When good King Arthur ruled the land, there lived near Land’s End in
England, in a place called Cornwall, a farmer who had an only son named
Jack. Jack was wide awake and ready of wit, so that nobody and nothing
could worst him.
In those days the Mount of Cornwall was kept by a huge giant named
Cormoran. He was so fierce and frightful to look at that he was the
terror of all the neighboring towns and villages. He lived in a cave in
the side of the mount, and whenever he wanted food he waded over to the
mainland and took whatever came in his way. At his coming everybody ran
away, and then of course he seized the cattle, making nothing of carrying
off half-a-dozen oxen on his back at a time, and as for sheep and hogs he
tied them around his waist as if they were tallow dips. He had done this
for many years, and all Cornwall was in despair.
One day Jack happened to be in the town-hall when the magistrates were
sitting in council to think what was best to do.
“What reward,” he asked, “will be given to the man who kills Cormoran?”
“He may take the treasure the giant has stored in his cave,” they said.
Quoth Jack, “Let me have a try at it.”
So he got a horn and shovel and pickaxe. And in the dark of a winter’s
evening he went over to the mount and fell to work. Before morning he
had dug a pit twenty-two feet deep and nearly as broad, and covered it
with sticks and straw. Then he strewed a little earth over it so that it
looked like plain ground. He then placed himself on the farther side of
the pit, and just at the break of day put his horn to his mouth and blew,
Tan-tiv-y, Tan-tiv-y!
The noise roused the giant. He rushed out of his cave, crying, “You
villain, have you come here to disturb my rest? You shall pay dearly
for this. I will take you whole and broil you for breakfast.” He had
no sooner said this than he tumbled into the pit and made the very
foundations of the mount shake.
“Oh, Giant,” quoth Jack, “where are you? Has the earth swallowed you up?
What do you think now of broiling me for breakfast? Will no other food do
than sweet Jack?” Then he gave a most mighty knock with his pickaxe on
the very crown of the giant’s big head, and killed him on the spot.
Jack then filled up the pit with earth, and went to the cave and took the
treasure. When the magistrates heard of Jack’s success, they made a law
and wrote it on their books that henceforth he should be called
Jack-the-Giant-Killer,
and they presented him with a sword and belt, and on the belt they wrote
these words,
“Here’s the right valiant Cornish man
Who slew the giant Cormoran.”
—ENGLISH FOLK TALE