What did jack take from the giant

A Summary and Analysis of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ – Interesting Literature

Literature

By Dr Oliver Tearle

What is the story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ all about? And what is the moral of this story? It’s one of the best-known and best-loved fairy tales in Britain, and also – as we will see – one of the oldest.

‘Jack and the Beanstalk’: plot summary

First, a very short summary of the plot of the Jack and the beanstalk tale (or a refresher for those who are some way out of the nursery). Jack is a young and rather reckless boy who lives with his widowed mother. They become increasingly poor – thanks partly to Jack’s own carelessness – until the day comes when all they have left is a cow, which Jack’s mother tells him to take to the market to sell for money. Unfortunately, while on his way into town, Jack meets a bean dealer who says he will pay Jack a hat full of magic beans for the cow.

Jack, delighted to have been made an offer on the cow before he’s even reached the market, lives up to his reckless reputation once again and agrees to the deal. He returns home with no cow and no money and only a hat full of beans to show for the journey; his mother, needless to say, is less than happy with this outcome, and hurls the beans out into the garden in her anger. They both retire to bed without having eaten, as they have no food left.

However, when Jack wakes the next morning, he finds that the magic beans scattered across the garden have grown into a giant beanstalk outside his window. He promptly climbs it – as you do – and finds a whole new land at the top. Wandering among this land, Jack comes upon a huge castle and sneaks his way inside. The giant, who owns the castle, returns home and smells Jack, proclaiming: ‘Fee-fi-fo-fum! I smell the blood of an English man: Be he alive, or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.’ Jack steals a sack of gold from the giant’s castle before swiftly making his escape back down the beanstalk.

However, this is a fairy tale, which wouldn’t be complete without obeying the ‘rule of three’. So, Jack duly climbs the beanstalk twice more and steals from the giant twice more. The giant wakes when Jack is leaving the castle the third time, and chases Jack back down the beanstalk.

The quick-thinking Jack calls for his mother to throw down an axe for him; before the giant reaches the ground, Jack chops down the beanstalk, causing the giant to fall to his death. Jack and his mother live happily ever after, and are never poor or hungry again, thanks to Jack’s burgling skills. Who says crime doesn’t pay?

‘Jack and the Beanstalk’: analysis

‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, like a great number of fairy tales, has a curious and complicated history. The story’s earliest incarnation of in print was as ‘The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean’ in 1734; it underwent some tidying up (with a large dose of moralising added for good measure) in 1807 in Benjamin Tabart’s ‘The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk’, although the elements we most associate with the story were given the definitive treatment in an 1890 version.

All this would suggest that the tale of Jack and the beanstalk is relatively recent, especially when so many other classic fairy tales have medieval prototypes in world literature.

But in fact, researchers at the universities in Durham and Lisbon believe that the essential story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ dates back over 5,000 years, or two whole millennia before Homer. This prototype of Jack’s beanstalk antics is classified by folklorists as ATU 328 The Boy Who Stole Ogre’s Treasure. Like ‘Rumpelstiltskin’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’, this story appears to be thousands, rather than hundreds, of years old.

As we implied above, there is something immoral in the story’s essential message: steal from others to get yourself out of poverty, and you will triumph. The killing of the giant is self-defence, admittedly, but we can see why Victorians might have been a little queasy around the central thrust of the story.

So in some versions of the tale, such as the one the Opies include in The Classic Fairy Tales

, a back-story is included, which informs us that the giant actually stole his riches from Jack’s father, whom he killed out of jealousy and greed. The giant’s wealth, then, is ill-gotten, and Jack, in stealing from him, is in fact only reclaiming what is rightfully his. This addition makes the tale more palatable to younger readers whose parents want to use the fairy tale for moral instruction as well as entertainment, and, after all, Jack is still far from perfect. His lack of foresight and rashness lead to his selling the cow for such a low price.

‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ has endured because it contains so many of the classic ingredients of the fairy tale: the plucky young hero who’s down on his luck, the evil villain, the happy ending. And it’s been around for a long time: if those scholars are correct in their analysis, the original for the story has been around for almost twice as long as Homer’s Iliad. That’s some literary pedigree.

The author of this article, Dr Oliver Tearle, is a literary critic and lecturer in English at Loughborough University. He is the author of, among others, The Secret Library: A Book-Lovers’ Journey Through Curiosities of History and The Great War, The Waste Land and the Modernist Long Poem.

Image: via Wikimedia Commons.

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Tags: Analysis, Children's Literature, Classics, Fairy Tales, Jack and the Beanstalk, Literary Criticism, Literature, Summary

The Story of Jack and the Beanstalk

Old English Fairy Tale - version written and illustrated by Leanne Guenther

Once upon a time, there lived a widow woman and her son, Jack, on their small farm in the country.

Every day, Jack would help his mother with the chores - chopping the wood, weeding the garden and milking the cow. But despite all their hard work, Jack and his mother were very poor with barely enough money to keep themselves fed.

"What shall we do, what shall we do?" said the widow, one spring day. "We don't have enough money to buy seed for the farm this year! We must sell our cow, Old Bess, and with the money buy enough seed to plant a good crop. "

"All right, mother," said Jack, "it's market-day today. I'll go into town and sell Bessy."

So Jack took the cow's halter in his hand, walked through the garden gate and headed off toward town. He hadn't gone far when he met a funny-looking, old man who said to him, "Good morning, Jack."

"Good morning to you," said Jack, wondering how the little, old man knew his name.

"Where are you off to this fine morning?" asked the man.

"I'm going to market to sell our cow, Bessy."

"Well what a helpful son you are!" exclaimed the man, "I have a special deal for such a good boy like you."

The little, old man looked around to make sure no one was watching and then opened his hand to show Jack what he held.

"Beans?" asked Jack, looking a little confused.

"Three magical bean seeds to be exact, young man. One, two, three! So magical are they, that if you plant them over-night, by morning they grow right up to the sky," promised the funny little man. "And because you're such a good boy, they're all yours in trade for that old milking cow."

"Really?" said Jack, "and you're quite sure they're magical?"

"I am indeed! And if it doesn't turn out to be true you can have your cow back."

"Well that sounds fair," said Jack, as he handed over Bessy's halter, pocketed the beans and headed back home to show his mother.

"Back already, Jack?" asked his mother; "I see you haven't got Old Bess -- you've sold her so quickly. How much did you get for her?"

Jack smiled and reached into his pocket, "Just look at these beans, mother; they're magical, plant them over-night and----"

"What!" cried Jack's mother. "Oh, silly boy! How could you give away our milking cow for three measly beans." And with that she did the worst thing Jack had ever seen her do - she burst into tears.

Jack ran upstairs to his little room in the attic, so sorry he was, and threw the beans angrily out the window thinking, "How could I have been so foolish - I've broken my mother's heart. " After much tossing and turning, at last Jack dropped off to sleep.

When Jack woke up the next morning, his room looked strange. The sun was shining into part of it like it normally did, and yet all the rest was quite dark and shady. So Jack jumped up and dressed himself and went to the window. And what do you think he saw? Why, the beans he had thrown out of the window into the garden had sprung up into a big beanstalk which went up and up and up until it reached the sky.

Using the leaves and twisty vines like the rungs of a ladder, Jack climbed and climbed until at last, he reached the sky. And when he got there he found a long, broad road winding its way through the clouds to a tall, square castle off in the distance.

Jack ran up the road toward the castle and just as he reached it, the door swung open to reveal a horrible lady giant, with one great eye in the middle of her forehead.

As soon as Jack saw her he turned to run away, but she caught him, and dragged him into the castle.

"Don't be in such a hurry, I'm sure a growing boy like you would like a nice, big breakfast," said the great, big, tall woman, "It's been so long since I got to make breakfast for a boy."

Well, the lady giant wasn't such a bad sort, after all -- even if she was a bit odd. She took Jack into the kitchen, and gave him a chunk of cheese and a glass of milk. But Jack had only taken a few bites when thump! thump! thump! the whole house began to tremble with the noise of someone coming.

"Goodness gracious me! It's my husband," said the giant woman, wringing her hands, "what on earth shall I do? There's nothing he likes better than boys broiled on toast and I haven't any bread left. Oh dear, I never should have let you stay for breakfast. Here, come quick and jump in here." And she hurried Jack into a large copper pot sitting beside the stove just as her husband, the giant, came in.

He ducked inside the kitchen and said, "I'm ready for my breakfast -- I'm so hungry I could eat three cows. Ah, what's this I smell?

Fee-fi-fo-fum,
I smell the blood of an Englishman,
Be he alive, or be he dead
I'll have his bones to grind my bread.

"Nonsense, dear," said his wife, "we haven't had a boy for breakfast in years. Now you go and wash up and by the time you come back your breakfast'll be ready for you."

So the giant went off to tidy up -- Jack was about to make a run for it when the woman stopped him. "Wait until he's asleep," she said, "he always has a little snooze after breakfast."

Jack peeked out of the copper pot just as the giant returned to the kitchen carrying a basket filled with golden eggs and a sickly-looking, white hen. The giant poked the hen and growled, "Lay" and the hen laid an egg made of gold which the giant added to the basket.

After his breakfast, the giant went to the closet and pulled out a golden harp with the face of a sad, young girl. The giant poked the harp and growled, "Play" and the harp began to play a gentle tune while her lovely face sang a lullaby. Then the giant began to nod his head and to snore until the house shook.

When he was quite sure the giant was asleep, Jack crept out of the copper pot and began to tiptoe out of the kitchen. Just as he was about to leave, he heard the sound of the harp-girl weeping. Jack bit his lip, sighed and returned to the kitchen. He grabbed the sickly hen and the singing harp, and began to tiptoe back out. But this time the hen gave a cackle which woke the giant, and just as Jack got out of the house he heard him calling, "Wife, wife, what have you done with my white hen and my golden harp?"

Jack ran as fast as he could and the giant, realizing he had been tricked, came rushing after - away from the castle and down the broad, winding road. When he got to the beanstalk the giant was only twenty yards away when suddenly he saw Jack disappear - confused, the giant peered through the clouds and saw Jack underneath climbing down for dear life. The giant stomped his foot and roared angrily.

Fee-fi-fo-fum,
I smell the blood of an Englishman,
Be he alive, or be he dead
I'll have his bones to grind my bread.

The giant swung himself down onto the beanstalk which shook with his weight. Jack slipped, slid and climbed down the beanstalk as quickly as he could, and after him climbed the giant.

As he neared the bottom, Jack called out, "Mother! Please! Hurry, bring me an axe, bring me an axe." And his mother came rushing out with Jack's wood chopping axe in her hand, but when she came to the enormous beanstalk she stood stock still with fright.

Jack jumped down, got hold of the axe and began to chop away at the beanstalk. Luckily, because of all the chores he'd done over the years, he'd become quite good at chopping and it didn't take long for him to chop through enough of the beanstalk that it began to teeter. The giant felt the beanstalk shake and quiver so he stopped to see what was the matter. Then Jack gave one last big chop with the axe, and the beanstalk began to topple over. Then the giant fell down and broke his crown, and the beanstalk came toppling after.

The singing harp thanked Jack for rescuing her from the giant - she had hated being locked up in the closet all day and night and wanted nothing more than to sit in the farmhouse window and sing to the birds and the butterflies in the sunshine.

With a bit of patience and his mother's help, it didn't take long for Jack to get the sickly hen back in good health and the grateful hen continued to lay a fresh golden egg every day.

Jack used the money from selling the golden eggs to buy back Old Bess, purchase seed for the spring crop and to fix up his mother's farm. He even had enough left over to invite every one of his neighbours over for a nice meal, complete with music from the singing harp.

And so Jack, his mother, Old Bess, the golden harp and the white hen lived happy ever after.

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Jack the Giant's Thunderstorm is an English fairy tale.

Tale of Jack and the Giants.

A tale about Jack, the son of a rich peasant who was dexterous, quick-witted and resourceful. This helped him defeat several giants who ravaged his land.

In the reign of King Arthur in the county of Cornwall, on the very edge of the English land, there lived a rich peasant who had an only son named Jack. He was smart, smart and resourceful. Where you can’t take it by force, you take it with intelligence and cunning. Nobody could defeat him.

In those days, the master of Mount Cornwall was a huge giant, gloomy, bloodthirsty, a real disaster for the surrounding towns and villages. He lived in a cave deep in the bowels of the mountain and did not tolerate any neighbors nearby. He ate the cattle of the local people; it is necessary to replenish supplies, he will come out of the cave and prowling around; whatever gets under your arm, you grab it. The peasants, seeing him, ran wherever their eyes looked. The giant could carry half a dozen bulls on his back at once, and as for sheep and pigs, he would string them on a rope and tie them around like a fringed belt.
This went on for several years, and these raids of his completely ruined the Cornish land.
One day Jack happened to look into the town hall, where the city authorities were sitting - they judged and decided what reward to assign to a brave man who would kill a giant. Finally they decided: let him take all his countless treasures as a reward.
— All right, — said Jack, — I'll try to kill this giant.
He took a horn, a shovel with a pick and went to the mountain. In winter it gets dark early. He began to dig a hole, dug all the long and dark night. By morning the hole was ready, twenty-two feet long and nearly as wide. He covered the pit with long poles, threw straw on top, then sprinkled it with earth - the pit was not visible at all. Having finished his work, he sat down at the edge, away from the cave; and when it was completely dawn, he took the horn and blew: tan-tiwi! tan-tiwi!
The giant woke up. Jumped out of bed and ran out of the cave.
- Oh, you vile slacker! he yelled when he saw Jack. "You're trumpeting on purpose, you want to wake me up at dawn!" Well, I’ll have fun too: I’ll fry you and eat you for breakfast.
Stepped forward and fell into the pit, with such a crash that the mountain of Cornwall trembled.
— What, fried and eaten? Jack laughed. “Then you didn’t have anything tastier than poor Jack for breakfast?” Well, then you will be punished for your insolence!
And with these words he hit the giant on the top of his head with a shovel. From the giant and the spirit out. Jack filled the hole, searched the cave and found innumerable treasures in it.
The city learned that Jack had killed the giant, and decided to call him from now on "Jack - the Storm of the Giants", and as a reward they gave a damask sword-hoarder and a belt on which glowed golden letters:
This is a glorious Jack the brave -
Giants are all over .

Soon the news of Jack's victory spread throughout the western counties. The giant Blandermore also heard about this and swore to take revenge on him at any cost. Blandermore lived in a magical castle in the middle of a dense forest. Four months later Jack went to Wales; he walks along the edge of this forest; tired, sat down on the grass near a cheerful spring and did not notice how he fell asleep. He sleeps, sees the seventh dream, and the giant Blandermore went in the meantime on the water. I saw the sleeping Jack, read the inscription on the belt and immediately realized who had wandered into his region. He put Jack on his back and dragged him to his castle. It makes its way through the thicket, there is a crackling throughout the forest, and Jack woke up. What a misfortune - rides on the backs of a giant! He didn't like it very much. Before he had time to be properly frightened, the giant entered the courtyard of the castle, and there the whole earth was strewn with human bones. Soon his bones will turn white here, the giant promised Jack. He locked the poor fellow in a huge room, and he went after his brother, who lived nearby, to feast on Jack together. As soon as Blandermore is out of sight, Jack hears loud moans and lamentations. And one voice repeats everything:
Take your feet,
The giant is already on the threshold.
He went looking for his brother,
To devour you together.
These cries and wails of Jack sent a chill through his skin. He went to the window, and the giants were already quite close. "Well," Jack said to himself, "I'm in the balance, but I don't know from what - death or salvation." In the corner of his dungeon lay a pile of ropes; Jack chose two thicker ropes, made loops at the ends and waits for the giants to come to the gate. They began to unlock the wrought iron gates, and Jack lowered the ropes from the window, threw the nooses around the giants' necks and began to pull with all his might. The giants have turned blue, they cannot move their arms or legs. Jack tied the ropes to the beam, went down one by one, took out the treasure sword and killed the giants. He took the keys from Blendermore's pocket and unlocked all the rooms of the castle. In one I saw three beautiful girls tied by their hair and dying of hunger.
"Noble ladies," Jack told them, "I killed the giant Blundermore and his ferocious brother. You are free.
Gave them the keys and went on his way to Wales. Jack had little money, so he was in a hurry: he took shortcuts where he could, and soon began to stray; It was getting dark quickly, so I had to think about lodging for the night. He sees a huge house in the gorge, who lives in it is unknown, but there is nothing to do. Jack knocked, but it’s bad luck - the giant with two heads opens up to him, however, he doesn’t look so bloodthirsty: he’s a Welsh, and the Welsh giants are insidious - they will meet in a friendly way, and then stealthily and kill him. Jack told him that he had lost his way at night, and the giant took him to the bedchamber and put him to bed. And Jack is not sleeping, his ears pricked up. Suddenly he hears a giant muttering somewhere nearby:
Who will come to my house,
Will not live until morning.
Stronger than my club,
Knock out the mind of a fool.
— Gee, Jack whispered, we know your Welsh tricks! Well, you can't outsmart me.

He slipped off the bed, put a block of wood in his place, and hid himself in a dark corner. As midnight struck, the giant entered the room with a club in his hands and let's thrash on the bed. “That’s good,” he thinks, “not a single whole bone is left.”
The next morning, Jack comes out of the bedroom as if nothing had happened, smiles, thanks the owner for the night. The giant rolled his eyes.
— How did you sleep? he asks.
- Excellent. True, once or twice a rat touched his tail. Well, I almost didn't notice.
The giant was very surprised and invites Jack to have breakfast. He placed before him a huge bowl full of milk jelly. And Jack wants to show that he is one tooth. He hid an empty wineskin under his shirt and poured jelly into it imperceptibly. And then he tells the giant that he will now show him one thing. He ripped open the wineskin with a knife, and the jelly spilled out.
"I bet you," Jack says, "you can't do that."
- How not to do it! - the giant got angry, took a knife, ripped open his belly and immediately died.
King Arthur had an only son. He asks his father just at that time to give him money and let him go to foreign lands: he wants to try his luck. He heard that a beautiful princess lives in Wales, who was possessed by no less than seven demons. So I decided to save her. No matter how much the king dissuaded his son, everything is in vain; I had to let my child go abroad. The son equipped two horses, sat on one himself, loaded a bag of money on the other and galloped off to look for happiness.

One day gallops, another one gallops, and finally rode to a big trading city. He sees that people have gathered on the square - countless. The prince asks what happened; the deceased, they say, was arrested, they will be judged. It turns out that the dead man owed the whole city during his lifetime.

“It's a pity,” says the king's son, “that your creditors are so heartless. All right, bury the poor fellow, I'll pay his debts.
All day people went to the prince for money, by evening his pocket was almost completely empty.
And Jack the Giant's Slayer was also in this city. He liked the generosity of the king's son so much that he wanted to become his servant. We discussed everything and moved on. At the city gates, an old woman calls out to the prince:
- And the dead man owes me. You took two pennies from me many years ago, pay me, son, like the others.

The king's son put his hand into his pocket, scraped out everything that was, and gave it to the old woman. Jack paid for dinner that day, leaving them penniless.
It's completely dark, the prince says to Jack:
— Where will we spend the night this night? We have at least a rolling ball in our pocket.
"Don't worry, master," replies Jack. “My uncle lives two miles from here, a huge and terrible giant with three heads, he alone will beat five hundred warriors clad in armor. They fly from him like chaff in the wind.
- Alas! The king sighed. How can we go to him? He's so big, he'll swallow us like flies.
- He won't eat, - Jack answers, - I'll go first, I'll arrange everything. And you wait here for me.
Jack galloped faster than the wind, stopped at the gates of the castle and let's knock, so loudly that the neighboring mountains echoed. The giant from the castle yelled with a thunderous voice:
- Who dares to knock there?
- It's me, your poor nephew Jack.
- What's the news, my poor nephew Jack?
- Bad news, uncle, I tell you truly.
- How skinny! What, you don't know me? I am a terrible giant, alone I beat five hundred warriors chained in armor. They fly away from me like chaff in the wind.
- Know something I know. Let the king's son come here, and his army is a thousand soldiers, and all are chained in armor. They want to kill you and take all your goods.
- Oh-ho-ho, nephew. And yes, bad news. You know? I'll go underground now, and you lock me up with a hook, a padlock and a latch. And keep the keys with you until the king's son and his army go home.
Jack locked the giant in the underground, and he rode after the prince. They ate and drank notably, and the giant sat underground all that time and trembled with fear.
In the morning, Jack gave the king's son a bag of silver, a lot of food in reserve, and led him three miles from the castle so that the giant would not smell him. And he returned and released the giant from the underground. The giant asks what Jack wants as a reward for saving him from inevitable death and ruin.
- I don't need anything, - replies Jack, - just give me your old coat, hat, rusty sword and a pair of shoes that are in your heads under your bed.
- Okay, so be it, take it. This is not a simple caftan, but an invisible caftan, not a simple hat, but a know-it-all hat. Yes, to match them and the sword: you wave - a hundred heads off your shoulders. And there’s nothing to say about walking shoes - they’ll catch up with the wind. They will come in handy for you. I give them to you with all my heart, you will remember me with a kind word more than once.
Jack took the gifts, thanked his uncle, caught up with the owner, and soon they rode to the court of the princess, whom the prince was looking for. The princess found out that the prince had come to woo, and she ordered a big feast to be held. They ate, drank, the princess wiped her lips with a handkerchief and hid it on her chest.
“Bring me this handkerchief tomorrow morning,” he says to the prince. “If you don’t bring it, I’ll order you to cut off your head.”
The prince went to the bedchamber, twirled, but the know-it-all hat comforted him: taught Jack how to get a princess scarf.
Exactly at midnight, the princess summoned an evil spirit and told him to take her to Lucifer. And Jack put on an invisibility caftan and walking boots and rushed after the princess.
The princess entered the dwelling of the old man Lucifer, gave him a handkerchief and asked him to hide it. Satan hid it on a shelf, and Jack invisibly took a handkerchief and brought it to the prince. He took it to the princess in the morning.
The princess got angry, but did not show it, and in the evening she kissed the prince and tells him in the morning to show her the lips that she kissed at night. If he doesn't show, he'll be without a head.
- I'll show you, - answered the prince, - if you don't kiss anyone else.
"Don't count on it," said the princess. - So look, if you don’t show it, I’ll order you to be executed.
At midnight, the princess again went to the old man Lucifer. She reproached him for not hiding the scarf well.
- This time I gave the king's son a harder task. I will kiss you now, let me show your lips in the morning.
No sooner said than done; and Jack, who was standing right there, cut off Satan's head and brought it to the owner under the hollow of the invisibility caftan. The next morning the prince came to the princess, holding the head of Lucifer by the horns. The princess looked at her head, the evil spell that Lucifer had bewitched her immediately dissipated, and she appeared before the prince as a kind and beautiful girl, as she was before.
They played a wedding the next morning and set off on their way back to the court of King Arthur. The king thanked Jack - the Storm of giants for his faithful service and elevated him to the knighthood.
Jack lives in the court of King Arthur in idleness and idleness, he does not like such a life. So he says to the king:
- Throughout Wales, your majesty, terrible giants still live, haunt your subjects. Give me a good horse and a bag of gold for the road. I'm going to fight the giants. I will rid the kingdom of this evil.

King Arthur listened to the noble speech of Jack - Storm of the giants and ordered to give him everything that a warrior needs. Jack did not forget the gifts of his uncle - an invisibility caftan, a know-it-all hat, a treasurer's sword and walking shoes. Everything will be more convenient to fight in the upcoming battles. Jack rides over gentle hills, over steep mountains, on the third day he drives up to a dense forest. No sooner had the horse entered the forest than Jack heard terrible cries and cries, looked around, and his blood froze in his veins. A huge giant moves through the forest and drags a knight and a beautiful lady by the hair, but with such ease, as if they were not people, but a pair of gloves. Tears welled up in Jack's eyes. He pulled out a treasure sword from its scabbard, ran up to the giant, swung and hit him. The giant fell dead - the trees in the forest trembled.
The knight and lady warmly thanked Jack, invited him to their castle to rest and have fun after the experience, promised to generously reward him for getting rid of a terrible death. Jack refused to go: honor does not order to rest until he gets to the giant's lair.
“Noble traveler,” the knight was upset, “you can’t tempt fate twice. This giant lived in a cave inside that mountain with his brother, an even more powerful and ferocious giant. If you go there, you will surely die. And my wife and I will be very sad. Do not be stubborn, come with us, give up the dangerous undertaking.
- I can't. If there were at least twenty of them, not one could escape my sword. Here I will fulfill my duty, I will deal with the giants - so be it, I will come to you, I will stay.
Jack hasn't traveled miles, he sees the cave that the knight was talking about; near the entrance, a giant sits on a huge block of wood, an iron club is lying nearby; waiting, apparently, for a brother with prey. Eyes - like balls, they flare with anger; cheeks - like two fat hams, bristling with iron needles; hair - like snakes, wriggling over the shoulders, just do not hiss. Jack jumped off his horse, put on an invisibility caftan, went up to the giant and said quietly:0007 — Ah, there you are! Now I'll grab you by the beard!
The giant's eyes bulged - he sees no one. And Jack came very close, hit with a sword, but missed, only chopped off his nose. The giant yelled in a voice that was not his own, waved his club like a scalded one. Then Jack plunged his sword into him. And the giant is finished. He fell and died. Jack cut off his head, hired a wagon driver and sent the heads of both giants to King Arthur.
After that, he returned to the cave to look for treasures. He walked, walked along long passages, then turned left, then turned right, and came to a large room paved with white stone; in the depths above the hearth, a cauldron boils, on the right hand a huge dining table. Jack went up to the barred window, looked into the courtyard, and there were many unfortunate prisoners. They saw him and let's lament:
- Poor young man! And you fell into the clutches of cannibals! How many of us are languishing here, and now there is one more prisoner.
- No! Jack called to them. - I didn't get anything. Stop whining, tell me why are they keeping you here?
— How, why? About stock. If the giants want to eat, they will choose someone fatter and devour them.
"Well, well," was all Jack said.
Unlocked the gate immediately and set everyone free. That was the joy - it's like getting freedom a minute before the execution. Jack found chests full of gold and silver in a cave and divided them equally between everyone.
Only in the morning did he say goodbye to the last prisoner; saddled a horse and galloped to the castle to the rescued knight - he knew the way, the knight told him how to go. At noon, Jack was already knocking on the castle gate.
They received him with great honors. They set a feast for the whole world, the nobility came in large numbers from everywhere, they had fun and feasted for several days. The knight gave Jack a beautiful ring with a seal - the giant takes away the unfortunate knight and his wife, and under it are the words:
We fell into the clutches of the villain
And completely said goodbye to life,
But the brave Jack with his hand
Returned us happiness and peace.

In the midst of the festivities, a horseman galloped up with terrible news: Thunderdol, a giant with two heads, having heard about the death of his relatives, is going to get even with Jack. It's already one mile from the castle. Local peasants scatter from him like chaff in the wind. Jack heard this news, but his spirit was not embarrassed.
“Let him go,” he says. “I will arrange a proper meeting for him. I invite everyone to watch me kill the giant.
The knight's castle stood as if on an island, surrounded by a deep moat full of water. A drawbridge led across the moat to the gate. Jack had it filed down the middle on both ends; he took his sharp sword-treasurer, put on an invisibility caftan and stepped out to meet the giant. The giant Jack sensed and shouted in a loud voice:
Ah, ah! Uh, uh!
I smell the human spirit.
Dead or alive,
You will still be mine.
I will grind you into flour
And bake cakes!
- Talk to me again! shouted Jack. — Look, the baker has found himself!
- Isn't it you, the villain, who killed my brothers? Bad luck for you! I'll cling to my teeth, I'll drink blood, I'll grind bones into powder!
- And you first catch up! - said Jack and threw off his caftan - to tease the giant; put on his walking shoes and rushed off like a whirlwind.

Thunderbolt - after him, running - the earth trembles, not a giant, but a tower. For a long time Jack zigzag to amuse the guests; Finally ran up to the bridge - the giant followed, brandishing a club. The bridge withstood Jack, but as a giant stepped into the middle, the bridge collapsed into the ditch from such weight. The giant flopped head down, tossing and turning from side to side, like your whale. And Jack stands by the water's edge and taunts.
Thunderbolt is furious, rushing back and forth, but cannot jump out of the moat. Jack took a thicker rope, made a loop at the end and threw it over both heads. Six horses dragged them to the shore; hit Jack with a sword, cut off both heads at once and sent it as a gift to King Arthur.
Jack stayed in the castle for a while, celebrated, had fun, but it's time to get ready for the journey. I said goodbye to the knights and ladies and went in search of new adventures. Rides through dense, unmeasured forests, arrived late in the evening to a high mountain. At the foot of it stands a lonely house, he knocked on the door, an ancient old man with a head as white as a harrier opened it for him.
"Father," says Jack, "would you like to give shelter to a belated traveler?" Night on the nose, I lost my way.
- Why not give shelter, - the old man answers. “There is room enough for two in my poor hut.
Jack entered the house, they sat down together at the table, and the old man said to Jack:
— I see, son, that you are a famous killer of giants. Now, listen to me. There is an enchanted castle on top of this mountain. It belongs to a giant named Galliganthus. An old evil sorcerer lives with him. Galligantus lures knights and ladies to him, and the sorcerer, to amuse himself, turns them into wild animals and birds. Most of all I feel sorry for our duke's daughter. She was kidnapped while she was walking in the garden, and carried away through the air in a fiery chariot drawn by dragons. And in the castle, the sorcerer turned her into a white doe. Many knights tried to free the beautiful girl, to break the evil spell. And all in vain. No one could defeat the sorcerer. The castle is guarded by two terrible griffins; they sit on the gate and kill everyone who approaches the castle. But you, son, go fearlessly: you have an invisibility caftan, and the griffins will not notice you. The inscription on the gate is carved in large letters, you will read it and find out how to defeat the sorcerer.
The old man fell silent; Jack extended his hand to him and swore that he would rescue the daughter of the duke from captivity, free her from evil spells.
Jack got up in the morning, put on an invisibility caftan, a know-it-all hat and walking shoes - he prepared for battle. He climbed to the top of the mountain, looking, and the truth is two fire-breathing griffins are sitting on the gate. They did not notice Jack, he crept up to the gate, he sees a golden trumpet hanging on a silver chain, and under it is the inscription:
Whoever blows into the golden trumpet,
will destroy the Giant.
We are not afraid of sorcerers,
We will all be saved.
Jack read these words, took the golden trumpet and played it. Here the base of the mountain trembled, the castle shook. The giant and the sorcerer were frightened, rushing about, biting their claws, tearing their hair. They know that their end has come. The giant bent down for his club, and Jack cut off his head.
Sees the sorcerer - it's really bad, soared into the sky, picked up his whirlwind and carried away, only they saw him. The witch's spell has been broken; clouds of black smoke enveloped the castle, and when the smoke cleared, an empty place remained from the castle. And all the wild animals and birds again turned into knights and noble ladies, as they once were.
Jack sent, as always, the giant's head to King Arthur, and the next day he himself went to court, accompanied by the knights and ladies whom he had so valiantly saved. King Arthur commanded the duke to give his daughter to honest Jack as a reward for his bravery. They got married, and the whole kingdom feasted at their wedding. The king gave Jack a castle, and Jack and his wife lived in this castle happily ever after and died on the same day.

Fairy tale "Jack the Giant Killer". Read online.

In the reign of good King Arthur in the county of Cornwall, there lived a peasant on Lands End, and this peasant had an only son named Jack, Jack was a clever fellow and so smart that no one could compete with him in anything.

In those days, on an island called Cornwall Mountain, lived a terrible giant - Kormoren. He was eighteen feet tall, a full three yards in girth, and had a monster face. He was so fierce and formidable that all the surrounding towns and villages trembled before him. Kormoren lived in a cave in the heart of the mountain, and when he wanted to eat, he wandered through the water to the mainland and grabbed everything that came to hand. Seeing him, people left their homes and scattered in all directions. The giant caught their cattle - he could not drag half a dozen bulls at a time on his back, and he simply strung sheep and pigs on his belt like a bundle of tallow candles. For many years he was a thunderstorm throughout Cornwall and brought the inhabitants to complete despair.

And so a council was called in the city hall to decide how to deal with the giant, and it so happened that Jack went there and asked:

- What reward will the one who kills Kormoren receive?

- All the treasures of the giant! answered Jack.

— Then entrust this matter to me! - he said.

I got myself a horn, a pick and a spade, and as soon as the dark winter evening descended, I got to Cornwall Mountain and set to work. Before morning broke, he had already dug a hole twenty-two feet deep and twenty feet across, covered it with long branches and straw, and sprinkled earth on top to make it look like it was just a level place. Jack sat down on the edge of the pit, away from the dwelling of the Giant, and when the day broke, he put his horn to his lips and played a cheerful gallop. The giant woke up and ran out of the cave screaming:

— Oh, you scoundrel! How dare you disturb my peace? I won't stand it! Well, you'll pay me dearly! I'll catch you and roast you whole for breakfast!

But before the giant had time to shout out these threats, he collapsed into a hole - here even Cornwall Mountain shook.

— What, giant, got caught? Jack called to him. "Now you're going straight to hell!" There you will get for your threats. How about roasting me for breakfast? Maybe you'll eat better than others, why do you need poor Jack?

Having taunted the giant, Jack hit him on the top of the head with a heavy pickaxe and killed him outright. Then he filled the hole with earth and went to look for Kormoren's cave. I found a cave, and in it - a pile of treasures!

The city magistrate learned of Jack's deed and announced to everyone that from now on Jack should be called:

Jack is the killer of giants

And he granted Jack a sword and a belt on which the words were embroidered with gold:

This Cornish boy swept away

He is Kormorena overcame.

The news of Jack's victory soon spread throughout the West of England, reached another giant, Blundebor, and he vowed to take revenge on Jack at the first meeting. Blundebor owned an enchanted castle that stood in the middle of a dense forest.

Four months later, Jack went to Wales and walked along the edge of this forest. He was very tired, sat down to rest near the cheerful spring, and fell into a sound sleep. And while he slept, Blundebor himself came to the spring for water; I saw Jack, read the inscription on his belt and immediately recognized that it was Jack the Giant Killer. Without thinking twice, the giant put Jack on his shoulders and dragged him to his castle.

On the way he had to make his way through the thicket, and the noise of the branches woke Jack up. Jack was very frightened when he realized that he had fallen into the clutches of a giant; but the worst was yet to come!

When Blundebor entered his castle, Jack saw that everything around was littered with human bones. And the giant also said that in a little while Jack's bones would be lying around here. Then Blundebor locked poor Jack in a huge room, and he himself went after another giant - his brother, who lived in the same forest - to feast on the young man with him.

Jack waited and waited, then went to the window and saw two giants in the distance: they were walking towards the castle.

"Well," thought Jack, "now I'll either die or be saved!" Then he noticed that strong ropes lay in the corner of the room. So Jack took two ropes, tied a reliable loop at the end of each, and while the giants unlocked the iron door, he threw the loops around their necks, and threw the ends of the ropes over the beam and pulled down with all his strength. The giants gasped. Jack let go of the ropes, drew his sword, and speared both brothers. Then he took Blundebor's keys and unlocked all the rooms with them. In the rooms he found three beautiful girls; they were tied to each other by the hair and starved to death.

- Beautiful ladies! Jack told them. “I killed the monster and his cruel brother. You are free!

Then Jack gave the girls all the keys and went on his way to Wales.

Jack was in a hurry and walked very fast, but got lost. The night caught him on the road, and there was no housing nearby. Finally, Jack wandered into some kind of hollow and saw a big house. Gathered his courage and knocked on the gate. And then, to his amazement, a huge giant with two heads came out of the house.

However, he did not seem as ferocious as the other giants. After all, he was a Welsh giant, and he did evil to people on the sly, pretending to be their friend. Jack asked to spend the night, and the giant took him to the bedroom. And in the middle of the night, Jack heard his master muttering in the next room:

Even though you lay down on my bed,

You won't get up from that bed

Dube will dance on it!

— So that's what you have in mind! Jack whispered. I recognize your Welsh tricks! But I'll outsmart you!

Then Jack jumped out of bed, put a log on it, and hid himself in a corner. Late at night, a Welsh giant entered the room and began to thrash the bed with a heavy club. He was sure that he had ground all Jack's bones, but Jack came out of his corner the next morning and, smiling, thanked the owner for the night.

— Did you have a good rest? the giant asked him. “Maybe something bothered you at night?”

- No! Jack replied. “Only a rat touched me with its tail a couple of times.

The giant marveled. Then he took Jack to breakfast and put a pound bowl of flour pudding in front of him. Jack didn't want to admit that he couldn't eat that much. So he hid a large leather bag under his jacket and, while eating, imperceptibly shifted the pudding into it, and after breakfast he told the giant that he would now show him a miracle. He took a knife and ripped open the bag - all the pudding fell out!

— Damn it! cried the giant. - Such a miracle and we can show you!

Grabbed a knife, cut open his belly and immediately fell down dead.

Meanwhile, the only son of King Arthur asked his father for a lot of money, he wanted to try his luck in Wales, where a beautiful woman lived, possessed by seven evil spirits. The king tried his best to dissuade his son, but in vain. Finally he had to give way, and the prince set off with two horses - on one he rode himself, and on the other he carried a pack with money.

A few days later, the prince entered a Welsh town and saw a large crowd in the square. He asked the people why they had gathered, and they replied that they were guarding the dead man, that they would not let him be buried, because he owed them a lot of money during his lifetime. The prince marveled at the cruelty of the lenders and said:

- Go bury him, and let the lenders come to me - I will pay them everything in full.

Here the prince was besieged by so many people that by the evening of all his money there were only two pence left.

At that time, Jack the Giant Killer was passing through the city. The generosity of the prince pleased him, and the young man asked to serve him. The prince agreed to take Jack, and the next morning they set off together. As they were leaving the city, an old woman called out to the prince. She said:

— It's been seven years since the dead man borrowed two pence from me. I beg you, pay me as others were paid!

The prince put his hand in his pocket, pulled out the last of his money and gave it to the woman. True, Jack still had a few coins left, but the travelers spent them on dinner that day, and both were penniless.

Just before sunset the king's son said:

— Where shall we sleep, Jack? After all, we don't have any money.

To this Jack replied:

— There will be lodging for the night, my lord! My uncle lives two miles away, a huge, terrible giant with three heads. He can't fight five hundred armored warriors and drive them away like flies!

— Well, — said the prince, — then we have nothing to do with him! The giant will swallow us in one fell swoop. What is there! After all, you and I will fit in the hollow of his rotten tooth!

- Nothing! Jack objected. “I will go ahead and arrange a meeting for you. Stay here and wait until I return!

And Jack galloped on at full speed. He rode up to the gates of the castle and pounded so loudly that his knock echoed from all the surrounding hills. And the giant thundered in response with a thunderous voice:

- Who is there?

Jack said:

— It's me, your poor nephew Jack.

The giant asked:

— What news did my poor nephew Jack bring?

- God knows, bad ones, dear uncle! Jack replied.

- But-but! said the giant. "How can you bring me bad news?" For I am the Three-Headed Giant. I, as you know, go out to fight against five hundred warriors in armor, and they fly away from me in all directions, like straw in the wind.

— Yes, but here comes the king's son with a whole thousand armed warriors! Jack said. “They want to kill you and destroy all your property!”

— That's it, nephew Jack! said the giant. Well, that's really bad news! I'll run and hide, and you lock me, bolt and bolt, and keep the keys with you until the prince gets out of here.

Jack locked up the giant and went after the prince. In the castle, travelers had fun to their heart's content, and the poor giant lay in the dungeon and trembled with fear.

The next morning Jack stocked up gold and silver for his master early in the morning and advised him to go three miles ahead - after all, three miles away the giant could not smell the prince. Then Jack returned and released his uncle from the dungeon.

— How can I reward you for saving my castle from destruction? the giant asked.

— What is there! Jack replied. - I don't need anything. Just give me your worn jacket, hat, and even the old rusty sword and night shoes that are lying under your bed.

- You don't know what you're asking! said the giant. “These are my most precious treasures. Once you put on a jacket, you become invisible. The hat will tell you everything you want to know. The sword will cut into pieces everything you hit with it. And the shoes in the blink of an eye will take you wherever you want. But so be it! You have served me well. I give you from the bottom of my heart everything you ask for!

Jack thanked his uncle, took the presents and left.

He quickly overtook his master, and soon they arrived at the house of the beauty the prince was looking for. And she found out that the prince had come to ask for her hand, and treated him to fame. After the feast, the beautiful lady announced to the prince that she wanted to give him a task. She wiped her lips with a handkerchief and said:

- Tomorrow morning you must show me this same handkerchief. Otherwise, do not blow your head!

And she hid the handkerchief on her chest. The prince went to bed in great anxiety. But Jack's omniscient hat told them how to get the handkerchief.

At midnight, the beauty called her spirit friend and told him to take her to Lucifer. And Jack put on an invisibility jacket and walking shoes and rushed to Satan after the beauty. She entered the satanic abode and immediately gave her handkerchief to Lucifer, who put it on the shelf. Jack immediately grabbed a handkerchief and brought it to his master. And in the morning, the prince showed the handkerchief to the beautiful lady and thereby saved his life.

That day the lady kissed the prince and said that in the morning he should show her the lips she had kissed the night before. Otherwise, do not blow his head!

— Okay, I'll show you! the prince replied. “Just promise not to kiss anyone else but me!”

“Be that as it may,” said the beauty, “if you do not follow my order, death awaits you.

At midnight she again went to Lucifer and scolded him for not saving her handkerchief.

“Well, this time,” said the beauty, “I won’t show mercy to the prince!” Here I kiss you, and let him show me your lips!

And kissed Satan. But as soon as she left, Jack cut off Lucifer's head, hid it under an invisibility jacket and took it to his master.

In the morning the prince lifted the head of Satan by the horns and showed it to the beauty. And immediately the delusion dissipated; the evil spirit left the beautiful lady, and she appeared before the prince in all her glory.

The next day they got married and soon left for the court of King Arthur. There, for all his great deeds, Jack was knighted of the Round Table.

Some time later, Jack went looking for the giants again. He had not gone far when he saw a cave. At the entrance to it, on a wooden block, sat a giant with a knotty iron club on his side. The giant's bulging eyes burned with fire, his ugly face was fierce, his cheeks were like pork hams, and his beard was bristling like iron bars. His hair fell on his mighty shoulders like writhing snakes, like hissing vipers.

Jack jumped off his horse, put on an invisibility jacket and went to the giant, muttering to himself:

- Yeah, there you are! Well, you won't blink an eye as I grab you by the beard!

The Giant did not see Jack, because he was wearing an invisibility jacket. And so Jack crept up to the monster and hit him on the head with his sword, but missed and cut off his nose instead of a head. The giant roared like thunder, and in a frenzy began brandishing an iron mace. But Jack ran behind him and drove his sword into his back up to the hilt. The giant fell to the ground dead. Then Jack cut off his head and sent it along with the head of another giant - his brother - to King Arthur. And for this they had to hire a driver and put their heads on the wagon.

Then Jack decided to go into the giant's cave to look for his treasure. For a long time he walked along long passages and passages and finally reached a large room paved with unhewn stone. At the back of this room stood a boiling cauldron, and to the right of it was a huge table - at this table the giant always dined. An iron-barred window opened into the next room. Jack looked into it and saw a huge crowd of unfortunate prisoners. They noticed Jack and shouted:

— Oh, young man, do you really have to die with us in this terrible lair?

“Yes,” Jack replied. “But tell me, why are you under lock and key?”

“We are kept here until the giants are hungry,” answered one prisoner, “and then the fattest of us is slaughtered. ”

— Well, nothing to say! Jack replied.

He immediately unlocked the gate and set all the captives free. They rejoiced, as suicide bombers rejoice when they receive a pardon.

Then Jack searched the giants' chests, divided the gold and silver equally among the captives, and finally led them to a nearby castle, where they feasted and made merry, celebrating their release.

But suddenly, in the midst of the fun, a messenger brought the news that the two-headed giant Thunderdell heard about the death of his relatives and came from the northern valleys to take revenge on Jack; that he was already only one mile from the castle, and that all the inhabitants of the surrounding area were fleeing from him in all directions. But Jack wasn't scared at all.

— If he tries to stick his head in here, I'll count all his teeth! And I ask you, gentlemen, to go out into the garden and see how the giant Thunderdell is killed!

The castle stood on an island surrounded by a moat thirty feet deep and twenty feet wide. The ditch was filled with water, and they crossed it on a drawbridge.

So Jack hired people to chop off the sides of the bridge almost to the middle. Then he put on an invisibility jacket and confronted the giant with a sharp sword in his hands. The giant didn't see Jack, but he smelled him and yelled:

Fi-fi-fo-fum!

I smell the spirit of the British there!

Whether he is dead or alive,

Will go to my breakfast!

— Oh, that's how it is! Jack said. - Well, you are a glutton!

And the giant shouted again:

“So it was you, scoundrel, who killed my relatives?! Now I will tear you apart with my teeth, suck the blood out of you, and grind your bones into powder!

- Catch me first! - Jack answered and threw off his invisibility jacket so that the giant could see him.

Then he put on his walking shoes and ran away. And the giant chased him, and it seemed as if some kind of castle had moved from its place and the earth itself was shaking under his every step.

Jack forced the giant to chase him for a long time - he wanted to amuse the ladies and gentlemen. Then he decided that it was time to end the game, and easily ran up to the bridge. The giant at full speed rushed after him with a club in his hands. But before he could reach the middle, the bridge collapsed under a heavy load, and the giant fell headfirst into the water and began tossing and floundering in it like a whale. And Jack stood near the moat and made fun of him. But no matter how angry the giant was, hearing Jack's mockery, no matter how he rushed about in the water, he could not get out of the ditch to pay off the enemy.

Finally, Jack grabbed the reins, threw them on the giant's heads, and with the help of a team of horses pulled him ashore, then cut off both heads with his sharp sword and sent them to King Arthur.

Jack spent some time in festivities and entertainment, and then again left the beautiful ladies and knights and went in search of adventure. Jack made his way through many forests until he finally came to the foot of a high mountain. And there, already late at night, I saw a lonely house. He knocked on the door and an old man with snow-white hair opened it.

"Father," Jack told him, "let him sleep over!" I got lost and the night found me on the road.

— Come in, come in! replied the old man. “Welcome to my wretched hut.

Jack came in, they sat down next to each other, and the old man spoke like this:

— My son, I see from the inscription on your belt that you are a great Slayer of Giants. So listen, my son! At the top of this mountain stands an enchanted castle. It is owned by the giant Galligantua. With the help of an old sorcerer, the giant lures knights and ladies to him and turns them into different creatures with magic spells. But what saddens me most is the fate of the duke's daughter. They seized her in her father's garden and carried her through the air in a burning chariot drawn by fire-breathing dragons. In the castle, she was locked up and turned into a white doe. Many knights tried to dispel the magic spell and free the girl, but no one succeeded - two terrible griffins are sitting at the gates of the castle, and they destroy everyone who comes close. But you, my son, will pass them invisibly. And on the gates of the castle you will see an inscription carved in large letters. She will tell you how to dispel witchcraft.

Jack thanked the old man and promised that he would try to free the duke's daughter in the morning, even if it cost him his life.

The next morning, Jack got up, put on his invisibility jacket, magic hat, walking shoes and prepared for battle.

As soon as he climbed to the top of the mountain, he immediately saw fire-breathing griffins. But he passed them without fear - after all, he was wearing an invisibility jacket. A golden trumpet hung on a silver chain on the gates of the castle, and under it were carved the words:

Whoever blows a trumpet into gold,

That terrible castle will disenchant;

The fierce giant will die,

And happiness will come to people again.

As soon as Jack read these lines, he blew into the chimney, and the huge castle shook to its very foundations, and great confusion seized the giant and the sorcerer. They began to bite their elbows and tear their hair, sensing that the end of their evil power would soon come!

Suddenly the giant bent over his club, but then Jack cut off his head with one blow, and the sorcerer rose into the air, and the whirlwind carried him away.

The evil spell has broken. All that were turned into birds and beasts became people again, and the castle disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Jack, as always, sent the head of the giant Galligantua to the court of King Arthur, and the next day he himself went there with the knights and ladies he had freed.

As a reward for his faithful service, the king persuaded the duke to give his daughter to honest Jack.

They got married and the whole kingdom rejoiced at their wedding. And then the king gave Jack a magnificent castle with rich land, and Jack lived there with his wife the rest of his days in love and harmony.