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The Identity of
Mother Goose & her
Nursery Rhymes!
The words of the
original Old Mother
Goose Nursery Rhyme
can be interpreted
to find a darker
meaning to the
identity of ' Mother
Goose'! The title
'Mother Goose'
probably originates
from the 1600's -
the time of the
great witch hunts.
Comparisons can be
made between the
Mother Goose in the
above children's
poem and the popular
conception of a
witch during this
era!
-
Witches were
able to fly (the
broomstick has
been replaced by
a goose, hence
the name -
Mother Goose)
-
A witch was
often portrayed
as an old crone
( with no man to
defend her
against
accusations of
witchcraft)
-
Witches are
closely
associated with
living alone
(house in the
wood)
-
Witches were
known to a have
'familiars'
(most often cats
but also owls!
Just like the
modern wizard
Harry Potter
whose owl is
called Hedwig!)
-
The identity of
the Mother Goose
in the Nursery
Rhymes was
therefore a
witch!
Witches,
Familiars and
Nursery Rhymes!
Animals like the
Cat, Frog, Pig,
Raven, Goat, Wolf,
Goose, Crow, Bat and
Mouse were believed
to be the forms
adopted by a Witches
Familiar (an evil
spirit, in animal
form, who was used
by the witch to
perform evil deeds
and cast malevolent
spells). People were
obsessed with
witches during the
16th and 17th
centuries when there
was limited
understanding of the
cause of devastating
events, such as
storms, drought and
disease. The
disasters were
believed to be
brought about by
supernatural forces
which resulted in
scapegoats (witches)
being blamed. A book
called the 'Malleus
Maleficarum' was
published in 1486 as
guide used for the
torture and
persecution of
witches - a best
selling book of
those times, only
being out-sold by
the Bible!
Witchcraft was
outlawed in England
in 1563 and a
Witchcraft Act was
passed in 1604. The
witchcraft hysteria
grew and eventually
led to the
Parliamentary
appointment of
Matthew Hopkins as
Witchfinder General
in 1644. His task
was to seek out
witches (he was
vigorous in his work
as he was said to
have been paid
twenty shillings for
each witch he
condemned!) During
his interrogations
he was guided by
books like the 'Malleus
Maleficarum' which
stated that an
animal Familiar
“always works with
the witch in
everything”. Many
Nursery Rhymes
originated in the
16th and 17th
centuries and the
children of these
era's would have
been familiar (sorry
about the pun!) with
stories of witches
and witchcraft. Just
look at the image of
Mother Goose
portrayed a witch
with her familiar
(the goose)! Is it
therefore just a
coincidence that so
many of the Nursery
rhymes of the
periods featured the
Cat, Frog, Pig,
Goose, Raven, Goat,
Wolf, Bat and Mouse?
The Categories of
Mother Goose Nursery
Rhymes
John Carnan
published the first
book of Mother Goose
Nursery Rhymes in
1780, although the
first known
collection of
Nursery Rhymes was
'Tommy Thumb's Song
book' published in
1744 - Mother Goose
Origins. Prior to
this date the
content of
children's poems
were passed from one
generation to the
next by word of
mouth. There are
many theories about
the history and
origins regarding
Mother Goose nursery
rhymes but the
lyrics and words of
the actual poems
remain constant. The
Mother Goose nursery
rhymes content tends
to fall into four
distinct categories:
-
The first
category of
Mother Goose
nursery rhymes
includes
lullabies such
as Rock a bye
baby
-
The second type
of Mother Goose
nursery rhymes
was for infant
amusement and
education where
many of the
counting and
alphabet rhymes
originate
-
The third
section of
Mother Goose
nursery rhymes
would include
riddles for
example As I was
going to St.
Ives
-
The fourth,
lesser known,
category of
Mother Goose
Nursery Rhymes
contains the
Secret History
of the Nursery
Rhyme -
reflecting the
actual
historical
events and
culture of the
day and also
used to spread
subversive
messages!
This site contains a
massive database of
Mother Goose Nursery
Rhymes which include
lyrics, history,
origins and pictures
to accompany every
tale as originally
featured by
publishers such as
John Carnan. For
further information
about the first
publications of
Mother Goose Nursery
Rhymes in England,
France and America
please click the
link to yet another
of the nursery
rhymes featuring
Mother Goose
Cackle, Cackle,
Mother Goose
Another Coincidence?
In Fairy Tales the
voice of a Witch is
often described as a
Cackle!
The Secret History
of the Nursery Rhyme
Mother Goose Origins
The Chapbooks and
the Nursery Rhyme
Read about the
identity of the
brave men who spoke
out against the
Witch Hunts in the
Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John Rhyme
Origins |
