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Who Is Jack Frost?

You might have heard of him, the one responsible for nipping at your nose and frosting your windows with fern-like patterns during wintertime. His name is Jack Frost, and his legend dates back centuries. So who is he?
Jack Frost Origins

There’s not one particular story that we can point to for the creation of Jack Frost, but rather a collection of stories taken from countries all over the world. In some cultures he’s considered a villain, in some hero, but in all of them he’s the personification of the winter season.

While there’s much debate over the origins of Jack Frost, many believe he originated from Scandinavian or Anglo-Saxon traditions. In one popular story, he’s the son of Kari, Norse god of the winds. In Finnish folklore, there is the legend of Frostman and Frostwoman, who control weather and must keep good conditions for the reindeer to live in. In many cultures around the world, it is common to personify things like the seasons and weather. In Japanese folklore, for example, there are stories of a Frost Man and his brother, Mist Man, who are the keepers of frost and dew.

As for the Jack Frost of today, there isn’t much reasoning as to why his name has come to be Jack, other than “Jack” was a common slang word for “man” in England during the 16th and 17 centuries.

What Does He Look Like?

Jack Frost is most often portrayed as a spritely character, and depending on where you look, he’s either a hero or a villain. Frost has been the subject of a variety of songs, stories, and movies. Dreamworks came out with Rise of the Guardians in 2012, which features Jack Frost as the main protagonist, an angsty teenager who discovers his true purpose. He’s also featured as a man in The Santa Clause 3, and plays an evil character looking to overthrow Santa. And let’s not forget the movie Jack Frost, a film about a father who dies in a car crash but magically comes back to life as a snowman to spend time with his son.

The first illustrated cartoon of the character is thought to be a political cartoon published in 1861 in Harper’s Weekly. It showed a drawing by Thomas Nast and depicted general Jack Frost freezing out the malaria that was spreading during the American Civil War. Nast was also famous for creating the image of Santa Claus that we’re familiar with today.

Now when you hear ‘The Christmas Song,’ you can think of Jack Frost, spreading frosty cheer to people all over the world.

No frost yet and I yanked the last costa rican red pepper plants yesterday. My three long planters with lettuce had some second planting roots where I had cut off the tops. And some new seeds that were up for about two weeks. I could not dump then. So I potted up 10 large cottage cheese containers and brought them in. It remains to be seen if they will grow well. They are up against a south facing slider but this is Michigan. I had rooted basil with tremendous roots on the kitchen windowsill. They sometime keep growing until January but I dumped them yesterday. We have plenty frozen in olive oil and I just got tired of changing the eater every day and not getting much growth. It has been so overcast around here. We rejoice when we get some sun. Still picking a couple of handfuls of red raspberries. Had enough yesterday to make 4 nice breakfast crepes. I just smash the berries in a bowl and add a bit of sugar. Have not opened any of our 6 half pints of jam yet. We have cracked into one of our V8 quarts. I had it in the fridge overnight first. It just knocked our socks off! It's going to be hard to ration it out over the winter. Next year we are making twice as much. It really was our best garden even since 1984. And thanks to this thread and all who visit and share. Three great first take aways, V8, the shishito pepper sauce and the tomato bacon jam. Freezer and pantry full we are all set for winter. The colors were great this year, started fading about 4 days ago. The last of the great color are always our pawpaws. Here they are yesterday, love that lemon yellow color. Even better and brighter with some sunshine which we have not had. This is a cluster of 4 trees and a young one to the right.

In for a break & some electrolytes. Putting down a layer of wood chips in the leaf bin (on top of weed barrier), then I am tying some plastic mesh to the wire so the small leaves don’t get through (I am chopping them up with the mower). I can sit on a stool to tie the mesh, so that will be a break. After that, I will be rounding up & hauling leaves the rest of the day. The grass is a bit long so that will get cut & mixed in with the leaves - a good thing for composting.

It is rather ‘warm’ here - I am sweating like crazy & had to tie my hair up. There are a few gnats buzzing around - I hate those things ... at least it’s not a swarm, just one or two now & then.

While I’m working, I’m planning holiday recipes I want to make in my head .... some venison stews & a roasted fresh ham are the ones I am thinking about the most. I have a turkey (bought on sale) in the freezer, too. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday - all the festivities, family & food, with no pressure for presents.

Leaves are past ‘peak’ today .... jewel-like colors are starting to fade .... still pretty, just not spectacular.

FULL MOON tonight - the “Hunter’s Moon”!

We got lucky to have no frost this morning, just chilly temps in the 40’s to start the day.

However, yesterday I wore short sleeves and shorts, and raked leaves for an hour. We had rain overnight, so now my yard is covered in leaves again! The chore seems never ending. It’s the down side of having a tree covered yard.

The leaves are still too wet to rake. On top of that, I have a few loose ends to take care of before going to a costume party tonight. Our costumes are nearly finished. I modify thrift store finds to keep the price down.