Looking for historical and mythical "Jacks"

[moonfly7]

Working on a story where every important historical and mythical "Jack" is a reincarnation of one person: Stingy Jack, also called "Jack the lantern" whose soul can't pass on because he's banned from heaven and he won a game to stay out of hell. The ones I have so far are:

Jack the giant slayer

Jack Frost

Stingy Jack

Jack Be nimble

"Mad" Jack Churchhill

Spring-Heeled Jack

Jack the Ripper

Jack in the Green

If it's on the Wikipedia Jack(Hero) page or on the Myths wiki Jack page then I've seen it, if you've got any interesting ones I've missed please let me know! Also Caveat: Preferably nothing after ww2. I doubt anyone has anything too big, but it's worth a shot.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Are you limiting yourself to English? If not, the Jacques may have a few to offer...

[moonfly7]

Are you limiting yourself to English? If not, the Jacques may have a few to offer...

No I am not my good man! Thank you for the link, we shall see where this goes.

[Fyraltari]

No I am not my good man! Thank you for the link, we shall see where this goes.

There's also "Jacques Bonhomme" the archetypical French peasant / semi-historical leader of the Jacqueries, medieval French peasant uprisings.

Also, I'm sure you can find plenty of noteworthy Jacobs, if you go looking that way.

[Eldan]

You may be interested in Neil Gaiman's Graveyard Book, a fairly short children's novel that features a supernatural serial killer called Every Man Jack, or just the Man Jack. He's part of an organsiation called the Jacks of all Trades.

Also, not so much mythological, but https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jack-a-dandy

[Eldan]

Are you limiting yourself to English? If not, the Jacques may have a few to offer...

Interestingly, it seems that Jacques and Jack may not be the same name. Jack seems to be directly derrived from John (medieval English nicknames are weird, it's also how you get **** from Richard and Hank from Henry), while Jacques became Jacob and James.

[Scarlet Knight]

Captain Jack Sparrow

Calico Jack Rackham

Black Jack Pershing

[Aedilred]

Jack Sheppard, AKA Gentleman Jack, AKA Jack the Lad.

Whether it counts for your purposes or not, but "Lucky" Jack Aubrey, protagonist of the greatest naval fiction series ever.

[Bunny Commando]

Giacomo Leopardi, famous italian poet.
Giacomo Casanova, italian adventurer known for his numerous affairs.
Iago, the antagonist of the Othello.
Jan Hus, a czech theologian and philosopher.
Jakob Fugger, german merchant called "the Rich" because he was, well, really rich.

Also, Jack might be the diminutive of Jaqueline\Jaclyn.

[Scarlet Knight]

Jasper "Jack" Daniel

Whether it counts for your purposes or not, but "Lucky" Jack Aubrey, protagonist of the greatest naval fiction series ever.

I protest, Good Sir! While not a Jack, the protagonist of the greatest naval fiction series is Horatio Hornblower.

[thompur]

Jack Spratt
Jumpin' Jack Flash
"Jack" of Jack & Jill fame.

[Bohandas]

Soldier Jack
http://fromthebrothersgrimm.com/movie.php?movieid=10

[Bavarian itP]

Are we talking, regarding the historical examples, about Jacob, James, or John? Or only people who were actually called "Jack"?

[truemane]

Metamagic Mod: so far so good, but everyone please remember that the prohibition against politics and religion includes both historical politics and mythology (and people named Jack). So please be careful and, if there's any doubt as to whether you should post something, default to playing it safe.

[Jay R]

Captain Jack Sparrow

[Bohandas]

Jackie Gleason

[Dragonus45]

This was something of a plot point in the Fables comics if I remember correctly. That there was just one guy named Jack who was in fact every Jack ever.

[Velaryon]

This was something of a plot point in the Fables comics if I remember correctly. That there was just one guy named Jack who was in fact every Jack ever.

You're correct. He even got a spinoff title called Jack of Fables.

[Bohandas]

what about ones that are purely idiomatic and don't refer to specific characters?

Like jack-of-all-trades and jack-****

[oogaboogagoblin]

{Scrubbed}

[whisperjour]

Every Man Jack, or just the Man Jack, is a supernatural serial killer featured in a short children's tale. He's a member of the Jacks of All Trades, a group dedicated to helping those in need.

[Bohandas]

Every Man Jack, or just the Man Jack, is a supernatural serial killer featured in a short children's tale. He's a member of the Jacks of All Trades, a group dedicated to helping those in need.

I like where your head's at. Or processor as the case may be.

[ben-zayb]

This was something of a plot point in the Fables comics if I remember correctly. That there was just one guy named Jack who was in fact every Jack ever.

He's mainly referred to by his nursery rhyme name, Jack Horner, so I may as well add that to the suggestions.

[Peelee]

He's mainly referred to by his nursery rhyme name, Jack Horner, so I may as well add that to the suggestions.

They made a nursery rhyme for the Jurassic Park guy?!

[ben-zayb]

They made a nursery rhyme for the Jurassic Park guy?!

See, they're the same person, so it makes sense.

[Telonius]

Wikipedia says there's a Welsh folkloric figure called Jack o' Kent, famous for beating the devil at bets. They give a sixteenth-century source for that one (the "Stingy Jack" entry only mentions something going back to the 1830s, but either could have been kicking around for centuries before anyone wrote them down).

Jack Napier is (in some versions of Batman, like the animated series and the first movie with Jack Nicholoson) the real name for the Joker.

At one point Jack must have built a house, since there's a nursery rhyme about it (The House That Jack Built)

[Gold Leaf]

Jack "Raiden" Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

[sihnfahl]

Jack of Blades, from the Fable games.

[Kurt Kurageous]

Musical References off the top of my head:

Happy Jack (The Who)

Captain Jack (Billy Joel)

Mentioned in a lyric as the male in the relationship with Joan Jett "I Hate Myself for Loving You"