A few weeks ago I published two blog posts introducing the American Folklife Center’s rich folktale collections. I focused on “Jack Tales,” those stories telling the adventures of a tricky, resourceful young man named Jack. I included audio of many Jack tales within those posts, but length limitations prevented me from embedding the texts of the stories. So, to make the tales more accessible to a wider audience, I’ll be posting a few blogs with transcriptions of some of the stories I presented in those blogs.
I’ll begin with “Jack and the Northwest Wind,” as told by Maud Long. This is an internationally known folktale about a young man trying to return home with three magical gifts. In our version, they’re a tablecloth, a rooster, and a stick, but other versions had different gifts. The Brothers Grimm called this story “Tischlein deck dich, Goldesel und Knüppel aus dem Sack,” or “The Wishing-Table, the Gold-Ass, and the Cudgel in the Sack.” The tale is classified in the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index “The Types of International Folktales” as tale type ATU 563, “The Table, the Donkey, and the Stick.” You can find many international versions online at this link by scrolling down to number 563.
Maud Gentry Long, a member of an important extended family of singers and storytellers from North Carolina, visited the Library of Congress in 1947 and recorded many songs and Jack Tales for Duncan Emrich, the head of what was then the Library of Congress Folklore Section (an older name for the Archive of Folk Culture). Her collection became the Maud Gentry Long collection of Jack tales and folk songs (AFC1948/110). You can read more about her in our previous post. Here I’ll just point out that she typically called the stories “Jack, Will, and Tom tales,” and she begins this story by explaining why Jack’s brothers Will and Tom aren’t on the scene!
With the permission of Carl Lindahl, I used his transcript of this tale as my starting place. It originally appeared in American Folktales from the Collections of the Library of Congress.
Let’s hear the story in the player below, and you can follow along with the transcript.
A long time ago, Jack and his folks lived on a high windy hill. And at the time I’m going to tell you about now, just Jack and his mammy were there. The father’d gone off on a long trip and was working on helping build the road, and Will and Tom, the older brothers, had gone off into a neighboring settlement to try to find a job of work.
And so Jack was doing the best that he could to look after his mammy and the feeding and cutting the wood and all the things that had to be done around the little old farm. But wintertime was coming on, and it was getting colder and colder and colder. At last the north wind just begun to whistle through that old house, and Jack’s mammy said, “I’ll tell you, Jack, what you’ll have to do. Get you some boards and nails and a hammer and get out there and see if you can’t fasten up some of these awful cracks around here. We’re going to freeze to death, boy.”
Well, Jack sat down, and he studied a little while, and he allowed as how Will had broke the head off of the hammer the last time he was cracking walnuts, and Tom had used up the last nail they had, fixing that old fence. And they didn’t have any planks was worth a thing in the world. Was all just old rotten pieces. So he pulled his old hat down on his head, and he says, “Mammy, I tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to cut you up a passel of firewood and I’m going to leave here and stop that Northwest Wind.”
She says, “Now, Jack, listen here son. You know you can’t do that.”
“Bedads I can. Just let me find the hole it’s coming out at, and I’m gonna stuff my old hat in it. And we’ll have no more Northwest Wind.”
So Jack got just as busy as could be, all the rest of that day and the next, fixing up a big pile of firewood for his mother. The morning after that, he pulled his old raggedy hat down … on his head and away he started to stop the Northwest Wind. He traveled and he traveled and he traveled and he traveled. And it was beginning to get along up in the evening.
Jack was kind of beginning to wonder what he was going to do for the night, for he sure hadn’t found the hole that the Northwest Wind came out of. And as he was a-standing there trying to kind of think, the wind just whistling around him like everything, saw a little old gray man standing there by the side of the road, and when he come alongside of him, the man seemed to know him right from the very first.
“Why,” he says, “howdy, Jack. Where in the world are you going on this blustery, windy day?”
“Well,” Jack says, “bedads, Uncle, I tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to stop this Northwest Wind a-blowing.”
“Ah,” the little old man said, “Jack, you know, you can’t do that.” Says, “It’s a long piece where that north wind’s coming from.”
“Well, bedads, I know, but I’m going on to find it anyway.”
“Now, listen, son. You just come up to the house and sit down a little while with me and get yourself good and warm, and let’s talk this thing over. You may not have to go on to find the Northwest Wind.” Well, Jack was pretty tired, and he was pretty hungry, so he just let the old man have his way and went on home with him.
The old man stirred around, and after a while had a good hot supper on the table. And Jack didn’t have to be coaxed to sit down. Now, after they had eaten a fine meal, Jack had washed up the dishes, they were sitting there before the fire, and Jack was just good and rested. The old man says, “Now, son, let me tell you what to do. You take this little present that I’ve got here for your mammy, and you go on back home. Here’s a nice tablecloth. And all in the world that you have to do, when you spread it out on the table, is to say, ‘Spread, tablecloth, spread.’ And you’ll have as fine a feast as you’d want ever to find in your life.”
“Well,” Jack says, “bedads, that really is something. We don’t have much to eat at our house these days. I’ll just take it, sir, and go on back home.”
The old man says, “Now, listen, Jack. Don’t stop at the next house down the road. They’s devilish boys there, and they’ll torment you to death. Now don’t stop there, Jack.”
“All right, Uncle. I’ll just remember that, and I’ll not stop.” So he thanked him for his nice tablecloth, put it under his arm and started down the road.
Well, it was real late, and by the time he came to that next house, the boys was out in the yard a-playing around, and they begun hollering at Jack to stop and play with em a while. And he stopped and played with em a while. And one of em says, “Jack, what’s that you got under your arm? What is that tablecloth?”
“Oh,” Jack says, “it’s just a little present the old man that lives up at the next house give me.”
“Well, Jack. What is it? What is it? Tell us about it.”
“Well,” Jack says, “now stop pestering me and I’ll tell you. You spread it out and you say, ‘Spread, tablecloth, spread,’ and you’ve got just as nice a meal as you ‘d ever want
“Aw,” they said. “Naw. We’ll believe that when we see it. Suppose you spread out your tablecloth.”
“Well,” Jack says, “bedads, I’ll just show you.” So he went in the house, spread the tablecloth on the table and said, “Spread, tablecloth, spread,” and you’ve never seen such a nice meal in your Life. They all sat down and ate every bite they wanted. They were just as full as could be.
“Well,” one of the boys said, “look-y here. You just have to wait now and show this to Pappy when he comes. Why, he’d be tickled to death to see tablecloths like this.”
“Well,” Jack said, “maybe I’ll wait a little while.” They said, “Listen, Jack. Just lay up with us for the night. No need to where you’re going home tonight.” It was pitch-black dark by that time.
“Well,” Jack says, “bedads, I guess I could, and I can go home early in the morning.” And so Jack went to bed. Went sound asleep, of course, just like a boy would. And away in the middle of the night, the old man gets up and puts a tablecloth exactly like Jack’s right there on the table by him, and takes Jack’s tablecloth.
Well, come morning, Jack was awake bright and early, and he thought about his old mammy back at home and the Northwest Wind a-blowing so. He grabbed that tablecloth and he started for home just as hard as he could tear. Got it just at real, good day.
His mammy said, “Well, I see, you’re back and that wind’s just a-blowing as cold as it ever did.”
“Yes, bedads,” Jack says, “I didn’t get to the place where it’s coming out. Met a little old man, and he give me a nice present for you, Mammy, and I just brought it home.”
“Well,” she says, “what is it?”
“It’s a tablecloth. And all I got to do is put it here on the table and say, ‘Spread, tablecloth, spread,’ and we’ll have just as fine a breakfast as you ever saw. ”
“Well,” his mammy says, “I’ll know more about that when I see it, son. Do your work.”
Jack spread the tablecloth on the table, said, “Spread, tablecloth, spread.”
Hmmp. Not a thing in the world happened. “Well,” Mammy says, “just about like I expected, son. I’ll just take that old tablecloth and make you a shirt.”
So Jack stayed around home another, about another week. And the Northwest Wind kind of let up for about a week. And then it begin to blow harder than ever. Oh, just like a gale, blowing through the cracks in that old house.
Mammy says, “Jack, you’re just bound to do something, son. Now, I can’t stand it any longer.”
“All right, bedads, Mammy, I got you plenty of firewood ready, and this time I’m going to find where the Northwest Wind’s a-coming out, and I’ll stop it.” So he started. Now, he knew right where the old man was living this time, so when he got pretty close to the house, he just decided he’d split right out through that field and go clear around the old man’s house, and he would never see him, and he could get on to where the Northwest Wind was coming out. He just had gotten all away around through that field and come back to the road, and there was a water mill right along by the side of the road there, and who was going out the door but the little old gray man with his turn of meal on his shoulder.
“Well,” ·he says, “Jack, what in this world are you doing out on such a day as today? Now where are you going?” “Well,” Jack says, “bedads, now this time I’m going to find that Northwest Wind. I’m going to stop up the hole so me and Mammy won’t freeze to death, and you are not going to stop me.”
“Oh,” the man says, “don’t you know, it’s too cold and too far a piece. You don’t know how long a ways it is to that place. And besides that, you’re about to freeze to death. This is a cold day, so now turn around, and come back home with me. I got a lot of good stuff to eat, and I might have another present for you.”
“Ah,” Jack says, “another present. I don’t want your presents.” Says, “That old tablecloth wouldn’t do a thing when I got it home.”
The little old man says, “Now listen, Jack. Did you stop down at that house that I told you not to?”
“Yes,” Jack says, “I stopped and stayed all night with em.”
“Well, son,” he says, “they’ve got your tablecloth.” Says, “Come on home with me now. I’ve got something else that’s mighty good for you, if you’ll just come home and leave off this Northwest Wind business.”
So Jack turned around and went on home with the little old man. They had another fine supper. And Jack sat down by the good warm fire and got all so rested and easy-feeling. And the old man says, “Now, listen. This time, I got a rooster co give you. As fine a rooster as you ever saw in your life, and all you have to do is take your hat, hold it right under that rooster, and say, ‘Come, gold, come. ‘ And your hat’ll be plum full of gold eggs.”
“Well,” Jack says, “bedads. Now that will be something for Mammy, won’t it. And I’m much obliged to you, mister. And I’ll just go on home now.” Took the rooster under his arm, and he started down the road.
And the old man ran out the door and said, “Hey, Jack! Listen to what I’m saying to you. Don’t stop down there at that thievish house again. Go on. Get past them boys.”
“Oh, yes,” Jack hollered back. “You may be sure I’ll never stop there again.” And on down the road he went.
Well, sure enough, he got by the house, and was way on down the road, when he met all four of the boys a-coming from the store. “Well, Jack,” they said. “Glad to see you again. What’s that you got under your arm?” “Now,” Jack said, “that’s none of your business.”
“Oh, well,” says, “you don’t need to be so huffy about it. So I guess that’s something the little old man gave you, is it?”
“Yes,” Jack says, “it is, if you got to know.”
“Well,” he says, “what’s that old rooster fit for?” “Well,” Jack says, “he’s fit for plenty. I just put my hand under him and say, ‘Come, gold, come,’ and he’ll lay a hatful of gold eggs.”
“Law, Jack,” he says, “come on back to the house. Show that to Pappy. He’d just love to see a rooster that laid gold eggs. ” But he says, “You know what? Rooster can’t lay eggs at all, let alone a gold un.”
“All right,” Jack says, “let’s go to the house and I’ll just show you.”
Set the rooster on the table, put his hand under him, and said, “Come, gold, come.” There was a hatful of gold eggs. Well, the old man just took on. “Why,” he says, “Jack, you got the finest rooster that ever was in the world. Now son, it’s too dark and late. Thieves might waylay you along the road somewhere. You just better spend the night here.”
“Yes,” Jack says, “I guess I had better. But I sure want to take good care of this rooster.”
“Well,” the old man says, “that’s all right son. I’ll get you a box, and you can put the rooster right into it.” Got him a box, put the rooster right into it, right alongside of Jack’s bed, and Jack laid his hand right on top of the box. And he meant to stay awake all night and watch his rooster. But, Law, you know how a boy is. Why, he was sound asleep in ten minutes. And the first thing you know, the old man tripped out to his barnyard, brought in a rooster that looked exactly like the one that Jack had, and he put his into the box and took Jack’s and out he went.
Well, the next morning, Jack got up. Didn’t know a thing in the world about what had taken place in the night. Took his rooster, thanked the old man for being so nice co him, and give him the box and went on home. As he went into the house, the wind just a-whistling, Mammy said, “Jack, here you are back, and that wind still a-blowing.”
“Yes, bedads, Mammy, I didn’t get past the little old gray man again. I went clear around his house and I met him at the mill. And he brought me back and he bring me another present to … home.” And he says, “Now, we’ve got something this time.”
“All right,” Mammy says, “what is it?”
“This rooster will lay my-hat full of gold eggs for me. Just all I got to do is set him on the table, put my hand under him, and: ‘Come, gold, come.'”
[Whispering:] Wasn’t a thing in the world.
The old rooster flapped his wings and flew up on the back of a rocking chair, and gave a great big crow. And his mammy says, “Well, son, you’ve just played the fool again. Now you got nothing but an old rooster. We’ll eat him for dinner.”
Well, Jack stayed around the house a-working and a-thinking, and a-thinking and a-working and a-wondering whatever would become of him and his mammy. And the wind got to blowing. Oh, this time it bout blew the old house over. And it … in the meantime, and the snow just blew through that house, and it looked like a regular hurricane was coming.
“Well,” Jack says, “Mammy, this is the end of it. I’ve got to go this time, and I’m going to go till I find that Northwest Wind. We’ll freeze to death sure, before the winter’s over.”
And his mammy says, “And be sure that you don’t let the little old gray man stop you this time.”
So Jack started. Now he wasn’t going to go around to even near where the mill was, for fraid the little old man would meet him there again. So he took off on the other side of the little old gray man’s house, out through the woods—and about half-way through the woods run right square on the little old man, a-rabbit hunting.
And the man laughed, and he says, “Jack, what in this world are you doing out in all this snow? The cold west, Northwest Wind is blowing harder today than it’s ever blowed.”
Jack says, “Bedad , that’s what I know. That’s why I’m here. I’m on my way to stop the blamed stuff. We’re about to freeze to death back at our house.”
The little old man says, ‘ Jack, don’t you know thar you’ll freeze to death before you’ll get there. Here you are wet to the knees a-wading through this snow. You’re as tired as you can be. Come on home with me, son. And I might have another present for you.”
Now, Jack says, “Bedads, your presents, there’s nothing to em. That rooster couldn’t do a thing when I got him home. We ace him for our dinner.”
“Yes,’ the little old man says. “Did you stop down at rhe house where chose thieves are?” Says, “Jack, I told you they were devilish boys.”
“Yes,” Jack says, “Bedads, I know it. But I thought I’d keep my hand on the old rooster all night. And it was pitch-black dark, and they was awful nice to me and he asked me to stay.”
“Well,” the little old man says, “they’ve got your rooster as well as your tablecloth.”
But he says, “Come on, now. Let’s eat our supper. And let’s talk this thing over good.” And, he says, “I tell you. I’ve got one more present for you and I believe you’re going to like it, Jack.”
Well, after they’d eaten their supper and sat there in front of the fire and got good and warm, the little old man reached on top of the mantel and took a little old knotty club.
Said, “Now, Jack, this club will just sure be the thing you’re wanting. C me out into the yard. I want to show you how it works before I give it to you and maybe you’ll hang on to it.”
So he took the little old club out in the back yard, and he said, “Play away, club, play away.”
And that club just knocked down as big a tree as you’ve ever seen in your life, whacked it right up into stovewood, and even split some of it into kindling. All right there in the yard before their eyes.
“Law,” Jack slapped his hands and he whooped and he hollered. “Boys,” he said, “that’s the thing I been a-wanting. That sure is the thing for me. Give it to me, mister, and I sure do thank you. Now I’m going to cake my club and I’m going home.”
“Yes,” and the little old man says, “and be sure that you don’t stop at that house.”
“Oh, no,” Jack says, “Bedads, I’m going home with my club.” He took his little old club and started down the road.
Well, just as he got to the house, our came the old man and the boys. And they said, “Now, Jack. You been up to the little old man’s house again. And what do you reckon he’s given you this time?”
“Well,” Jack says, “Bedads, he didn’t give me anything much this time.”
“Well,” they said, “What is it? Show it to us.”
“Ah,” Jack says, “just a little old club. Nothing else in the world.”
“Sure enough? Well, what’s it good for Jack? What’s it worth, just a Little old club? Anybody could give you that.”
“Eh, Law, but,” Jack says, “Boys, this is one more club. I could just tell it to get to work here, and the first thing you know, you would have as fine a pile of stovewood as ever you’d want in your life.”
“Law,” the boys say, “we ain’t got a stick. Here, Jack. Show us what it will do. Show us what it’ll do.”
“Well,” Jack says, “come round to the backyard.” And they went around the backyard and he says “Play away stick. Play away. Cut ‘em up some firewood.” And that old club just knocked down a big old dead chestnut and banged it up into stovewood before you could hardly say “scat,” right there before their eyes. Well they all took on. They whooped and they hollered and they laughed and they slapped Jack on the back.
“Jack, you’re the finest fellow I’ve ever seen in my life. Now. listen. It’s just pitch-black dark. It’s too dark for you to go on. Just stay here.”
The old man says, “Yes. I’ve got to go on to the mill. I’ll be back in just a little bit. Jack, stay till I get back. Stay, son. I want to see you a little bit longer.”
“Well,” Jack says, “I, I maybe can stay till you get back. Go on. I’ll stay if I can.” He sat down in his chair with his club in his hand and a-waiting on the old man, he went sound asleep. Well, just as the boys was tipping around just a quiet as could be around to keep Jack asleep, the old man came back in. He said, “I want to see that club work again. Boys, let’s see if we can do it. Slip it out of his hand there, and let’s see if it’ll bust up this log here.”
They slipped it out of Jack’s hand right easy-like and says, “Play away, club. Play away.”
It began to thumping on that old log there, just knocking it into splinters, but it was making so much noise it just waked Jack up. Jack saw exactly what was a-happening. He made a running go for that door, and when he got into the yard, he hollered back, “Play away, stick. Play away. Knock down their old house! Tear it to pieces! Kill every last one of em, unless they give me back my tablecloth and my rooster, right quick!”
And that club begun knocking the logs out of that house, had em all out of one side and began playing on the roof. And the boys come a-running out just as fast as they could. One of em took the tablecloth and the old man with the rooster here, “Jack! Here, Jack!” Take your things, take your things right quick, and stop that stick. Stop it before it tears our house plumb down. And the first thing you know, it’ll be killing us.”
“All right.” Jack took his things, called his stick, and away they went, just to the house as hard as they could go. Well, when they got into the house, his poor old mother was a-shivering over in one corner just about to froze to death. She said, “Jack, that Northwest Wind is freezing me to death, and you’ve not done a thing about it.”
“No, but,” Jack says, “Mammy, I’ve got everything we’ll need for the rest of our lives. Come out of that place over there, come out of that corner. I’m going to show you what we’ve got.”
So his Mammy came out. Jack spread the tablecloth on the table and said, “Spread, tablecloth, spread.”
My, you’ve never seen such a breakfast in your life. They sat down and ate until they were just so full they was about to burst. Then Jack says “Now, Mammy, look here.” He set his rooster up on another table and he took his hat and he said, “Come, gold, come.” And there was a hat full of gold.
Jack says ‘You see, Mammy. ‘That’s why I’m not going to worry about the Northwest Wind anymore. Right here is all the gold in the world we’ll ever need, and besides, we’ve got the rooster to lay us some more. “Why, we can go to town to buy nails, planks, and hammers, and so we can fix up this old house. I tell you, we’re just fixed.”
“Well,” but the mammy says, “what’s that little old knotty stick you got there in your pocket?”
“Come out into the yard, Mammy. Come out into the yard. I’ve just got one more thing to show you.” They went out into the yard, and he said, “Play away, club! Play away!” And boy, that stick was on the mountainside before you could say “scat,” had a old big tree rolling down right to the chipyard. Cut it up just as fine as could be, and the old mammy just laughing and a-hollering.
She says, “Jack, I’ve never seen such a sight in my life, boy, and I’m telling you, you’ve done well.” And so Jack and his mammy had all that they wanted the rest of the days of their life.
They was doing real well when I left there, and besides that, they had that house fixed just as nice and as tight again t that old Northwest Wind as ever you’d a-wanted it.