The elf shares more history facts

_Elsa_

The elf continues telling Tiffi more about the history that he learned from the wise old man.

‘In fact, the etymology of the moniker “Mother Goose” may have evolved over centuries, originating as early as the 8th century with Bertrada II of Laon (mother of Charlemagne, the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire) who was a patroness of children known as “Goose-foot Bertha” or “Queen Goosefoot” due to a malformation of her foot. 

By the mid-17th century, “mere l’oye” or “mere oye” (Mother Goose) was a phrase commonly used in France to describe a woman who captivated children with delightful tales. In 1697, Charles Perrault published a collection of folktales with the subtitle “Contes de ma mère l’oye” (Tales from my Mother Goose), which became beloved throughout France and was translated into English in 1729. And in England, circa 1765, John Newbery published the wildly popular “Mother Goose’s Melody, or, Sonnets for the Cradle,” which indelibly shifted the association of Mother Goose from folktales to nursery rhymes and children’s poetry, and which influenced nearly every subsequent Mother Goose publication.’ (Source) 

‘Many variations on the Mother Goose theme have since been published. They have featured wonderful illustrations by artists such as William Wallace Denslow (for an edition of Mother Goose published in 1901), Henriette Willebeek Le Mair (Our Ould Nursery Rhymes, 1911), Jessie Willcox Smith (Mother Goose, 1914), Blanche Fisher Wright (for Rand McNally’s The Real Mother Goose, 1916), Eulalie Minifred Bank (Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, 1923). 

From this time onwards, ‘Mother Goose’ has captured the public’s imagination. She frequently appears in many classic British pantomimes. The transition from a shadowy generic figure to one with such concrete actions was affected at a pantomime Harlequin and Mother Goose: or The Golden Egg. This was in 1806–07, at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (London). It was written by Thomas Dibdin (1771 – 1841), who recreated her more as a ‘witch-figure’ appearing in the first scene ‘raising a storm and flying a gander.’ (Source)

Let’s continue - Why is it called Mother Goose rhymes?

Start at the beginning – The story of Mother Goose