Alphabe Thursday …. J is for Jack and Jill

This nursery rhyme is considered by some as fairy tale because it has a romantic air.  From the beginning of the 19th century it formed one of the chapbook series; the story was extended to fifteen verses.  The second verse is probably a legacy of this extension and not so old as the first verse which alone and appears in 18th century documents. The rhyming of water (wahter) with after (ahter) suggests that it dates from early 17th century.  

At first glance the rhyme seems to be nonsense but there is a theory that the verse refers  to the Eddaic Hjuki and Bil.  Hjuki in Norse would be pronounced Juki to become Jack ; and Bil, for the sake of euphony, and in order to give a female name would become Jill.  The children were used in a Scandinavian myth to explain the markings on the moon. When the moon is full so the children can be seen with the bucket on a pole between them.