Submitted by Geo Snow on
The Origins Of Jack Frost
Jack Frost the Personification of Winter
Jack Frost is a figure that parents, for countless generations, have loved to tell their children about. Jack Frost is the impish character who personifies winter; and is the wintry figure who decorates surfaces with intricate patterns of ice, and is the person who makes noses tingle in the cold weather.
Despite his continued popularity, Jack Frost is not a modern character, and the origins of Jack Frost can be traced back hundreds of years to Scandinavian mythology.
The Origins of Jack Frost
The roots of Jack Frost, as a mythological figure, are generally thought to be in Norse or Viking mythology; with the name Jack Frost an anglicised version of Jokil Frosti, Jokil meaning Icicle, and Frosti, obviously being Frost.
In Norse and Viking mythology, Jack Frost is thought of as the son of Kari, the god of wind. The appearances of Jack Frost in Scandinavian mythology though, are brief and not very specific about the characteristics of the figure.
Similarly, tales of Jack Frost in Anglo-Saxon and Germanic mythology, are likewise short on details, although the closeness of Germanic mythology to Norse mythology, makes this unsurprising.
Other Personifications of Winter
Jack Frost is not the only personification of winter; and Old Man Winter or Father Winter, are terms used historically in the English language, although their use is rarer than that of Jack Frost. Old Man Winter, in particular, is not thought of as a fun or mischievous figure, but rather a stubborn one, where winter refuses to give way to spring.
Further a field in Russia, there is also a personification of winter that comes in the form of Father or Grandfather Frost, a figure who works with ice and water to sculpt the earth.
Many civilisations have had a figure that is associated with cold weather, but into the modern day, most of these figures are now linked together as Jack Frost, and characters who existed before are all but forgotten.
Modern Day Interpretations of Jack Frost
The lack of specifics about the characteristics of Jack Frost in European mythology has ensured a more modern take on the figure.
Jack Frost is now, almost universally, depicted as youthful boy of elfish origins, who is definitely mischievous in nature. This modern depiction can be traced back to a starting point of 1864, when the artist, Thomas Nast, painted Jack Frost as an icicle clad figure for Harper’s Weekly.
In modern stories, Jack Frost can be simply portrayed as the bringer of ice, with his character being anything from an impish joker, through to a vicious sprite.
Jack Frost has famously appeared alongside Rupert the Bear, where he is a relatively friendly character; and the British comic strip even deigned to provide Jack with a sister, Jenny Frost.
More recently, Jack Frost has also appeared on the big screen, and is the central character in the Rise of the Guardians, where Jack Frost is the “Guardian of Fun”. In this version of the origin of Jack Frost, Jack is a boy made immortal after his selfless sacrifice, and can now manipulate ice and snow.
For parents though, the actual origin of Jack Frost does not matter, as the idea of Jack Frost allows for much fun to be had when winter arrives.
http://hubpages.com/education/The-Origins-of-Jack-Frost
The Real Story Behind Jack Frost
Long ago during the Anglo-Saxon times, something happened... some may tell you it happened for good while others tell you its the worse that ever happened. But you, dear reader, should know the reality behind the story of Jack Frost. This is the story of a young lad who had a common life just like you and me!
Jack Frost had a sister and lived with his parents on the hill top of a mountain. One day it so happened that Jacks father had to leave the town to trade his goods. But on the way a tragedy occurred, Jacks father lost all his goods because there was a huge avalanche and all his goods were carried off. Luckily, Jacks father was alive but hurt!
Now, Jack's mother was a good young woman. She had brunette hair and hazel eyes.
Jack loved his parents and his little sis dearly. When he came to know that his father had a close mishap he was really miserable but most thankful that his father was alive!
Jacks father returned back home and his mother took care of him.
It was the beginning of winter, maybe the 2nd week, and the two kids wanted to go out for a walk and on the way they had to do a little shopping. Jack loved his sister and both of them played all the time. So before they left their house,they took their ice-skates and a stick which Jack really treasured as his grandfather had given it to him.
Jacks mother warned them to be careful as the lakes would be frozen but with a very thin weak crust on them. Jack and his sister bid their mother good bye and told her that they would be careful and left the house.
The two siblings came down the hill slopes, there was a little lake nearby, which was surrounded by forests. It was always quiet in that part of the village. Many people had told tales that there was something magical in that forest and also it was not safe for children to trespass or trippers to walk by. Jack was a curious young lad who was in his teens and had a high spirit soaring with braveness and he feared nothing. He wanted to show his sister the forest, so he went inside taking her.
Now the lake was frozen but not that well and hard. But it was surely dangerous to ice skate on them! Jack and his sister were skating but when they came right into the middle of the lake, they felt something cracking.The lake started having cracks and Jack and his sister were scared. But Jack had to save his sister and himself, he told her jokes and asked her to move slowly to the other part of the lake, which was closer to their home. She quickly reached out of that lake and was safe. But as Jack tried to move, he was half way through and one of his friends threw a snowball on him. The ice cracked up and he fell into the lake. Jacks sister screamed and cried, she ran for help and soon the village gathered out there, but,the body had sunk deep into the lake and no one could reach it.
Years passed and Jacks family had shifted to another town as his father had got a job in that town, very soon Jack was forgotten but his story was spread all around the world.
After nearly 300 years later,Jack came back to life but his body was transformed, Jack became a guardian of the immortal beings. He defended his presence of being real by making children believe in him and the other guardians as well. As a sign Jack frosts all over the countries during winter. He frosts over your windows, your garden lawns, the roads, the car windows, everywhere! To make you believe that he still exists.
by Shalom
http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/userstory21391-the-real-story-behind-jack-frost.html