Humpty Dumpty — Truth of Myth
by Lady Scholastica Joycors
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.
We have all heard the sad tale of Humpty Dumpty, but have you ever wondered what the story was behind this rhyme. Nursery rhymes are commonly linked to historical or political events, but it is often difficult to pinpoint them exactly because they are cryptic. The rumor is that the reason for being cryptic is so you could say them and laugh about thier political or scandalous nature without threat of death or punishment, because, after all they were just children’s rhymes…right? Generally, we think of nursery rhymes as simple rhymes or clapping games to teach young children rather then look at their historical significance.
What then is the solution to Humpty’s dilemma? Why couldn’t the horses or men put him back together again. What does it actually mean? There are a couple of theories about the origin of this rhyme.
First where did the name Humpty Dumpty come from? Apparently, it was a common nickname used in the 15th Century England to describe large people. (Humpty Dumpty and the Fall of Colchester, 2006) But why do we think that Humpty was an egg? The portrayal that most people think of when you hear the name Humpty Dumpty is an egg and that we can blame on Lewis Carroll’s description of Humpty Dumpty, others say it has to do the shape of the lump on King Richard III back.
The first theory is that Humpty Dumpty alludes to King Richard III, whose brutal 26-month reign ended with his death in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. Supposedly, King Richard III’s horse was either named “Wall,” or his men, who abandoned him, were representative of the “wall.” In either case the king fell off his horse during battle and was bludgeoned so severely his men could not save him, becoming the last king to die in battle. (The Origin of Humpty Dumpty, 2013)
Historians have long thought that King Richard III was humpbacked. Shakespeare overexaggerated this myth, when he portrayed him as “a poisonous bump-backed toad” in his historical play, which was first performed in the early 1600s. It wasn’t until the 2012 discovery of Richard III’s skeleton beneath a parking lot in Leicester which 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. (Hamilton, 2018)
The second theory is that Humpty Dumpty was 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.
Other more obscure theories are that “Humpty Dumpty” referred to Charles I himself - the Humpty Dumpty of England. He was toppled by the Puritan majority in Parliament (the great fall). The King’s army (Cavaliers) could not give his power back and Charles I was executed. Another idea says the rhyme refers to King Richard III and his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth. Yet another says that Humpy Dumpty was based on the sudden catastrophic fall of Cardinal Wolsey from Henry VIII era. The Cardinal became ill on the way to his trial and died before he got to London. He was Henry’s most trusted friend for a long time, until Anne Boleyn came along and turned Henry against him. No one expected him to be toppled so quickly. (Humpty Dumpty and the Fall of Colchester, 2006)
Humpty Dumpty’s most famous literary appearance comes from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll (1872), where he appears as a fussily exacting egg-head who corrects Alice’s grammar and discusses the value and meaning of words.
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said [to Alice], in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”
The same could be applied to the Humpty Dumpty origin story—it can mean just what you choose it to mean, neither more nor less. It is after all just a nursery rhyme or is it?
Bibliography
Hamilton, E. (2018, Feb 28). The Bizarre Historical Origins of the Humpty Dumpty Nursery Rhyme. Retrieved September 2020, from The Vintage News: https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/02/28/humpty-dumpty/
Humpty Dumpty and the Fall of Colchester. (2006). Retrieved September 2020, from Myths and Legends: http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/origins1-humpty-dumpty-and-the-fall-of-colchester.html
The Origin of Humpty Dumpty. (2013, April 24). Retrieved September 2020, from Today I Found Out: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/04/the-origin-of-humpty-dumpty/
@2020 MyLinda Butterworth (scholastica.ppa@gmail.com) This article appeared in The Yeoman - June 2020
Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited and receives a copy.
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