# Why is Humpty Dumpty portrayed as an egg
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-portrayed-as-an-egg/120996
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
**Created:** [July 26, 2002, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-portrayed-as-an-egg/120996 "2002-07-26T20:25:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Dannyny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dannyny)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2002, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-portrayed-as-an-egg/120996/1 "2002-07-26T20:25:47Z")
At no small expense to myself, I traveled to Engalnd recently and went to the Tower of London. There, one of the Yeoman of the Guard explained the history of the story Humpty Dumpty. It was a political ryme from the time of Richard the III. As anyone who knows British history or Shakespeare can tell you, Richard III was somewhat deforemed. In fact, he had a hunched back and so, Humpty Dumpty. After the fall of this kings army at Bosworth field, all his troops could not save him or his kingdom. (“A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!”) He did in fact have the greatest of falls. This rhyme goes along with other rather sick rymes of England such as “Ring around the rosey (a sign of the black death or plaque) …all fall down” . The idea of the egg was merely for Alice in Wonderland’s use of the rhyme.
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### Author:  [@NeutronJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeutronJack)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2002, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-portrayed-as-an-egg/120996/2 "2002-07-26T20:55:26Z")
Could be, could be. _Or_, it could be a story that the yeoman made up.
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2002, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-portrayed-as-an-egg/120996/3 "2002-07-26T23:18:49Z")
**Dannyny** said
> [@](#):
>
> This rhyme goes along with other rather sick rymes of England such as “Ring around the rosey (a sign of the black death or plaque) …all fall down” .
Glad you could make it to the board.
This old saw has been done to death. It’s really isn’t true.
[http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.htm](http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.htm) is the “snopes” website that debunks urban legends. Bookmark it as a favorite place. We have probably done this many times on this board but I don’t want to tax our server anymore than necessary.
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### Author:  [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2002, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-portrayed-as-an-egg/120996/4 "2002-07-27T02:18:37Z")
Welcome to the SDMB, **Dannyny**. A link to the staff report is appreciated. Providing one can be as simple ase pasting the URL into your post, making sure to leave a blank space on either side of it. Like so: [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mhumpty.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mhumpty.html)