Now that I’ve got Finbar’s Fiddle up on Amazon I thought I would blog about some of my inspirations for the story.  I started this book a few years ago when my children were small and nursery rhymes were part of my life.

The imagery is intriguing.  A cat and a fiddle. How does that work? A cow over the moon is like a bad Chick-Fil-A commercial. The language is also intriguing.  What is up with that crazy weasel anyway?

If you search the internet (where only the most reliable information is found) you will discover that these rhymes are largely based on events in English history. Many of these events were quite bloody.  Don’t believe me, look up Mary, Mary Quite Contrary.  London Bridges is based on a viking attack. Ring ‘Round the Rosey, the plague.  Nothing says fun like the plague.

The meanings of a lot of them are unknown or disputed. It is interesting how we pass on these ancient cultural references without even knowing it. Oh and the weasel?  It has something to do with Cockney slang or spinning wheels.  It’s complicated.

I found most of the information on a British site called Rhymes.org which I’ve linked here. They have words and explanations for rhymes familiar and bizarre. They also have lots of ads linked to their text so click carefully.

What rhymes do you remember from childhood?