The Woman Known as Mother Goose

Was She a Real Person or an Imaginary Figure?

Sep 10, 2008

Was Mother Goose French, American, English, a figure from German and Norse mythology, or none of the above?

Folklorists have tried for years to determine if Mother Goose was an actual person or simply an imaginary figure that has evolved over the centuries. The first mention of her in print is in the 1650 French work La Muse historique which contains the line “Comme un conte de la Mer-oye” (“Like a tale of Mother Goose“). In 1696-7, Charles Perrault published a collection of fairy tales that had the sub-title Contes de la Mere L'Oye (Tales of Mother Goose).

Some scholars contend that these books prove the character of Mother Goose dates back many, many years before their publication and that she is French. Others, although agreeing that the character is hundreds of years old, nevertheless feel that she can be traced to other regions and cultures. Here are the various theories.

Mother Goose and French Royalty

One candidate for original Mother Goose is Queen Bertrada or Bertha (720-783), wife of Pepin and mother of Charlemagne. She was known as “Goose-footed Bertha," possibly because of the size and shape of her foot which was said to be both large and webbed. Another, also named Bertha, was the wife of Robert the Pious (972-1031) of France. According to legend, Bertha, who was Robert’s cousin, gave birth to a child with the head of a goose who only lived a short time.

Mother Goose as an American

When Boston widower Isaac Goose, or Vergoose, married Elizabeth Foster (1665-1758), he already had ten children. The couple then proceeded to have six more and eventually numerous grandchildren. To entertain this large brood, Elizabeth would recite rhymes that she had learned in the past or created herself. Eventually, according to family tradition, Elizabeth’s son-in-law, printer Thomas Fleet, compiled them into a book, Songs for the Nursery or Mother Goose’s Melodies for Children, allegedly published in 1719.

This story has become a part of Massachusetts folklore and Elizabeth Goose’s grave is a popular tourist site. However, there are at least three arguments making it unlikely that she was the original Mother Goose:

Other Mother Goose Possibilities

Two women have been suggested as English possibilities. A 1700 Sussex nursemaid, Martha Gooch, allegedly sang rhymes to the children in her care. Because of this, neighbors would tease her by calling her Mother Goose after Goose-footed Bertha, the mother of Charlemagne. The story may be true, but she was not the original character. There is also a “Mother Goose” who was buried at the St. Olaves graveyard in London on September 14, 1586. She reportedly was also a nursemaid who sang rhymes and knitted little booties for geese to protect their feet.

In Norse and German mythology Bertha (yes, another one) is the goddess of spinning who is portrayed sometimes as having a goose foot from using the spinning wheel treadle. She is also believed to be the protector of children who goes into nurseries at night to watch the little ones as their mothers sleep. German folklore also has a Fru Gode and a Fru Gosen, but they seem to be unrelated to children.

So, who was Mother Goose? Probably not any of the above specifically, but instead a combination of several of them.

Sources: Opie, Iona, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1951), Baring-Gould, William S., The Annotated Mother Goose (New York, C.N. Potter, 1962).

The copyright of the article The Woman Known as Mother Goose in Children's Verse is owned by John K. Davis. Permission to republish The Woman Known as Mother Goose in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.