18 December: Mother Goose Day

Panto season is upon us, and today is Mother Goose Day, So here's all you need to know about Mother Goose.

1. Who is Mother Goose? She's said to be the person who wrote all the nursery rhymes we know and love, such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Little Bo Peep, Jack and Jill and Baa Baa Black Sheep.
2. She's also responsible for well known Tongue Twisters like "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
3. The first mention of her in the English language was in the early 18th century, when a book of fairy tales was translated from the French Contes de ma Mere l'Oye (Tales of My Mother Goose), by Charles Perrault. It was followed by a compilation of nursery rhymes, Mother Goose's Melody or Sonnets for the Cradle. However, Mother Goose was known as a folk figure way before that. References to her in French literature date back to the 17th century with sayings such as "like a Mother Goose Story".
4. Was she based on a real person? Some say the original Mother Goose was the wife of the French king Robert II who was known as "Goose footed Bertha" and was famous for telling children incredible stories. Or it might have been Charlemange's mother, Bertrada of Laon, who was known as "The Goose-foot Queen". There is even evidence to suggest she might have been the Queen of Sheba.
5. A more modern legend suggests that the original Mother Goose was Elizabeth Foster Goose, the wife of Isaac Goose, who lived in New England. When she married Isaac, she had six children from a previous marriage and Isaac had ten. She spent a lot of time singing nursery rhymes to her grandchildren and their friends and her son in law allegedly collected them into a book. No copies have ever been found, however.
6. As well as writing nursery rhymes, Mother Goose stars in one of her own. It's fifteen verses long, beginning with "Old Mother Goose, When she wanted to wander, Would ride through the air On a very fine gander." The poem goes on to tell of Mother Goose's adventures with the golden Egg.
7. According to the poem, Mother Goose has a son called Jack.
8. She is depicted as an old lady wearing a tall pointed hat. She has a strong chin and rides a flying goose.
9. Mother Goose is also a Pantomime. The plot of the panto is based on an acient Greek legend about a goose that laid golden eggs. This makes it the oldest story to be adapted into a pantomime.
10. The plot of the pantomime is as follows: Mother Goose is behind with her rent and the bailiffs have come to evict her. A good fairy sends along the goose who lays golden eggs. The goose is traditionally named Priscilla. Thanks to Priscilla and her golden eggs, Mother Goose is now rich. The Demon King has a bet with the fairy that no-one is ever content with what they have. The fairy claims that Mother Goose is, and the Demon King sets out to prove her wrong by tempting Mother Goose with youth and beauty. If she gives up Priscilla, she will gain access to a pool which will make her young and beautiful if she bathes in it. She soon realises beauty isn't all it's cracked up to be, as her friends no longer like her. So she goes to get Priscilla back, having lots of adventures on the way, usually ending with going to Goose Court and winning her case.

A Christmas Novella

A Very Variant Christmas

Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.

The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?

Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.

Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.

Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.

Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.

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