People have been left ‘haunted’ after learning that 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, it seems many conceal darker, more complex meanings – with popular nursery rhymes 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.
People have been left ‘haunted’ after discovering that Humpty Dumpty is not an egg. Credit: AlamyWe all know and love Humpty Dumpty, one of the most popular nursery rhymes ever. But did you know the character isn’t an egg?
Discussing this revelation on social media, one person writes: “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.
Somebody else says: “These are the kinds of things that keep me up at night.”
When you closely examine the nursery rhyme’s words, you realize there’s no mention of Humpty being an egg.
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?
It’s been proposed that the nursery rhyme tells the story of King Richard III and his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, reports the Mirror.
History Defined elaborates on this, explaining that the king was recorded to have fallen, with his soldiers and men being unable to win the day.
But this isn’t the only theory 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 began asking 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 and when Colchester was under siege, a canon from the attacking side managed to destroy the wall that ‘Humpty Dumpty’ was positioned on – consequently, Humpty Dumpty came tumbling down.
Due to its size, none of the king’s horses and none of the king’s men were able to put it back again.
While it seems there’s no one origin story for Humpty Dumpty, one thing for certain is that the character wasn’t always the egg we’ve always presumed him to be.
