# S4 Ep14: Episode 173. Dark Origins of Nursery Rhymes & Fairytales ft Cryptid Cocktail Party

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/perplexity-a-mystery-podcast-5992838/s4-ep14-episode-173-dark-origins-of-nursery-rhymes-fairytales-ft-cryptid-cocktail-party
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/perplexity-a-mystery-podcast-5992838/s4-ep14-episode-173-dark-origins-of-nursery-rhymes-fairytales-ft-cryptid-cocktail-party.md
Podcast: [Perplexity: A Mystery Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/perplexity-a-mystery-podcast-5992838)
Published: 2026-04-15T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://audioboom.com/posts/8884964
Audio file: https://op3.dev/e/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/audioboom.com/posts/8884964.mp3?modified=1775679504&sid=5166691&source=rss
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/perplexity-a-mystery-podcast-5992838/episodes/s4-ep14-episode-173-dark-origins-of-nursery-rhymes-fairytales-ft-cryptid-cocktail-party
Duration seconds: 4229

## Resource

You remember them from childhood—sweet melodies sung before sleep, an intriguing yarn your parents told to chase away the dark. But what if these songs and stories actually stemmed from darkness? What if the seemingly innocent rhymes and fairytales we still spread today were never meant for children's ears? Today, we peel back the soft, comforting veil of these stories to find what’s whispering beneath: plagues, betrayal, grim warnings, and violence. Forget happily ever after. Today’s episode is all about the perplexing and dark origins of nursery rhymes and fairytales! Check out Cryptic Cocktail Party here! ------ WAYS TO SUPPORT & CONNECT: Join the Patreon for perks and ad free episodes! Hit that follow button, drop a 5 star review, and spread the word!!! Buy Kaydra a coffee and get a shoutout! Merch! Be sure to tag us on Instagram in your merch! Subscribe to the YouTube channel! Website Follow Perplexity on Instagram and TikTok @PerplexityMysteryPodcast. Have a story to tell or want to request a topic? Email Kaydra at PerplexityMysteryPodcast@gmail.com ------ SOURCES: https://www.mentalfloss.com/literature/nursery-rhymes/morbid-meaning-ring-around-the-rosie https://www.mentalfloss.com/literature/nursery-rhymes/dark-origins-11-classic-nursery-rhymes https://kids.kiddle.co/Ring_a_Ring_o%27_Roses Wikipedia https://www.historyhit.com/culture/the-disturbing-origins-of-fairy-tales/ https://www.tckpublishing.com/dark-fairy-tales/ https://time.com/3828261/dark-origins-11-nursery-rhymes/ https://www.classical-music.com/features/works/darkest-nursery-rhymes https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150610-the-dark-side-of-nursery-rhymes https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/jack-and-jill-nursery-rhyme-lyrics-origins-meaning-history/ https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/2015…

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## Transcript

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