Some believe she may be the Virgin Mary, as part of the theory that the rhyme is a reference to a centuries-old Viking attack. In addition to the mystery behind “London Bridge Is Falling Down,” there’s also the matter of the “fair lady.” Who Is The ‘Fair Lady?’Ī Book of Nursery Rhymes An illustration of the “London Bridge is Falling Down” game from the 1901 novel A Book of Nursery Rhymes. ![]() Thankfully, this disturbing suggestion has never been proven and there is no archaeological evidence that suggests it’s true. Gomme points to the lyric “take the key and lock her up” as a nod to this inhumane practice and the belief that the sacrifices may have been children.Īccording to her, people during those times believed that the bridge would collapse if there wasn’t a body buried inside. Immurement was a form of punishment as well as a form of sacrifice. Immurement is when a person is encased into a room with no openings or exits and left there to die. The author of the book “The Traditional Games of England, Scotland and Ireland” Alice Bertha Gomme suggests that the “London Bridge Is Falling Down” rhyme refers to the use of a medieval punishment known as immurement. One dark theory behind the bridge’s longevity maintains that there were bodies encased in its moorings. When it was finally demolished in 1831, it was only because it was more cost-effective to replace it rather than repair it. Part of the bridge was damaged in 1281 due to ice damage, and it was weakened by multiple fires in the 1600s - including the Great Fire of London in 1666.ĭespite all of its structural failures, the London Bridge survived for 600 years and never actually “fell down” as the nursery rhyme implies. Gold is won, and bright renown.”īut that wasn’t the only event that could have inspired the London Bridge rhyme. It translates to “London Bridge is broken down. ![]() Though the reality of that attack has never been proven, the tale of it inspired a collection of Old Norse poems written in 1230, containing a verse that sounds close to the nursery rhyme. However, the most commonly accepted origin story for the rhyme is that of the London Bridge actually falling down in 1014 - because Viking leader Olaf Haraldsson allegedly pulled it down during an invasion of the British Isles. ![]() ![]() Like many popular children’s stories, there are some darker meanings that lurk underneath the song’s surface. The meaning of “London Bridge Is Falling Down?” has long been debated by historians and other experts. Wiki Commons An Illustration of “London Bridge” with an accompanying score by Walter Crane. The lyrics back then were very different from what we hear today:Ī melody for the rhyme was noted a bit earlier for an edition of The Dancing Master in 1718, but it has a different tune than the modern version of “London Bridge Is Falling Down” as well as no recorded lyrics.Īs this vague history shows, the actual author of the rhyme still remains very much unknown. It wasn’t until 1657 that the rhyme was first referenced in England during the comedy The London Chaunticleres, and the full rhyme wasn’t published until 1744 when it made its debut in Tommy Thumb’s Pretty Song Book. While the song was first published as a nursery rhyme in the 1850s, many experts believe that “London Bridge Is Falling Down” dates back to the medieval era and possibly even before that.Īccording to The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, similar rhymes have been discovered across Europe in places such as Germany, - “Die Magdeburger Brück”- Denmark, - “Knippelsbro Går Op og Ned”- and France - “pont chus.” Wiki Commons A page from Tommy Thumbs Pretty Song Book published in 1744 that shows the beginning of “London Bridge Is Falling Down.”
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