Blogpost 3: "Mary Mary Quite Contrary: Hands Above Our Head"

Mary Mary Quite Contrary 

"Mary, Mary quite contrary

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockleshells

And pretty maids all in a row"

          I've always been hearing this nursery rhyme, but I never quite understood it fully. Unlike "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" whose rhyme is talking about the twinkling of the stars and "The Crooked Man" who was pertaining to a crooked man as per se, but the rhyme "Mary Mary Quite Contrary" is a rhyme I cannot fully apprehend. I know that contrary means "to oppose" or "to disagree".  I also know what a silver bell is (also called "Halesia or the Snowdrop", silver bells are can be considered as large shrubs or small tress depending on its size. It looks like our native "yellow bell" only it does not grow into a big tree and is more vine-like). However, I was wondering what a cockle (it's a bivalve mollusk; looks like a clam) and a bunch of pretty maids doing in Mary's garden.

          After thinking about it over and over again, i realized that Mary's garden is not a real garden, and that Mary herself in not the little girl we see in nursery rhyme books after all.

In the www.voices.yahoo.com website, I read this article entitled "Theories Behind the Nursery Rhyme Mary, Mary Quite Contrary" written by: Jennifer Wright. In this this article, she said:

"The first of these theories involves Mary I of Scotland. The first line "how does your garden grow" possibly referring to the length of her reign. "Silver bells" would be a reference to the church bells of the catholic cathedrals. "Cockleshells" could be an underlying statement that her husband was unfaithful and "pretty maids" would be a line about the death of her babies."

Mary, Queen of Scots

          Mary, Queen of Scots, who is also known by her other titles; Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was queen of Scotland, reigning  from The 4th of December 1542 to the 24th of July 1567. She was also the queen consort of France from the 10th of July 1559 to  the 5th December 1560. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King James V of Scotland (she became the Queen of England when her father passed away six days after she was born), and in 1558, she married the Francis, Dauphin of France (then she became the Queen Consort of the King of France, thus reigning over another kingdom)

Also in the same article, Jennifer said: 

"The most popular theory about Mary, Mary quite contrary is the one about Mary I of England. She was Mary Tudor the daughter of King Henry the XIII, also known as "Bloody Mary". Mary Tudor was well known for her obsessive mission to return England to its Catholic religion.  The "how does your garden grow" as the growing size of the graveyards. The graveyards were growing so rapidly because there were Protestants who were executed because they were unwilling to give up their faith and practice as Catholic. "Silver Bells and Cockleshells" refer to torture devices. Silver Bells were thumbscrews, which caused the thumb to be smashed between two flat surfaces by a screw being tightened up. Cockleshells were a device for torturing that was placed on the genitals. Then of course the pretty maids would refer to the guillotine type machine called "the maiden." Beheadings and being burned at the stake were very popular during the reign of Mary Tudor.It's very interesting to see the history of where our little nursery rhymes came from. Even if they are a bit dark, they are more a part of our history than just something to entertain our children."

Mary I of England

          Mary I of England earned her title as "Bloody Mary", because of her gruesome and merciless way of killing protestants and those who practice the protestant faith. No one was speared; weather a grown man or a child, she killed everyone who opposed her in the most horrible and dreadful manner. Mary was often confused with her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots (yes, they are cousins) who lived at the same time. Some people say that the nusrsey rhyme "Mary Mary Quite Contrary" is actually pertaining to Mary, Queen of Scots, but I have to disagree with them, becaused I am deeply convinced that the nursery rhyme is pertaining to the the real blood-thirsty prosecutor; the one and only "Bloody Mary", Mary I of England.

          Now that was creepy, wasn't it? I know that you can feel your childhood slowly fading away; the truth of the world revealed to you. Is reality getting into your head? Is it boggling your mind? Well, I can feel that too when I first read about this stuff. What a revelation!  Stay tuned, and I will unveil the truths of your favorite nursery rhymes. 

~Ken Ricafort~