Humpty Dumpty

Who was Humpty Dumpty? Various explanations of his origins.

Humpty Dumpty is clearly the most famous anthropomorphized egg in English literature, best known as the character of the well known nursery rhyme. He is, however, also a character in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass in which he discusses language with Alice and explains the difficult imaginary words in Jabberwocky.

There are a number of theories as to the origins and references of Humpty Dumpty. Some believe that the reference is to King Richard III of England who fell from his horse “Wall” during the Battle of Bosworth Field and was said to have been “hacked to pieces” by his enemies.

Others trace the name to various instruments of war. A large canon named Humpty Dumpty was mounted on a wall or tower of St. Mary’s Wall Church in Colchester during the English Civil War (1642-1649) and fell to the ground in 1648 when the Parliamentarians destroyed the base beneath it. The Royalists (The King’s Men) tried to repair the cannon but failed. Another interpretation says that this rhyme refers to a Testudo, a Roman war machine with a turtle-like appearance that was used to cross moats or climb castle walls.

The more generic linguistic tracing of “Humpty Dumpty” leads to its colloquial use, from at least medieval times, in referring to any small maladroit or obese person. This leads to much speculation about the particular person to whom the name might refer.

The name Humpty Dumpty communicates powerful ideas in a variety of disciplines.