Podcast
Stuff You Should Know
It was discussed as a horrifying children's story from 1818 about a creature who throws sand in children's eyes that don't sleep, resulting in their eyeballs falling out, and then the Sandman collecting them.
In 1818 there was a writer named E.T.A. Hoffmann that wrote Der Sandmann with two N's and it's just like the Grimm's brother stuff.
— Episode: Short Stuff: The Sandman
Episode: Short Stuff: The Sandman
It was discussed as a horrifying children's story from 1818 about a creature who throws sand in children's eyes that don't sleep, resulting in their eyeballs falling out, and then the Sandman collecting them.
In 1818 there was a writer named E.T.A. Hoffmann that wrote Der Sandmann with two N's and it's just like the Grimm's brother stuff.
It's this horrifying nursery rhyme or not nursery rhyme but sort of a story, a kid's story about a nurse telling a story about this creature who throws sand in your eyes of little kids who don't go to sleep and your eyes fall out of your sockets.
Then the Sandman collects those eyeballs, puts them in a bag and lives on the dark side of the moon, goes home and carries them there and then feeds those eyeballs to his children.