The words and lyrics of the nursery rhyme 'There was a man in Thessaly' are believed to be derived from an old Greek myth. Thessaly is a district of Greece. The myth relates to Bellerophon who attempted to fly the winged horse Pegasus to the top of Mount Olympus the home of the Greek Gods. Zeus sent a gadfly to sting Pegasus and Bellerophon was thrown off and fell back to the Earth where he landed on a thorn bush and was blinded. He stumbled around for the rest of his life.

There was a Man in Thessaly
Nursery Rhyme lyrics, origins and history

There was a man in Thessaly,
And he was wondrous wise,
He jumped into a thorn bush,
And scratched out both his eyes

And when he saw his eyes were out,
He danced with might and main,
Then jumped into another bush
And scratched them in again.

There was a Man in Thessaly
Nursery Rhyme lyrics, origins and history