The story of a boy and the magic beans which allows him to travel to a sky world did not appear in print until the mid-1700s in England. However, it owes its roots to much earlier times and places.
Origins of the Beanstalk in Jack and the Beanstalk
In some ancient writings there can be found references to mystical structures, ladders and trees that provide passage to the upper world. Among these are the Old Testament tales of the Tower of Babel and Jacob’s Ladder reaching to heaven. The legends of several Northwest Native American tribes have a rope of arrows connecting the earth and sun.
Most early Indo-European cultures had tales of wondrous trees. The World Tree of ancient England held up the sky. In Nordic legend the Yggdrasil is a gigantic ash tree whose branches reach to heaven, while Buddhism has a giant bodhi tree
The New World also has examples. The Mayans, Aztecs, and the Olmec believed in a tree that had its roots in the underworld, its trunk in our world, and its branches in the upper world.
Giants in Religion, Mythology and Legend
Both the Bible and Qur’an have several references to giants who once walked among men. Jewish mythology includes the story of Og, an enormous Amorite king, who was supposedly slain by Moses and his men at the battle of Edrei. In Hinduism the Daityas were a race of giants who defied the gods.
Giants are associated in other world cultures. Among these are the Gigants of ancient Greece who were the children of Gaia, Mother Earth; the Bagadjimbiri brothers, of Aboriginal Australia, who made mankind; and Kenya’s Mwooka, the creator of mountains and rivers.
Chinese mythology includes Pan Gu, who hatched from an egg and became the creator of the universe. According to the legend, he grew ten feet taller each day and lived to be 18,000 years old.
Jack the Giant Killer
There have been many accounts of men in mortal combat with giants. Besides Moses and Og cited earlier, there is the story of David and Goliath and in Homer’s Odyssey the Greek hero Odysseus defeats the one-eyed Cyclops, Polyphemus. Such stories have also been a common theme in Irish, Welsh, and English tradition. The most prominent of these is that of Jack the Giant Killer, a tale which is one of the most likely sources for Jack and the Beanstalk.
The story of Jack the Giant Killer first appeared in print in 1711, but oral versions are probably much older. In it, a Cornish youth, Jack living in Arthurian times kills Cormoran, a giant who is ravishing the countryside. Later, he destroys five more Welsh giants. In gratitude, he is allowed to marry a maiden from King Arthur’s court.
There are several versions of this story. One can be read here.
Jack and the Beanstalk
This tale first appeared in print in 1734 in Round About Our Coal-Fire as “Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean.” It was meant as a spoof of earlier oral accounts. In 1807 two new versions appeared: (1) The History of Mother Twaddle and the Marvelous Achievements of Her Son Jack by Benjamin Tabart (probably the most well known version today); and (2) The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk by B.A.T.
Many more versions have appeared since, including ones by folklorists Joseph Jacobs and Andrew Lang. In some, Jack is portrayed as an amoral trickster who does not hesitate resorting to lies, robbery, and murder. In others, he is given more altruistic motives for his behavior. Five versions of the Jack and the Beanstalk story can be read here.
Related Articles: Modern Versions of Jack and the Beanstalk Story, Jack And the Beanstalk in Movies & TV.
John K. Davis - John is a retired teacher/librarian and has also been doing freelance writing since the late 1970s. Over this period of time, he has had ...
Join the Conversation