More Mother Goose -- a story for Yule.

[capri0mni]

Because I'm just in a mood to post something cheerful and irrelevant.

Many, many years ago, I read an article in a Neo-Pagan Internet 'zine (Link now defunct) that made the argument that Mother Goose is the personification of the Solar Goddess in her Crone aspect, and that the gold egg her goose lays represents the rebirth of the winter sun.

The Mother Goose Treasury (From which I got my most recent rhyme postings) starts out with the full poem, from beginning to end. Probably, the poem itself was composed in the nineteenth century, or late eighteenth century (I can look it up, but I won't just now. That's just my guess), So I'm not making any claims that this is ancient folklore, or anything, though it quilts together elements from other folk stories.

Behind the cut, because it's long.


Old Mother Goose,
when she wanted to wander,
Would ride through the air
On a very fine gander.

Mother Goose had a house,
'Twas built in the wood,
Where an owl at the door
As a sentinel stood.

She had a son, Jack,
A plain-looking lad
He was not very good,
Nor yet very bad.

She sent him to market
A live goose he bought
"See, Mother?" said he,
"I have not been for naught."

Jack's goose and her gander
Grew very fond;
They'd both eat together,
Or swim in the pond.

Jack found one fine morning,
As I have been told,
His goose had laid him
An egg of pure gold.

Jack ran to his mother,
The news for to tell.
She called him a good boy,
And said it was well.

Jack sold his gold egg
To a merchant untrue
Who cheated him out of
A half of his due.

Then Jack went a courting,
A lady so gay,
As fair as the lily,
And sweet as the May.

The merchant and squire
Soon came at his back
And began to belabour
The sides of poor Jack.

Then Old Mother Goose
That instant came in,
And turned her son Jack
Into famed Harlequin.

She then, with her wand
Touched the lady so fine,
And turned her at once
Into sweet Columbine.

The gold egg in the sea
Was thrown away then,
When an odd fish brought her
The egg back again.

The merchant then vowed
The goose he would kill
Resolving at once
His pockets to fill.

Jack's mother came in
And caught the goose soon,
And mounting its back,
Flew up to the moon.

---

Faux (quasi) Historical side-note:

There is a theory that the "Real" Mother Goose was a Queen Bertha of France (either late Eighth or Tenth Centuries, depending on which story you choose to believe), which has been discounted by "serious" historians.

However, there is a figure in Southern German folklore called Frau Perchta (<- wikipedia article) or "Berchta," or "Bertha," as she's known in English. And we all know how the northern border of France/southern border of Germany can never quite make up its mind where it belongs, don't we?

Anyway, in my edition of Funk and Wagnall's Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend, the article of Frau Berchta says that in Christain times, she became the guardian of the souls of babies who were stillborn, or died before baptism, and on Twelfth Night, she would transform them into geese, and lead them in a flight over the world (Raymond Briggs' Snowman style). Sure sounds like a "Mother(ly) Goose" to me!

Here is a blog entry I just found that shows a softer, gentler version of Frau Berchta than the one painted in the Wikipedia article, that may have been a transition figure between the witch that eats your guts and the little old lady who does nothing worse than dropping babies' cradles from treetops: Where is Mother Goose from? Is she from France? From Germany?

Comments

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

Of course, the people of Boston are convinced that she is from that city; there is a grave in the Old Granary burying ground for a Mary Goose. All the guides (and guidebooks) claim that this is the 'real' Mother Goose. Silly Bostonians!

[capriuni.livejournal.com]

Well, those are the people who just don't know about, or don't want to know about, Mother Goose's divine nature. They just want to reduce her to a mere historical figure so that they, mere mortals, can share in her fame.

Of course, it could very well be that that this Mary Goose got a reputation for being the local version of Bertha, because she was miraculously good at entertaing children. Just as a local elder might be known as the Town Solomon, because of his skill in resolving disputes.

But that doesn't mean that she is the one and only "Mother Goose."

Of course, now I think of Mrs. Claus' first name as "Bertha."

[pedanther]

!

I'd forgotten the bit about famed Harlequin!

They don't write plot twists like that any more...

[capriuni.livejournal.com]

Indeed they don't.

... And what story would not be improved with the addition of an odd fish?