Strangest Mysteries of the World and Beyond !

Dark and Sinister origins of Nursery Rhymes

Nursery rhymes familiar to us all probably bring back good memories of a time when life was simple; all you had to do was look cute and you were doted over. A time in our lives when you were carefree, when you didn’t have jobs or pressing duties and obligations.

You would learn the sing-song rhymes and play happily, never contemplating that what you were saying might have a deeper, and sometimes darker meaning. After looking into the origins of some of our most beloved nursery rhymes, you might think twice before singing or reciting these seemingly whimsical poems to your tot.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the King's horses, And all the King's men

Couldn't put Humpty together again!

 

Humpty Dumpty was a colloquial term used in fifteenth century England describing someone who was obese. This has given rise to various, but inaccurate, theories surrounding the identity of Humpty Dumpty. The image of Humpty Dumpty, similar to our picture on the left, was made famous by the illustration included in the 'Alice through the looking glass' novel by Lewis Carroll. However, Humpty Dumpty was not a person pilloried in the famous rhyme. Humpty Dumpty was in fact a huge canon!

The canon, Humpty Dumpty, was strategically placed on the protective wall of "St Mary's Wall Church" in Colchester, England. During the English Civil War ( 1642 - 1649) the town of Colchester was fiercely fought for by the Roundheads and Cavaliers. A shot from a Parliamentary canon succeeded in damaging the wall beneath Humpty Dumpty which caused the canon to tumble to the ground. The Royalists, or Cavaliers, 'all the King's men' attempted to raise Humpty Dumpty on to another part of the wall. However, because the canon , or Humpty Dumpty, was so heavy '

All the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put Humpty together again!' This had a drastic consequence for the Royalists as the strategically important town of Colchester fell to the Parliamentarians after a siege lasting eleven weeks.

Ring around the rosy

A pocketful of posies

"Ashes, Ashes"

We all fall down!

The words to the Ring around the rosy children's ring game have their origin in English history . The historical period dates back to the great plague of London in 1665 (bubonic plague). The symptoms of the plague included a rosy red rash in the shape of a ring on the skin (Ring around the rosy).

Pockets and pouches were filled with sweet smelling herbs ( or posies) which were carried due to the belief that the disease was transmitted by bad smells. The term "Ashes Ashes" refers to the cremation of the dead bodies! The death rate was over 60% and the plague was only halted by the Great Fire of London in 1666 which killed the rats which carried the disease which was transmitting via water sources. The English version of

"Ring around the rosy" replaces Ashes with (Atishoo, Atishoo) as violent sneezing was another symptom of the disease.

Little Boy Blue come blow your horn,

The sheep's in the meadow the cow's in the corn.