Dark, Disturbing and Somewhat Horrible, the History and Origins of Nursery Rhymes #1: 🐭Three Blind Mice 🐭
Dark, Disturbing and Somewhat Horrible, the History and Origins of Nursery Rhymes #1: Three Blind Mice
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Have you ever wondered where the darling, sweet nursery rhyme you read or sing to your child came from? Where it originated or the story behind it? Have you ever really read the words? If you have, you will no doubt realize that most of them are in fact... Horrible!
Each week I’ll be looking at a different nursery rhyme and sharing some interesting facts… I hope I don’t put you off singing them 😳
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Three blind mice, three blind mice,
See how they run, see how they run.
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a thing in your life?
As three blind mice.
Now these words alone are quite horrid when you think about it. Even if you don’t like mice, would you want to cut off their tails? But what is the story behind it?
Historians often like to trace the heritage of nursey rhymes back to an important event in time and “Three Blind Mice” is no exception.
Although the author of this nursery rhyme remains unknown, it first appeared in print in 1609. The mice are believed to be three Protestant loyalists who were accused of plotting against Queen Mary I (1516–1558), also known as “Bloody Mary” due to her penchant for torture including burning of hundreds of Protestants at the stake as she worked to return England to Catholicism.
Needless to say, these 3 men were also burned alive at the stake. Known as the Oxford Martyrs, Ridley, Latimer and Cranmer where not blind in the true sense of the word, but this referred to their Protestantism.
Wow! Sweet dreams 😴
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this week’s look at a well-known nursery rhyme, well perhaps “enjoyed” isn’t the right word… I hope you found this interesting and I’m looking forward to sharing more next week 😊
Original content by @redwellies
Reference: Opie and P. Opie, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), p. 306
Congratulations! This exceptional post has been featured in Episode 3 of The STEEM Engine Express Podcast. Click the link to hear what I had to say, and keep up the good work!
Wow! Thanks @ethandsmith I can't wait to listen 😊 I love your podcasts!
@redwellies... Great post... So many of these nursery rhymes are morbid... the only one that seems happy and bright is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Thank you! I think you may be right lol... However, I do like the parody of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" that is recited by the Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".
Come back on Thursday for the next one :)
I have read a few articles similar to these where the truth about nursery rhymes has been exposed and the truth is startling and annoying each time. Honestly, if you read the lyrics of different rhymes out loud, you will realize that a lot of them were never meant to be rhymes for little kids because they have hidden messages in them and a lot of them don't make sense too. Jack and Jill, Pop Goes the Weasel and Humpty Dumpty all have weird truths behind them. Your post is great btw!
Yes, those 3 you mention are worth including in this series :) A lot of these rhymes originate in times when the majority of people didn't know how to read or write, so the only way of passing this information on was in the form of songs ir rhymes. Easily transferable from one generation to the next. From parent to child.
Well, that is quite disturbing! Very crazy the origin of this one... I had no idea! Thanks for doing some research into this. Looking forward to the next one!
Isn't it just! I'm discovering all sorts of disturbing yet fascinating facts :)
The old, classic nursery rhymes, just like the old classic children stories, were often very cruel and basically the total opposite of the sugar coated happy ending disney crap they get today. Back then they showed the children from day 1 that the world is actually a cruel place and the end is not always a happy one. It was very interesting to read now also about the hystorical-political aspects behind it, thank you for that!
I'm glad you enjoyed it, please swing by next week for the next one. And you're right, classic children's stories are actually quite terrifying too :) Definitely a lot of material to work with :)
Very interesting... I'm going to blow someones's bind with this random fact at the bar one day... when I connect my Sunday morning beverage and a nursery rhyme. Thank you for this.
Ha! Yes, it's a great trivia fact that's for sure :)
Awesome history lesson. I have read some of those histories (ring around the rosie comes to mind from the same era). Thanks for sharing. Nice to meet you.
It's really quite fascinating learning the history behind them. Some as you mentioned like "Ring a Ring o' Roses" are more well known, but I'll be featuring that one for sure :)
Love this, simply because I'm a Google fanatic and I've already read up on a few of the nursery rhymes out of pure interest..now that I'm a mom and all. It's quite disturbing! lol
They really are quite disturbing lol... Looking forward to sharing more with you :)
Wow!! Never knew this. This is so dark.
I know, crazy right :)
Ive heard back stories of a few nursey rhymes but never this one.. lol, pretty crazy that these are the types of things that get handed down thru generations!! :/
Isn't it just and with the original meaning being lost... until now :)