Spring Heeled Jack - what was/is he?

[Conrad Clough]

breath fire, or appear supernaturally ugly

actually there are accounts of both of these things in the SHJ legend (well okay the line between really really naturally ugly and supernaturally ugly can be a blurred a bit I guess).

[+DieChecker]

Actually, you'll find in the original SHJ reports that he was described quite like that. True, he (she?) didn't shapeshift, and neither he be expected to. Rakshasas didn't shapeshift. If you can present citations from the Hindu texts themselves which clearly indicate that the rakshasas change their shape (and not merely through illusion, which occurs occasionally) then perhaps you are correct. As of yet I have seen no clear and irrefutable reference to rakshasas' alleged shape-changing capabilities.

Well... sorry, but I post here on my breaks. So you're just going to have to be "right" till Spartan or someone else shows up and posts references to indicate shape changing in rakshasas.

[CloudSix]

This topic is very interesting, pls keep updating

[Rafterman]

It was probably hype after a few ladies were accosted in the streets by a man- and the embellishments kept adding.

I concur.

SHJ then easily became the excuse for any number of embarrassing happenings sprinkled with a dash of journalistic sensationalism.

Much like the more recent Indian Monkeyman.

[Conrad Clough]

Why? It is just one of several theories as to who he was. But it's what I believe.

The reason I am hesitant to accept SHJ is an alien hypotheses is the same reason I am hesitant to buy any of the 'this unknown is an alien or the handiwork of aliens' type hypotheses. I truly think that if aliens from another solar system could over come the engineering obstacles to come here to this planet, they would have better things to do once here than most of the stuff that people give them credit for. Spring-heeled Jack in particular... "I am an alien, I flew several hundred light years to get here... when I am here what do I do... grab human female boobies and bounce around like daffy duck..." am I the only person seeing a disconnect?

[George Ford]

I think that if he had springs somehow attached to his boots then the force required to propel him onto a roof would more then likely shatter his lower leg bones and damage his knees. I think it was possibly an escaped animal. Lots if rich people kept their own small zoos at the time and most people did not have access information and pictures of animals from outside the UK. So possibly a person just not understanding what they were seeing.

[Arbitran]

I think that if he had springs somehow attached to his boots then the force required to propel him onto a roof would more then likely shatter his lower leg bones and damage his knees. I think it was possibly an escaped animal. Lots if rich people kept their own small zoos at the time and most people did not have access information and pictures of animals from outside the UK. So possibly a person just not understanding what they were seeing.

There were no springs. That's absurd.

[King Fluffs]

I think he was a Traceur.

[Night Walker]

I think he was a Traceur.

[TheLastLazyGun]

I think that if he had springs somehow attached to his boots then the force required to propel him onto a roof would more then likely shatter his lower leg bones and damage his knees. I think it was possibly an escaped animal. Lots if rich people kept their own small zoos at the time and most people did not have access information and pictures of animals from outside the UK. So possibly a person just not understanding what they were seeing.

An escaped animal that wore a helmet and breathed blue flames?

[George Ford]

An escaped animal that wore a helmet and breathed blue flames?

Yes, I've seen kangaroos with boxing gloves before so why not a helmet. And the blue flame thing was a mistake. It actually accidently hit and broke a gas powered street light that somehow created the blue flame. Chinese whispers is responsible for the rest. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[+DieChecker]

I think that if he had springs somehow attached to his boots then the force required to propel him onto a roof would more then likely shatter his lower leg bones and damage his knees. I think it was possibly an escaped animal. Lots if rich people kept their own small zoos at the time and most people did not have access information and pictures of animals from outside the UK. So possibly a person just not understanding what they were seeing.

I've seen people shot out of spring loaded cannon and they suffered no broken bones. Also I've seen people leap off trampolines from like 12 feet up and never really get hurt. Shoe springs that shot a person an extra 5 to 10 feet would seem to be in the same catagory, not safe, by any means, but not going to break any legs, if done right.

http://maxclip.tojsiab.com/?w=POBlI3IlAc0&title=Spring-Shoes

http://www.zavvi.com/gift-other/tramp-it-jumping-shoes/10534004.html

[Shosanna Dreyfus]

One of the reasons I decided to join, was that I think anyone with an interest in this subject should check out the essay at http://www.mikedash.com/extras/forteana/shj-about It's very informative in showing how much of what we now hear about Spring Heeled Jack actually differs from the original newspaper reports and accounts and about how there were a number of such costumed "ghosts" running around at that time and thus Spring Heeled Jack isn't quite as unique as he probably appears to us nowadays.

I first read about Spring Heeled Jack in a Reader's Digest book about unsolved mysteries and that sort of thing. As a child it was both fascinating and really creepy. I later managed to get the Peter Haining book out of a library and read that as well. Along with Jack The Ripper, this story has always been one of the unsolved mysteries that most intrigued and chilled me. But I very much appreciated the work of Mike Dash in the above link in showing how much of the account we hear about now is actually from Peter Haining's version (similar to what many of us first read about Mary Celeste was actually from a fictionalised story rather than the real reports and how those Charles Berlitz books give a lot of misinformation about the Bermuda Triangle) and this includes many embellishments, exaggerations, misquotes and some information that there is no other independent source for. The original reports are said to be far less fantastical in their descriptions of the demon's athletic abilities and the army barrack story can be explained if the culprit was actually stationed there and knew when the guards were going to be issued with blanks. Anyway, I've always found the story fascinating and I was very pleased to find Mike Dash's work on the case. I hope others find his essay(s) as fascinating and revealing as I have and an essential companion to the usual accounts of this legendary bogeyman.

[Q-C]

Hello! Shosanna, Welcome!

It creeped me out a lot some years ago too.

Can't remember where I learned about it though. Interesting post.

[Shosanna Dreyfus]

Hello! Shosanna, Welcome!

It creeped me out a lot some years ago too.

Can't remember where I learned about it though. Interesting post.

Thank you for the welcome and I hope people find that site and it's findings interesting.

[orangepeaceful79]

I think that spring heeled jack was the product of people who went out drinking too much or frequenting opium dens and ended up injuring themselves tooling home in an intoxicated stupor. Ashamed to admit that their injuries were the cause of chemical excess they made up a convinient tale that stuck around and got bandied about.

[cenobite]

a figment of imagination

[ThePhantomFlanFlinger]

I think that spring heeled jack was the product of people who went out drinking too much or frequenting opium dens and ended up injuring themselves tooling home in an intoxicated stupor. Ashamed to admit that their injuries were the cause of chemical excess they made up a convinient tale that stuck around and got bandied about.

I know when i drank too much i became 'JellyLegged Brian'......no way i could jump

Edited May 8, 2012 by BrianPotter

[orangepeaceful79]

Spring-heeled Jack is a character in English folklore of the Victorian era who was known for his startling jumps.

He also is reported to have injured people by attacking them in various ways.....this is what I was talking about. That the drunks/opium den participants made up being attacked by spring heeled jack.....