Mother Mother The Pot Boils Over!

Source: Games For The Playground, Home, School And Gymnasium
Category: MISCELLANEOUS ACTIVE GAMES



_5 to 11 players._

_Indoors; out of doors._

This is a traditional dramatic game.

One player represents an old witch, another a mother, another the
eldest daughter, another a pot boiling on the hearth, and the balance
are children, named for the days of the week, Monday, Tuesday, etc.

The old witch hides around the corner of a house or other convenient
place, and peeps out, while the mother says to her eldest daughter, "I
am going away, and I want you to let nothing happen to your sisters."
To the others she says, "Monday, you take care of Tuesday, and
Tuesday, you take care of Wednesday," etc., until she comes to the
last child, when she says, "And Saturday, take care of yourself." Then
to the eldest, "Be sure and not let the old witch take any of your
sisters. You can also get the dinner, and be sure not to let the pot
boil over."

The mother then goes away and stays at a distance out of sight. As
soon as the mother has gone, the old witch, stooping, lame, and
walking with a stick, comes and raps with her knuckles on the supposed
door. The eldest daughter says; "Come in! What do you want?"

_Old Witch._ Let me light my pipe at your fire; my fire is out.

_Eldest Daughter._ Yes, if you will not dirty the hearth.

_Old Witch._ No, certainly; I will be careful.

The eldest daughter lets her in and goes about her work, setting the
table or looking on the shelf, when the old witch suddenly stoops down
and blows the ashes on the hearth; whereupon the pot makes a hissing
sound as though boiling over, and the old witch catches hold of Monday
and runs away with her.

The eldest daughter cries out, "Mother, mother, the pot boils over!"

The mother calls back, "Take the spoon and skim it."

"Can't find it."

"Look on the shelf."

"Can't reach it."

"Take the stool."

"Leg's broken."

"Take the chair."


"Chair's gone to be mended."

Mother, "I suppose I must come myself!"

The mother then returns, looks about, and misses Monday. "Where is my
Monday?" she demands of the eldest daughter.

The daughter says, "Under the table." The mother pretends to look
under the table, and calls "Monday!" then says, "She isn't there." The
daughter suggests various places, up on the shelf, down in the cellar,
etc., with the same result. Finally, the eldest daughter cries and
says: "Oh, please, mother, please! I couldn't help it, but some one
came to beg a light for her pipe, and when I looked for her again she
had gone, and taken Monday with her."

The mother says, "Why, that was the old witch!" She pretends to beat
the eldest daughter, and tells her to be more careful in the future,
and on no account to let the pot boil over. The eldest daughter weeps,
promises to be better, and the mother again goes away. The old witch
comes again, and the same thing is repeated until each child in turn
has been taken away, the old witch pretending each time to borrow a
different article that is used around the fire, as the poker, the
kettle, etc. Finally, the eldest daughter is carried off too.

The pot, which has boiled over with a hissing sound each time the old
witch has come to the hearth, now boils over so long and so loudly
that the mother hears it and comes back to see what is the matter.
Finding the eldest daughter gone too, the mother goes in search of
them to the witch's house. On the way she meets the old witch, who
tries to turn her from her path by speaking of various dangers.

The mother asks of her, "Is this the way to the witch's house?" and
the witch replies, "There is a red bull that way."

"I will go this way."

"There is a mad cow that way."

"I will go this way."

"There is a mad dog that way."

Finally, the mother insists on entering the witch's house. The witch
refuses to let her in, sayin


"Your shoes are too dirty."

"I will take them off."

"Your stockings are too dirty."

"I will take them off."

"Your feet are too dirty."

The mother grows angry at this, pushes her way into the house, and
calls her children. The witch is supposed, prior to this, to have
cooked the children, made them into pies, and put them in a row,
naming them apple pie, peach pie, etc. They stand or sit with their
faces or heads covered.

The mother approaches them and says, "You have some pies?" The old
witch says, "Yes, some very nice apple pie." The mother proceeds to
taste the apple pie and says, "This needs more sugar." The witch
pretends to stir in more sugar, whereupon the mother tastes again and
says, "Why, this tastes exactly like my child Monday!" Monday
thereupon uncovers her face and says, "It is Monday!" The mother
shakes her and says, "Run away home!" which she does.

This is gone through with each pie in turn, the mother finding them in
need of more salt or longer cooking or some other improvement before
she discovers in each case one of her children. When all have been
sent home, the mother, joined by the children, chases and catches the
witch.

This is one of the oldest traditional games, of which many
versions are given by Mrs. Gomme and Mr. Newell, both from
Great Britain and America. Several incidents here given the
present writer has gathered directly from players of the game.
According to Mrs. Gomme, the game probably illustrates some of
the practices and customs associated with fire worship, worship
of the hearth, and ancient house ritual. The magic pot boils
over when anything is wrong and as a warning to the mother that
she is needed. The incident of the witch taking a light from
the hearth is very significant, as, according to an old
superstition, the giving of a brand from a hearth gave the
possessor power over the inmates of the house. The sullying of
the hearth by the old witch in blowing the ashes has also an
ancient significance, as fairies were said to have power over
inmates of a house where the hearth or threshold had been
sullied.

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