In the famous era of King Arthur, there lived in the land of England, specifically in Cornwall county, an active farmer who had only a son named Jack. Jack was a brave boy who loved hearing stories about giants and fairies, and chasing villains. He enjoyed reading about them, and his favorite time was what he spent with his mother as she told him stories of chivalry and courage, and his father recounted the great deeds of brave knights like King Arthur.
Jack went out every day to graze sheep and cows in the fields, always imagining himself as a great warrior. He would practice some sports and fighting games with himself to pass the time while grazing. Jack was a good wrestler when he entered competitions with children; he was always the winner.
In those days, there was a huge giant living at the top of Mount St. Michael in Cornwall. His height exceeded eighteen feet, and he caused terror to all of Cornwall. When he felt hungry, he would attack houses, devour livestock, and steal bulls, pigs, and sheep, returning with them to his cave until what he had ran out and he felt hungry, then he would repeat the act.
The people of Cornwall suffered from the evil of this giant and wished someone could free them from him. Jack felt he could do that because he was brave and courageous, so Jack decided to kill the giant. He took with him a bull horn, a shovel, a pickaxe, and a dark lantern, and climbed the mountain early in the long winter night.
There he worked all night, and before the light of morning appeared, he dug a large hole twenty-two feet long, covered it with sticks and straw, and put some dirt on it to make it look exactly like solid ground. Then he put the bull horn to his mouth and blew into it, producing a loud sound with a long echo that woke the giant.
The giant came rushing to the source of the sound. When he saw Jack, he ran toward him like thunder. Jack didn’t fear him and didn’t move from his place. On the contrary, he said to him: You evil giant, you have destroyed my town and will pay a high price for that. Within seconds, the giant’s leg slipped and he fell into the hole Jack had dug and covered with a clever trick.
The giant tried to get out of the hole, but Jack quickly struck him with his pickaxe, hitting him a strong blow on the head that killed him immediately. Jack rushed to tell his friends, and the people of Cornwall rejoiced at this great news. When the judges of Cornwall heard about this heroic deed, they sent to Jack thanking him and gave him the title Jack the Giant Killer. They granted him a sword and a belt on which was written in gold letters: This is the brave Cornishman who eliminated the giant Cormoran.
Jack’s courage became famous in the western parts of England until another giant called Old Blunderbore heard about him and vowed to take revenge on him. This giant had an enchanted castle in the middle of large piles of wood. Four months after the death of the giant Cormoran, Jack was traveling to Wales and passed through this wood. When fatigue overcame him, he sat to rest beside a fountain of dancing water, and there he fell into a deep sleep.
When the giant came to the water fountain to drink, he found Jack there. He knew who he was from the golden words on Jack’s belt. The giant gently lifted him and placed him on his shoulder to carry him with him to the castle. While walking with him, Jack woke up and felt fear and regret when he found himself in the clutches of the giant Blunderbore.
When they arrived at the castle, Jack saw a horrific sight of skulls and bones of men and women covering parts of the castle. The giant took him into a room where he had placed hearts and limbs of people he had recently killed. He said to Jack with a stern look as he took him off his shoulder: I love to eat men’s hearts. They’re wonderful with pepper and vinegar. They’re the best food I eat. Your heart will be a delicious meal, little knight. He said this and closed the door on Jack, then went to bring another giant living with him in the same castle to enjoy the delicious dinner together.
Meanwhile, Jack heard screaming and wailing coming from different parts of the castle. Minutes later, he heard a sad voice saying: Brave knight, hurry and escape far away so you don’t become prey to that giant. When he returns, he’ll come with his brother who is more savage than him. He’ll torture you before killing you. Hurry and escape from here immediately.
Then Jack remembered the sword the judges had given him. He drew it and cut the ropes the giant had tied him with, then hid until the first giant appeared, killed him with the sword, then did the same with the second giant as he had done with his brother. He searched for the castle keys in Blunderbore’s giant’s pocket.
He went to search for the source of the voice he had heard and found three ladies tied by their hair. They hadn’t tasted food for days after the giant killed their husbands. Jack reassured them and said to them: Don’t worry, I’ve put an end to the giants and killed them all. This castle is a gift for you. Take its keys and enjoy its wealth.
Jack took nothing from the giants’ wealth for himself and completed his journey to Wales as quickly as possible. When night fell, Jack had reached a lone valley between two towering mountains. He kept walking for several hours without seeing any house. After a while, he saw a large house from afar and was very happy. He went to the gate and called the owners of the house with a loud voice.
The surprise was when a savage giant opened the door for him. Jack pretended to be lost and asked the giant for help. The giant hosted him in his house and took him to a room to rest. Jack didn’t stay with the Wales giant long and came with a pile of wood, put it on his bed, covered it, and hid behind the wardrobe. At night, he heard the giant’s footsteps. He looked from afar and saw the giant with a hammer striking his bed thinking Jack was sleeping in it.
After the giant heard the sound of breaking wood, he thought it was Jack’s bones, so he left to his room and slept. In the morning, the giant woke up and sat at the dining table. He was amazed when he saw Jack standing before him greeting him. He asked him: Did you sleep well yesterday? Jack said: Yes, very well, and sat having breakfast with the giant.
The giant was amazed and asked him: Didn’t you feel anything yesterday? Jack said: Only some rats hit me with their tails while I was sleeping. The giant was amazed at Jack’s strength, how he felt a hammer blow like a rat blow. Jack wanted to complete his trick, so he claimed strength before the giant and tried to show him that he ate more than him. He put a bag in his clothes and started dropping the food he ate into it, so the giant thought he was eating voraciously.
Then Jack said to the giant: I can take off my head and return it to my shoulders again, and cut my stomach so food comes out of my stomach and close it again, and I will prove to you the truth of my words. Immediately, Jack took the knife and cut the bag, and food came out of it. After that, he remained alive with nothing wrong with him. The giant was angered, took the knife from him, put it in his stomach, and fell dead immediately. Thus, Jack was able to kill the four giants with intelligence and continue his journey to King Arthur in peace.