eveglass ([personal profile] eveglass) wrote2010-05-14 03:50 pm
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Looking for some Jacks...

As some of you know, the name "Spring Heeled Jack" recently came up in my D&D game. This got me thinking about Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, in which the main antagonists are called "The Jacks of All Trades." Among the named characters in the book are:

- Jack Frost
(a.k.a. the man Jack)
- Jack Dandy
- Jack Ketch
- Jack Tar
- Jack Nimble

So I was wondering... how many legendary, folkloric, or generic "Jack" names are there? I've got some behind the cut, but I bet all you smart people on my friends' list know more. So... what say you? Wanna help me compile a list?


- One-Eyed Jack
- Little Jack Horner
- Jack O'Lantern, a.k.a. Stingy Jack
- Jack Sprat
- Jack-in-Irons
- Black Jack Davy
- Jack-in-the-Green
- Jack Mary Ann
- Jack of the Bowl
- Cousin Jack
- Jack Mormon
- Red Jack (a.k.a. Jack the Ripper) -- hat tip to [livejournal.com profile] msmemory
- Jack-in-Office -- hat tip to [livejournal.com profile] ulfhirtha
- Jack o'Kent -- hat tip to [livejournal.com profile] dipping_sauce

[livejournal.com profile] dipping_sauce also pointed out a Wikipedia page for Jack Tales.


I'm sure I'm missing some obvious ones. Who's got more?

[identity profile] msmemory.livejournal.com 2010-05-14 07:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Red Jack (Jack the Ripper)

[identity profile] eveglass.livejournal.com 2010-05-14 08:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Very cool. It has been added to the list.

[identity profile] hotspurre.livejournal.com 2010-05-17 05:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Another nickname for the Ripper was "Saucy Jack," based on a postcard. There were a ton of letters that were supposed to have been sent from the killer, most of them (if not all) were thought to be hoaxes.

[identity profile] ulfhirtha.livejournal.com 2010-05-14 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Don't forget Stephen King's story "Strawberry Spring", where the elusive serial killer is called "Springheel Jack".

(Jack in the box, jack in the pulpit, jack in office, etc.)

[identity profile] eveglass.livejournal.com 2010-05-14 08:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Cool. I added Jack in Office. Spring Heel Jack is way at the top of my post. I didn't add Jack in the Box or Jack in the Pulpit because they're names of objects, not characters. (At least as far as I've been able to determine.)
dipping_sauce: (everyone is fond of owls)

[personal profile] dipping_sauce 2010-05-14 09:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Jack Tar and Jack o'Kent.

Wikipedia has a category for Jack tales, even.

[identity profile] eveglass.livejournal.com 2010-05-14 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
I've added Jack o'Kent and the category page. Jack Tar is higher up above the lj-cut. Thanks muchly!

[identity profile] jtdiii.livejournal.com 2010-05-14 10:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Jack the Giant Killer
and of course Jill's boy toy.

[identity profile] eveglass.livejournal.com 2010-05-15 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
I've seen those, of course, but I can't figure out how to turn them into names like the ones in The Jacks of All Trades. But rest assured, I have seen them. *grin*

[identity profile] epa-flip.livejournal.com 2010-05-14 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Repairman Jack, the paranormal "fix-it" man from a series of books count?

[identity profile] eveglass.livejournal.com 2010-05-15 03:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Slightly more contemporary than what I'm going for, but good to know about. Thanks!

[identity profile] oaken-glen.livejournal.com 2010-05-14 11:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Looking for some Jacks...

Go fish.


Sorry, couldn't resist. :-D

[identity profile] eveglass.livejournal.com 2010-05-15 03:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Har de har har.

*grin*

[identity profile] joenotcharles.livejournal.com 2010-05-15 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
Bastard Jack!

(That was my 7th Sea character a few years ago.)

[identity profile] eveglass.livejournal.com 2010-05-15 03:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Really? Cool.

[identity profile] hoppibadge.livejournal.com 2010-05-15 05:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Surprised nobody's ventured jack-a-lope yet ;-)

[identity profile] eveglass.livejournal.com 2010-05-15 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Is Jack-a-lope a person, or just the animal? I haven't been putting animals (Jackdaw, Jackrabbit, etc.) just because I want to keep the list human-centric.