Who (Or What) Is Humpty Dumpty? I Know That Your Mind Is Screaming, "EGG!"
Please Read this first. (A Necessary Update on 1/27/2018)
While writing a recent reply to a comment on this post, I used the phrase "aha moment". I completely understand how using that phrase could hurt a fellow Steemian (@redwellies) who has been writing a series of posts about the origins of nursery rhymes and children's songs.
Please check out some of her work here:
It would be a lie to say that interacting with @redwellies did not spark my interest in the topic. I should have credited her in my post for sparking this new interest, and I am sorry that I did not do so.
The "aha" moment (that I did not explain well) was that I was watching NCIS. One of the characters (Abby Sciuto) said something like, "You do realize that Humpty Dumpty is not an egg?" My "aha" moment was that I realized that my brain had tricked me into thinking that Humpty Dumpty was an egg even though the nursery rhyme never states that as a fact. I don't believe that I would have even given it much thought had I not been interacting with @redwellies and her recent posts on the topic.
At this time, I have no intention of writing any other origin stories about nursery rhymes. I hope you will support @redwellies as she does. I deeply regret hurting @redwellies. For that, I am truly sorry.
The Nursery Rhyme
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 Dumpty
Together again.
So Why Do We Envision Humpty Dumpty As An Egg?
Though first printed in 1810, the "Humpty Dumpty" nursery rhyme did not become famous until the title character was mentioned in Through The Looking Glass (which was written by Lewis Caroll in 1871). Through The Looking Glass is a sequel to the classic Alice's Adventure in Wonderland.
But if you think that "Humpty Dumpty" was written as a metaphor to describe the fragile nature of life or a warning against putting all of your eggs in one basket, then you are wrong!
I am cracking myself up. That was an egg-cellant pun by the way!
My favorite explanation of the Humpty Dumpty origin story leads us to 15th century England.
Humpty Dumpty Was A Nickname
The term Humpty Dumpty was a nickname that was given to large people. There are a few prominent Englishmen who may be in the running for the inspiration of this classic nursery rhyme.
- Charles I who was overthrown by a Puritan majority in Parliament
- King Richard III who defeated at the Battle of Bosworth
- Cardinal Wolsey who died of illness while traveling to London for his trial
Although the nursery rhyme may have been inspired by several English Humpty Dumpty's, my favorite explanation is that Humpty Dumpty was a large CANON!
Here are some key facts from the backstory:
- England was engaged in a civil war in 1648.
- Royalist forces strengthened their defenses by placing a canon, called Humpty Dumpty, on the roof of a church known as 'St Mary's by the Wall'.
- The Parliamentarians had seized the city of Colchester.
- A canon gunner known as 'One-Eyed Jack Thompson' had caused significant damage to the attacking troops.
- The Parliamentarians executed revenge with a successful hit to the tower that held Humpty Dumpty. Both Humpty Dumpty and the gunner came tumbling down.
- The Royalist forces (the king's horses and men) were not able to return the canon to its prior position of attack.
- About two weeks later, Royalists opened the gate of Colchester and surrendered to the Parliamentarians.
The Life Lesson
I realize that I am not very familiar with the origin stories of many nursery rhymes and children's songs that I learned as a child. For whatever reason, I was never challenged to study the history and meaning of these works. As a result, my interaction with these classics has been shallow and lacking self-introspection.
But as I come to this turning point, I choose
- To take time to think about the original meaning and message of a literary work
- To help my children investigate the layers of a literary work (even those that seem as simple as a nursery rhyme).
- To not simply accept someone else's interpretation without due diligence
Your Turn
Let's continue the conversation in the comments section.
- Did you think that Humpty Dumpty was an egg?
- What caused you to make that conclusion?
- Have you ever read Through A Looking Glass?
- Are there other nursery rhymes, children's songs, or work of literacy that you want to investigate now?
Thanks for stopping by!
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Image Source:
https://pixabay.com/en/humpty-dumpty-humpty-dumpty-reading-1851204/
Data Source:
http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/origins1-humpty-dumpty-and-the-fall-of-colchester.html
Really? @sumatranate you just started thinking about this? Out of all of the Millions of topics to write about, the dissection of pre-Victorian English nursury rhymes just popped into your head? If you're curious where the inspiration came from, maybe the fact that another member of your group has written a few very similar posts, posts you commented on, in the past few weeks. Does this member own the topic? No, of course not. Did you steal her idea and present it as your own...absolutely @origionalworks...maybe, kinda @origionalideas...not at all #pathetic
@matthewwarn, I wanted to let you know that I amended my article to include an apology to @redwellies. I am deeply sorry. I want to take appropriate steps to reconcile this issue, and I hope that you and @redwellies will forgive me.
I can see why you are upset. It was never my intention to claim that the "aha" moment was that I should create a post about a nursery rhyme. That was definitely inspired by @redwellies, and I should have credited her with that inspiration. Again I am deeply sorry.
Thank you for defending @redwellies. I know that in a similar situation I would have done the same.
Interesting read. I've never really thought about it to be honest! 😁
If you'd like to read more check these out:
https://steemit.com/parenting/@redwellies/dark-disturbing-and-somewhat-horrible-the-history-and-origins-of-nursery-rhymes-3-mary-mary-quite-contrary
https://steemit.com/parenting/@redwellies/dark-disturbing-and-somewhat-horrible-the-history-and-origins-of-nursery-rhymes-2-london-bridge-is-falling-down
https://steemit.com/parenting/@redwellies/dark-disturbing-and-somewhat-horrible-the-history-and-origins-of-nursery-rhymes-1-three-blind-mice
Thanks for the links @matthewwarm. You've got me hooked now. Following @redwellies to keep informed. 😊
I had an "aha" moment last night that sparked this post. Prior to that moment, I had never really thought about it either. Thanks for stopping by!
3.yes, it's about drugs.
Like the battle of Jericho:
What he did there was put on an incredible diversion which covered the noise of his sappers undermining the city walls, brilliant.
Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate how your comments add to the conversation.
I forgot all about Humpty Dumpty. Thanks for bringing me back to my childhood and great explanation here on it! This is what Steemit is all about! :D
@bitdollar, glad that I could reintroduce Humpty Dumpty back into your life :)
Ya...You rock @sumatranate!
Interesting. I thought it was an egg but really for no reason other than illustrations I've seen. We have Through the Looking Glass. It is part of our homeschool curriculum, but we havne't read it yet. I like the cannon explanation. That makes a lot of sense, but who knew! I had no idea. Thanks for putting this together.
@apanamama, my family homeschools too. My wife does an incredible job. The kiddos have not yet read Through A Looking A Glass. I like the canon explantiona the best too.
Cool that you homeschool as well! :) Nice!! Always good to meet fellow homeschoolers on here!
Did you think that Humpty Dumpty was an egg?
Yes, totally
What caused you to make that conclusion?
I really never tought about it. It was a "Santa Claus" case, i think. I knew he was chubby, caucasian, had a white beard, dressed on red and broke illegally into houses on christmas. Why? Because, like, he is Santa Claus. Duh.
Have you ever read Through A Looking Glass?
Yes i did.
Are there other nursery rhymes, children's songs, or work of literacy that you want to investigate now?
I have a thing for fairy tales. On their original versions they are like Game of Thrones spinn-offs. Violence, torture, rape, witchcraft, treason, cannibalism...
@flashfiction, the originals can be a bit dark at times. It is kinda funny how we turned these dark stories into children's stories.
All the while I thought humpty dumpty was just an egg. Didn't know there was a historical back ground. Saw the movie from Johnny Depp I am now wanting to read the book.
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Yes, humpty dumpty was an egg. He fell off the wall and could not be put together again. Once an egg shell is cracked, it can not be reversed.☺
Chamo, que bueno este tipo de publicaciones, me gusta mucho leer sobre estos temas. Pasa por mi blog y apoyame porfa! https://steemit.com/love/@caropaez/palabras-de-enamorado vota por la mia tambien porfavor! Y gracias
https://steemit.com/amor/@caropaez/15-dias-de-prueba