People Are Only Just Realizing Humpty Dumpty Is Not An Egg And It’s ‘Haunting’ Them
People have been left ‘haunted’ after learning Humpty Dumpty isn’t an egg.
With their cheerful melodies and playful verses, nursery rhymes are a cherished part of childhood for many.
But beneath their innocent exteriors, many nursery rhymes seem to conceal darker, more complex meanings, with popular favorites such as ‘Incy Wincy Spider’ and ‘Little Bo Peep’ being no exception.
So, for those who hold cherished books of illustrated nursery rhymes, consider this your fair warning – a nursery rhyme mystery is about to be unveiled.
We all know and love Humpty Dumpty, one of the most popular nursery rhymes ever. But did you know the character isn’t an egg?
One person writes of this revelation: “This has been haunting me for years.”
Another adds: “Oh my goodness, how did I not realize this?”
“My mind has been blown,” comments a third.
Someone else says: “These are the kinds of things that keep me up at night.”
There’s no mention of Humpty being an egg when you closely examine the nursery rhyme’s words.
Let’s refresh our memories with the classic lines:
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.
So, how did Humpty come to be known as an egg?
Interestingly, the first appearance of an egg-shaped Humpty was in Lewis Carroll’s ‘Through the Looking Glass.’
Since then, the egg characterization has stuck.
But this leads to another question, what was Humpty before he was known as an egg?
Some believe the nursery rhyme follows King Richard III’s defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, per the Mirror.
History Defined elaborates on this, explaining that the king was recorded to have fallen, with his soldiers and men unable to win the day.
But this is just one of the theories about Humpty.
Several war historians say that Humpty Dumpty was not an egg, nor a man, but a canon!
When author Holly Bourne took to X (formerly Twitter) and asked for further information, Jane Etheridge, Vice Chair of the Federation of Children’s Book Groups, responded: “It’s believed to be Roundhead propaganda about a Royalist cannon. [His] first appearance as an egg was in ‘Through the Looking Glass.'”
In the English Civil War (1642-1651), a large canon is believed to have been used when Colchester was under siege. A canon from the attacking side destroyed the wall Humpty Dumpty was positioned on, leading to Humpty tumbling down.
The king’s horses and men couldn’t put it back again due to its size.
While it seems there’s no single origin story for Humpty, one thing for certain is that the character wasn’t always the egg we’ve always presumed it to be.
Related Article: Dark Meaning Behind Children’s Song ‘It’s Raining, It’s Pouring’ Leaves People ‘Traumatized’
Related Article: Scientists Say They’ve Finally Discovered What Came First The Chicken Or The Egg
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