Title: “Thumbelina”

General Information about Item:

• Lullaby: Verbal Folklore   
• Language: English
• Country of Origin: United States
• Informant: M.W.
• Grantham, NH
• April 2006
• Collected: October 21, 2021

Informant Data:

• M. W. is a 19-year-old Caucasian freshman at Dartmouth College. She was born in Lebanon, NH, and lived with her younger brother, mother, and father in Grantham, NH for her whole life. Her mother, Elizabeth, is a physician, and her father, John, works in IT, and her whole family was Catholic, although M.W. does not actively practice Catholicism.

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

• M.W.’s grandmother always sang M.W.’s mother Elizabeth lullabies every night, so when Elizabeth had a daughter, she knew that she wanted to sing her lullabies. Her grandmother first found Thumbelina when Elizabeth was young, and sang it to her for her whole childhood. Elizabeth sang M.W. many lullabies every night, but Thumbelina was M.W.’s favorite. If M.W. was ever particularly sad or in a bad mood, her mother always knew that singing Thumbelina would make her feel better. 

Cultural Context:

• This lullaby talks about a fairy who goes to a happy place and meets a kind prince. This is soothing to a child because they can imagine a fantasy land, which is peaceful for them to think about before they go to bed. This is also important for M.W.’s family because it has been passed down for generations, especially since M.W plans to pass on this lullaby to her child. 

Lullaby Text:

Once there was a maiden, so beautiful and kind.

She was the smallest maiden fair that you could ever find.

She was sweet and she was gentle, and she loved the simple way.

At night she slept in a walnut, she sailed on a flower all day.

Tiny Thumbelina, you could fit into my hand.

I hope you find a happy place, in a sunny fairyland.

Somewhere there’s a tiny prince, he’s handsome, good and kind.

He is just the prince that Thumbelina wants to find

He’s strong and he is gentle and he loves the simple way.

He and Thumbelina will be happy all their days.

Tiny Thumbelina, you could fit into my hand.

I hope you find a happy place, in a sunny fairyland.

Yes, I hope you find a happy place, in a sunny fairyland.

Audio:

Informant’s Comments:

“Thumbelina connects me to my grandmother, especially since I don’t get to see her often anymore. I want to pass it to my kids so that they can have a memory of their grandmother.”

Collector’s Comments:

Thumbelina was a part of my childhood as well, but in the form of a book, not a lullaby.

Collector: Piper Stevens

Tags:

• Verbal Folklore
• English Lullaby
• Dartmouth
• Students
• Thumbelina