"Mary, Mary, quite contrary" rather than being a simple nonsense nursery rhyme, is very dark Elizabethan snark about the Marian Persecutions; "silver bells and cockle-shells" refers to the Catholic church, and "pretty maids all in a row" refers both to her pathological jealousy, and to her executions/burning of "heretics".
Fascinating, never knew that. I had sadistic babysitters who told me scary stories and urban legends. One of the legends was about Bloody Mary. I don't recall the exact details but something along the lines of going into the bathroom at midnight with a candle, looking into the mirror and chanting Bloody Mary Bloody Mary.
"Mary, Mary, quite contrary" rather than being a simple nonsense nursery rhyme, is very dark Elizabethan snark about the Marian Persecutions; "silver bells and cockle-shells" refers to the Catholic church, and "pretty maids all in a row" refers both to her pathological jealousy, and to her executions/burning of "heretics".
Fascinating, never knew that. I had sadistic babysitters who told me scary stories and urban legends. One of the legends was about Bloody Mary. I don't recall the exact details but something along the lines of going into the bathroom at midnight with a candle, looking into the mirror and chanting Bloody Mary Bloody Mary.