We have all heard the classic nursery rhymes, fairy tales, and fun fodder…
We have recited and sang them ourselves…
We have to recited and sang them to our children and grandchildren…
After all, they are all just cute, fun little ditties, right?!?!
What you many not know is that most of them have a very dark side….
The dark side of history!!
In the genre of great horror writing, Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, and Mary Shelley tend to dominate the craft… but Mother Goose isn’t too far behind.
Yes, that fictional grande dame of kiddie poems has got a bit of a dark streak, as evidenced by the unexpectedly sinister theories surrounding the origins of these well-known nursery rhymes.nbsp;
Sometimes, it’s not until you get older, that you start to realize not everything is as innocent as you may have been led to believe.
In fact, some nursery rhymes come from downright diabolic sources.
Whether they tell tales of Biblical sin or horrific events in history, these nursery rhymes and riddles are a little less child-friendly than one might imagine.
Ring Around the Rosie (1881)
Let’s start with one of the most popular ones – Ring Around the Rosie.
Considering that some of today’s classic nursery rhymes are more than two centuries old, there are often several theories surrounding their origins—and not a lot of sound proof about which argument is correct. Though of all the alleged nursery rhyme backstories, “Ring Around the Rosie” is probably the most infamous. Though its lyrics and even its title have gone through some changes over the years, the most popular contention is that the sing-songy verse refers to the 1665 Great Plague of London.“The rosie” is the rash that covered the afflicted, the smell from which they attempted to cover up with “a pocket full of posies.” The plague killed nearly 15 percent of the country’s population, which makes the final verse—“Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down”—rather self-explanatory.nbsp;
Another theory quotes folklorist Philip Hiscock with the suggestion that the nursery rhyme probably has its origins “in the religious ban on dancing among many Protestants in the nineteenth century, in Britain as well as here in North America. Adolescents found a way around the dancing ban with what was called in the United States the ‘play-party.’ Play-parties consisted of ring games which differed from square dances only in their name and their lack of musical accompaniment. They were hugely popular, and younger children got into the act, too.”
Rock a Bye Baby (1765)
One interpretation of this famous lullaby is that it is about the son of King James II of England and Mary of Modena. It is widely believed that the boy was not their son at all, but a child who was brought into the birthing room and passed off as their own in order to ensure a Roman Catholic heir to the throne….child trafficking, anyone?!?!
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1840)
Most people trace the origin of this rhyme back to the cells of Wakefield prison in England, which housed exclusively women prisoners during its duration. The song is said to have been a reference to the execution grounds in the prison being located by a Mulberry bush. Supposedly inmates would sing this song on their way to execution. According to historian R. S. Duncan, a former governor of England’s Wakefield Prison, the song originated with that 420-year-old institution’s female prisoners, who were also exercised around a mulberry tree.
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary (1744)
“Contrary” is one way to describe a murderous psychopath. This popular English nursery rhyme, which reads like a solicitation for gardening advice, is actually a recounting of the homicidal nature of Queen Mary I of England, a.k.a. Bloody Mary. A fierce believer in Catholicism, her reign as queen—from 1553 to 1558—was marked by the execution of hundreds of Protestants. (Silver bells and cockle shells are torture devices, not garden accouterments.)
Three Blind Mice (1805)
“Three Blind Mice” is supposedly yet another ode to Bloody Mary’s reign, with the trio in question believed to be a group of Protestant bishops—Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Radley, and The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer—who (unsuccessfully) conspired to overthrow the queen and were burned at the stake for their heresy. Critics suggest that the blindness in the title refers to their religious beliefs.
London Bridge is Falling Down (1744)
One of the more popular rhymes recited in schools across the Western world, is actually quite a bit darker than you might think and quite a bit older. Depending on whom you ask, “London Bridge is Falling Down” could be about a 1014 Viking attack, child sacrifice, or the normal deterioration of an old bridge. But the most popular theory seems to be that first one. More specifically: the alleged destruction of London Bridge at the hands of Olaf II of Norway some time in the early 1000s. (“Alleged” because some historians don’t believe that attack ever took place.) The song’s popularity around the world is often cited as further proof that it was the Vikings who created it, believing that they brought the tune to the many places they traveled. There is also a theory that in order to keep London Bridge upright, its builders believed that it must be built on a foundation of human sacrifice, and that those same humans—mostly children—would help to watch over the bridge and maintain its sturdiness. Which we’re pretty sure isn’t a practice they teach you in architecture school. However, they say there is no archaeological evidence of any human remains in the foundation of London Bridge….but who has actually torn it up???
Baa Baa Black Sheep (1731)
This is one of the cuter rhymes, told from the point of view of a small sheep offering up wool to a salesman. But the rhyme has a less fun origin, it refers to a tax on wool, specifically on dark colored wool. Further, things become even grim when you take into account that many people speculate that the language used in the song is referring to a slave, which has lead many public schools to ban the singing of the song in classrooms or hallways.
Goosey, Goosey, Gander (1784)
This one sounds silly, but it actually has a deeply political origin that flies over every kid’s (and even adult’s) heads.
It’s hard to imagine that any rhyme with the phrase “goosey goosey” in its title could be described as anything but feelgood, right? It’s actually a tale of religious persecution, during the days when Catholic priests would hide themselves in order to say their Latin-based prayers, a major no-no at the time—not even in the privacy of one’s own home. In the original version, the narrator comes upon an old man “who wouldn’t say his prayers. So I took him by his left leg. And threw him down the stairs.”
Jack and Jill (1765)
We’ve all sung the lyrics to “Jack and Jill”, and while it wasn’t super pleasant knowing they fell down the hill and Jack broke his crown, It’s origins could actually be worse than you imagined. One of the most common theories surrounding the story’s origin is that it’s about France’s Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, who were both found guilty of treason and subsequently beheaded. The only problem is that those events occurred nearly 30 years after “Jack and Jill” was first written, so, the more likely possibility is that it’s an account of King Charles I’s attempt to reform the tax on liquid measures. When Parliament rejected his suggestion, he instead made sure that the volume was reduced on half- and quarter-pints, known as jacks and gills, respectively.
Old Mother Hubbard (1805)
To many, “Old Mother Hubbard” is not a mother at all—nor a woman. The poem is speculated to have been written as a mockery of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, whose refusal to grant an annulment to King Henry VIII, so that he could marry Anne Boleyn, led to his political downfall.
Humpty Dumpty
Some say Humpty Dumpty is a sly allusion to King Richard III, whose brutal 26-month reign ended with his death in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. In this speculative version, King Richard III’s horse was supposedly called “Wall,” off of which he fell during battle. He was bludgeoned so severely his men could not save him, becoming the last king to die in battle.
Historians long thought King Richard III was humpbacked. Shakespeare perpetuated this myth, famously portraying him as “a poisonous bump-backed toad” in his historical play, which was first performed in the early 1600s.
The 2012 discovery of Richard III’s skeleton beneath a parking lot in Leicester led to an updated diagnosis of severe scoliosis, which meant one shoulder might have been a little higher. The skeletal remains also showed evidence of 11 wounds, eight of which were to the skull.
A more recently popular theory attaches Humpty Dumpty to a cannon in Colchester, England, during the town’s siege in 1648. The town had a majestic castle and several churches encircled by a protective wall. A large and heavy cannon, nicknamed Humpty Dumpty, was strategically placed atop St Mary’s as the Wall Church to defend the city, and manned by “One-Eyed” Jack Thompson. The top of the church tower was hit by the enemy, causing the cannon to tumble to the ground, where it shattered and could not be put back together again.
What do you think?!?
Makes you wonder what else has been hidden in plain site, doesn’t it….
I assure you…there is PLENTY!!!
Always search for TRUTH!!!
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