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| Sunday, 21 November 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Variety Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall All the King's horses And all the King's men Couldn't put Humpty together again. Humpty Dumpty was a common 'nickname' for people of large proportion in the 1400s. This rhyme refers to King Richard III of England. The Battle of Bosworth took place on August 22, 1485. It was the fight for the throne between King Richard III and the head of the House of Lancaster, Henry Tudor. Richard sat on his horse atop Ambion Hill ready for battle, directing his armies when he was murdered. Other suggested origins are that during the English Civil War (1642-49) "Humpty Dumpty" was the name for a powerful cannon. It was mounted atop the St. Mary's Wall Church in Colchester to defend the city against siege in the summer of 1648. (Colchester was a Parliamentarian stronghold but had been captured by Royalists and they held it for 11 weeks). The enemy hit the church tower and the top was blown off. "Humpty Dumpty" fell off and tumbled to the ground. The King's men tried to fix it, but to no avail. Another suggests that "Humpty Dumpty" refers to the tale of Charles I (Humpty Dumpty) of England. He was toppled by the Puritan majority in Parliament (the great fall). The King's army (Cavaliers) could not restore his power. Charles I was executed by the Roundheads ("couldn't put back together again"). ###### Glimpses of history with Mutta : Vijaya lands at Tammenna
Eventually the King of the country too came to know about this lion. He sent a messenger around the village asking if anyone can kill the lion and announcing that anyone accomplishing this task and bringing the lion's head would receive three thousand gold coins as a gift. The son of the lion, Sinhabahu came to hear this. He wanted to kill his father, but his mother prevented him saying: 'O dear son, please don't kill your father, for he had not done any harm to us. He is quite angry.' But Sinhabahu would not listen to his mother. He said: 'Dear mother, what you say may be correct. But he has become a terror to the whole kingdom.' The mother remained silent, knowing the son was too stubborn. Sinhabahu, who decided to kill the lion, made two attempts, failing on both occasions. However, on the third occasion, he was successful." "Oh what a sad story", said a little girl. "We want to know what happened next", said a little boy. "All stories don't end on a happy note," said Mutta, continuing his story. "A few days later, Sinhabahu brought before the King the head of the lion. After the King who ruled the Vagu kingdom died, Sinhabahu succeeded him as the King. He went to his mother's birthplace and set up a new kingdom named 'Sinhapura'. Later, Sinhabahu married and a son named Vijaya was born to them. He was the eldest of 32 children. Vijaya was naughty and disobedient. Unlike most princes, he did not treat the common man well. So the people of the kingdom disliked Vijaya. He had a lot of friends who were equally bad. When the citizens could no longer tolerate Vijaya and his friends, they reported the matter to Sinhabahu. The King thought long and hard and decided to banish Vijaya to another country as a punishment.He got the royal courtiers to build a huge ship into which Vijaya and 700 of his followers were boarded. Their heads were shaved and their wives and children were sent in another ship. The ships set sail and the one carrying Vijaya and his followers landed in Sri Lanka. The port they initially landed on was known as Supparaka, but the large number of settlers there disliked strangers forcefully entering their land. So Vijaya and his followers had to leave Supparaka, seeking another port. Thus they reached Tammenna, the ground with copper sand. This place is also known as Dambakola Patuna. I think you have heard of this place",Mutta waited awhile for the response of the children. "Tammenna is situated close to the present Puttalam." "So what happened to Vijaya at Tammenna?" asked a little boy. "I will tell you all about it later," Mutta said. |
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Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Resuming the story about the princess who married the lion,which Mutta
had started three weeks ago, he went on: "So the lion became very
angry . He roamed the forest, and seeing no one there, walked towards the
village, where the humans lived. The villagers, who saw how angry the lion
was, were very scared and hid behind trees and rocks. The entire village
became terrified. The lion would roam around the village, roaring as if
asking the question, 'where is my wife, where are my dear children?'.
