Starting from a carving in an Egyptian temple of hawks mourning a dead figure, Eckenstein traces English nursery rhymes back through folk custom across Europe. She looks at cumulative rhymes like The House that Jack Built, songs of Cock Robin and the wren, riddles, counting-out games and charms, and asks what forgotten beliefs survive in the verses children still chant.
A learned and fascinating study for anyone curious where Mother Goose came from. Download the free EPUB.