The Singing Harp
The singing harp of the giant in the English fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk is one of the three treasures Jack steals on his second visit to the giant's castle in the clouds, beside the bag of gold and the hen that lays golden eggs. The harp plays by itself, and as Jack flees down the beanstalk it calls out 'Master! Master!', waking the giant and setting the pursuit in motion. When Jack reaches the ground he chops the beanstalk down and the giant falls to his death, so the harp's voice is the object that turns the theft into the tale's climax. The story, first printed in the eighteenth cent