When discussing horror novels, one might think of the likes of Stephen King and R. L. Stine. However, nursery rhymes and fairy tales also fit on the list of horror novels due to their actual content. Despite their dark origins, these stories are introduced to children.

Most nursery rhymes, such as the Mother Goose nursery rhymes, were created in the 1600s. During this time, citizens faced punishment for insulting political figures, so some nursery rhymes, such as Rock-a-bye Baby and Baa Baa Black Sheep, were created as a form of political satire. Nursery rhymes also depicted historical events and their catchy rhymes made it easy for illiterate societies to remember and pass on to the next generation.

For example, “Mary, Mary Quite Contrary” refers to Queen Mary I, also known as Bloody Mary. Queen Mary I is notorious for her role in the torture and murder of hundreds of Protestants. The “garden” mentioned in the rhyme refers to the graveyards filled with Protestants. Finally, the “silver bells and cockleshells” referenced forms of torture.

Junior Ronnie Brooker states, “My mom never sung [nursery rhymes] to me. She had these really nice island songs. I was still really surprised to the truth behind some nursery rhymes.”

For hundreds of years, nursery rhymes have been passed from generation to generation. However, the catchy tunes meant to assist adults in remembering historical events also attracted the attention of children. Since the rhymes were originally meant for adults, the creators paid no mind to how they would attract children’s attention.

Mr. William Lyons, IB Theory of Knowledge teacher, comments, “We still have nursery rhymes today that are based on the old ones that we consider gruesome but they’ve been modified for current culture and everything else. Those same ones in 20 years will be different. So it all depends on the culture of the time. [If] a lot of nursery rhymes and fairy tales that we have now [were released 50 years ago], they would have been controversial for different reasons.”

The gruesome deeper meanings of nursery rhymes lead to the idea that it is odd to tell these stories to children. This led to the creation of the British Society for Nursery Rhyme Reform in the mid-20th century. The organization condemned common nursery rhymes for “harboring unsavory elements.”

“I don’t see nursery rhymes stopping soon just because traditional homes will teach them to their kids and it will pass along [through] the generations like it has been.” says Brooker.

Nursery rhymes hold a dark, hidden meaning. This shows how something perceived as being innocent can actually have alternate motives, in this case political satire and documentation of past occurrences.