18 June 2012
Sourced primarily from Wikipedia.
Humpty Dumpty was originally written as a riddle when it was first published in 1803. Nowhere in the rhyme does it explicitly state that Humpty is an egg, because that is the answer to the riddle! Interestingly a 'Humpty Dumpty' was a 17th drink of brandy boiled with ale. It was also 18th century slang for somebody short and clumsy (hence it's use in the riddle).
Researching this was interesting, so I'm going to do a factual series on Nursery rhyme origins. Hope you enjoy as much as I do!
Nursery Rhyme Origins: Humpty Dumpty • Opuss № I