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Monday, January 16, 2006

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

I find it peculiar that whenever we see Humpty Dumpty in pictures, he's a giant egg. Nowhere in the rhyme does it say that Humpty's an egg. he could very well be a robot that can't be put together again (of course he couldn't be a robot since they didn't exist then, but you get the idea).

I did some research, (yeah, yeah, who in their right mind looks up this stuff, right?) and came across something from the always reliable Wikipedia:

"There are various theories of the origin of Humpty Dumpty.

According to an insert taken from the East Anglia Tourist Board in England, Humpty Dumpty was a powerful cannon during the English Civil War. It was mounted on top of the St Mary's at the Wall Church in Colchester defending the city against siege in the summer of 1648. Although Colchester was a Parliamentarian stronghold, it had been captured by the Royalists; they held it for 11 weeks. The church tower was hit by the enemy and the top of the tower was blown off, sending "Humpty" tumbling to the ground. Naturally the King's men (the "men" would have been infantry, and "horses" the cavalry troops) tried to mend "him" but in vain. Visitors to Colchester can see the reconstructed Church tower as they reach the top of Balkerne Hill on the left hand side of the road.

In another theory, Humpty Dumpty referred to King Richard III of England, the hunchbacked monarch, whose horse was named "Wall". During the battle of Bosworth Field, he fell off of his steed and was said to have been "hacked into pieces". (However, although Shakespeare's play depicts Richard as a hunchback, other historical evidence suggests that he was not.)

Humpty Dumpty may also refer to a Roman war machine called a Testudo used to cross moats and climb over castle walls. Humpty Dumpty refers to the turtle-like look of the machine and the noise of the wheels.

Another theory has Humpty Dumpty as medieval slang for a short, clumsy person. Martin Gardner in The Annotated Mother Goose suggests this was exploited in a riddle: after the poem, the reciter asks how could such a thing happen, the answer being that Humpty Dumpty was an egg (which fact is never mentioned in the poem). Since the answer is now so well known, the question is no longer asked. In L. Frank Baum's Mother Goose in Prose, the riddle is devised by the King's daughter (having witnessed Humpty's death)."

Imagine that. Four different origins for Humpty Dumpty. See? You learn something new everyday.

Incidentally, the Wikipedia entry also wondered why Humpty Dumpty is depicted as an egg. Guess I'm not alone when it comes to thinking about stuff like that.

5 comments:

kumukulong-putik said...

Hello sir, its me yur big Fan Wylz! Ummm! Sory nga po pala sa pagiging procastinator ko ah kasi im busy with my studies at tsaka yung mga exam sa college's eh! Im planning to taking up Art Mangement, Info design, Advertising or Fine Arts Visual Effects! Ummm...I Promise po dun sa mga Fanarts ko! By the way, check nyo na lang po yung blog ko...Ka-aupload ko lang po ng ilan sa mga drowings ko...Sige po Salamat!

Reno said...

Good luck sa studies mo, and whatever course you choose ay good luck din.

Post ko na din dito address ng blog mo:

http://kumukulong-putik.blogspot.com/

Dennis Villegas said...

Hehe..nakakatuwa ang mga ganitong pagsasaliksik. Ako din karaniwan kong ginagawa ito, medyo kasi parang weird na yung di karaniwang mga kaalaman ay napag-iinteresan natin.
Oo nga no, wala namang binanggit na itlog si Humpty Dumpty. Baka kaya itlog ang image ni Humpty Dumpty e dahil sa pagkakadrowing ni Lewis Carrol kay Humpty bilang taong-itlog sa kanyang aklat na Alice in Wonderland?
Hmmmm...cool talaga ang research mo.
Btw, kanina nag-search ako sa internet at meron namang isang researcher ang nagsasaliksik sa biography ni Weng weng!
:)

Reno said...

Si Lewis Carrol nga yata ang nag-originate na itlog si Humpty sa Alice In Wonderland.

Sikat si weng weng internationally dahil sa movie niyang "For Your Height Only." =P

kumukulong-putik said...

O cge po! No Problemo!