named for Jack O’Lantern of the Irish myth, were actually quite terrifying. They were carved from turnips or beets rather than festive orange pumpkins and were intended to ward off unwanted ...

In the passage below, Ott explores the origins of the carved jack-o’-lantern, especially as it relates to the classic "Sleepy Hollow" legend. One of the best-known literary works in which a pump ...

The term jack-o’-lantern was first applied to people, not pumpkins. As far back as 1663, the term meant a man with a lantern or a night watchman. Just a decade or so later, it began to be used ...