 His remark, "comme un conte de la Mère Oye" ("like a Mother Goose story") shows that the term was readily understood.Additional 17th-century Mother Goose/Mere l'Oye references appear in French literature in the 1620s and 1630s.In the 20th century, Katherine Elwes-Thomas theorised that the image and name "Mother Goose" or "Mère l'Oye" might be based upon ancient legends of the wife of King Robert II of France, known as "Berthe la fileuse" ("Bertha the Spinner") or "Berthe pied d'oie" ("Goose-Footed Bertha" ), often described as spinning incredible tales that enraptured children.