"Spring Heeled Jack", represented above, was and remains a very peculiar figure of English folklore. Newspaper and court reports during the early 19th century describe a being who was said to be able to spit flames, to be armed with steel claws and capable of fantastical leaps.
Reported sightings of Spring Heeled Jack continued throughout the mid-1800s and into the early 20th century, also inspiring a parallel tradition of appearances in works of fiction including plays and "penny dreadful" stories.
While researching an article tracing the origins of the "masked avenger" trope in popular fiction (http://ift.tt/1X8IyHK) I came across many references to the phenomenon of "playing the ghost":
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There is no doubt that Spring Heeled Jack became the most famous exemplar of the curious 19th century “playing the ghost” or “ghost act” craze, which was widely reported upon in newspapers at the time. “Ghost actors”, according to these reports, would dress in outlandish costumes and, thus disguised, would startle or even assault passers-by before vanishing back into the night (or, occasionally, being shot or beaten by their would-be victims). |
Academic folklorists would describe "playing the ghost" as a dramatic example of ostension - http://ift.tt/1rorlO1 - or "living the legend", whereby events of a folk narrative (which might include rumor, urban legend, media reports on a mysterious phenomenon, etc.) inspire real-life enactments of aspects of that narrative. The enactment might take the form of a prank or hoax, something done as a dare (as in the common practice of "legend tripping", whereby people visit sites rumored to be haunted) or even tragedies such as the recent "Slender Man stabbing" (http://ift.tt/1IgvJ2i).
I find the subject fascinating and hope that it will be of interest to other skeptics.
via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/1rostkI
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