Lullabies have existed since ancient times, and are sung across almost all cultures to soothe babies and lull them to sleep. In doing so, they often reflect upon fear and various stereotypes about the place of men and women in society, which are common in many cultures, are embedded in our memories through dominant social thoughts. The earliest complete record of a lullaby begins, “Little baby in the dark house.” It tells of a house god who, disturbed by the screaming of a baby, darkly calls for the child. “They were rather brutal about it,” says Richard Dumbrill, the director of the International Council of Near-Eastern Archaeomusicology at the University of London who translated the 4,000-year-old tablet from Akkadian script. “And indeed, remember, these were brutal times. Human life was very, very cheap. It is possible that by educating their babies in fear, it would bring them to adulthood with reflexes of defense.”

In this work, Gün is depicting how lullabies are sung as a cautionary tale. Many and lurid are the child-snatching, child-snacking beasts that await those who resist sleep are common across cultures. In addition to its scarceful attitude, lullabies —like other forms of folklore—are an important means of broadcasting a picture of the world. The horrifying visions of the tales introduce children to centuries old societal roles and rules.