Joseph Jacobs was an author that was for the most part inspired by the Brothers Grimm. If you already read some of my older articles, you might have already got to know them. They had a big influence on German literature and are known by every child still to this day. Also influenced by them, Joseph Jacobs wrote numerous stories, just like the following one!
About the Author
Joseph Jacobs was born on August 29th 1854. He was born in Australia as the sixth child to John Jacobs, who emigrated from London, and Sarah Jacobs. Joseph Jacobs attended the Sydney Grammar School and later the University of Sydney. He stopped his studies in Australia at the age of eighteen and attended St. John’s College in Cambridge instead. In 1876 he received his Bachelor of Arts and then continued studying at the University of Berlin. In the following years of his life, he was an engaged advocate for Jewish history and the Hebrew language. For six years Jacobs was the secretary of the Society of Hebrew Literature and wrote articles for The Times. In 1890 Jacobs published his first collection of stories: “English Fairy Tales” and “More English Fairy Tales” followed in 1894. In addition, he worked on Jewish, Celtic, and Indian Fairytales to give every child the chance to connect with his ideas. Jacobs married Georgina Horne and she gifted him two sons and a daughter. On the 30th of January in 1916 Joseph Jacobs died at the age of sixty-one.
Summary
The story is about a Tailor that worked for MacDonald in a castle. The landlord needed a new pair of clothing, a shirt and trousers in one. There was an old church that was believed to be haunted and he asked the tailor to sew this clothing there at night for a big reward. The tailor wanted the prize and wasn’t intimidated by the tale, so he accepted. At night he sat at the ruins and started working. Suddenly he saw a big head lifting up from below the ground and the creature asked him if he could see him. The tailor answered unbothered that he does see him but has work to do. The giant moved higher to show his neck. He asked the tailor again if he could see his neck and the tailor answered the same way as before. Then the shoulders and chest appeared and the conversation repeated itself. Again with its arms and one of its legs. The tailor hurried to finish his task and began making longer stitches. The giant started taking up his second leg when the tailor quickly finished the clothing, blew out his candles and started running. The creature followed him until the tailor finally reached the Saddell castle of MacDonald and shut the gate. It is said that you can still see the prints of the giant’s fingers on the gate. The Tailor then deservingly received his generous reward.
For the original story, click here: https://www.storynory.com/the-sprightly-tailor/
I hope you enjoyed the story of the brave tailor and the spooky giant at the abandoned church. If you are interested in visiting Saddell Castle, it is located on the shore of Scotland and was built between 1508 and 1512. It was inhabited by members of the MacDonald family for centuries!
