We summarize and discuss Jonathan Pageau’s The Tale of Jack and the Fallen Giants. Jack’s dead father has left he and his mother a house, a cow, an axe and other tools.  He reasons with her a cow provides them milk, but she convinces him they need more, so he goes out to the market, but at the bridge he’s approached by an old man who convinces him to trade the cow for three beans because they will proliferate. Jack rejoices but his mother is crestfallen and tosses them out the window.  The next day Jack is driven to climb the stock and on three trips he acquires bronze, a silver egg-laying chicken, and a heavenly harp, defying boy-eating giants and being hid by their wives each time.  He is able to gain food, wealth, reputation and finally political power through his exploits and judgment, and at the end of the story he sits on the throne, battling the elemental forces of the fallen giants for his kingdom. 

This story is about growing up, with basic needs, courage, rationality, helpers, and truth, order and beauty all playing parts.  This also seems like a Christian story of triumph of will, divine order and beauty over primordial, greedy, and destructive forces; the triumph occurs through a once-lowly character that becomes the ruler of a great earthly kingdom.

(Sorry about the bad sound on my end.  It’s been corrected in future episodes.)

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I plan to conduct more interviews with various guests, so please check back later for those.