Mythological Throwback Thursday: Jack Frost
It’s Mythological Throwback Thursday, and for us Northern Hemisphere types, it’s the Winter Solstice! Time to bone up on Mr Winter himself, Jack Frost!
Jack Frost, also known as Old Man Winter, is the anthropomorphic representation of winter. He’s known for creating frosty weather as well as his playful and artistic personality. It’s said that on cold nights, Jack Frost sneaks into towns and creates beautiful, icy spirals of frost upon the windows. In some versions of the tale, he even paints the leaves their beautiful shades of yellow, red and orange during autumn.
Many believe that the character of Jack Frost is an adaptation of an old Norse myth. Jokul Frosti, or ‘icicle frost’ is the son of Kári, god of wind. Regarded as more of an elf than a god, this depiction carried over to the British Isles, where until modern times Jack Frost was typically characterised as a mischievous fey trickster.
In Russia, the personification of winter is known as Father Frost, or Morozko. A fairytale is told in which a father is told to abandon his daughter in the cold by an evil stepmother. When Morozko comes for the girl, she stoically insists that she is not cold. Morozko is impressed by her fortitude and showers her with gifts of furs and jewels, sending her home safe and well. When the stepmother attempts to send her own daughter out in the hopes of receiving the same treatment, the stepdaughter displeases Morozko with her unpleasant attitude, and is frozen to death.
Jack has been a popular figure to be adapted to film, television and literature for over a hundred years. Though he sometimes appears as a villain or antagonist, using his wintry powers for evil, he is largely a decent sort.
We hope you’re having a wonderful holiday season! Please follow us so we can share more myths, legends, folklore, and fairytales with you, and we’ll have another Mythological #TBT same time next week!
