle itself
tremble. The giant and the conjuror now knew that their wicked course was at
an end, and they stood biting their thumbs and shaking with fear. Jack, with
his sword of sharpness, soon killed the giant, and the magician was then carried
away by a whirlwind. All the knights and beautiful ladies, who had been changed
into birds and beasts, returned to their proper shapes. The castle vanished
away like smoke, and the head of the giant Galligantus was sent to King Arthur.
The knights and ladies rested that night at the old man's hermitage, and the
next day they set out for the court. Jack then went up to the king, and gave
his majesty an account of all his fierce battles. Jack's fame had spread through
the whole country; and at the king's desire, the duke gave him his daughter
in marriage, to the joy of all the kingdom. After this, the king gave him a
large estate, on which he and his lady lived the rest of their days in joy and
content.
Source : Hugh Thomson, "Hugh Thomson's Illustrated
Fairy Books", London Macmillan & Co., 1898
Notes : This story contains many motifs found in
the myths of Thor, the Giant-Killer of the Ęsir; for example the "kill you when
you are sleeping" approach found both here and (in reverse, it is Thor who attempts
to kill the giant in this manner) in Thor's dealings with Skrymir / Utgard-Loki
in the tale of his journey to Jotunheim.