The legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the colorful figure who seduces rats out of a town with his music, then the town’s children, is known to many around the world. Not many know, however, that the legend probably has a dark basis in reality. Below are some fascinating facts about the historic origins of that tale and other folklore and mythology from around the world.
20. The Dangers of Stiffing Professionals for Services Performed
In the Pied Piper legend, the German town of Hamelin in Lower Saxony was overrun with rats, and all efforts to fight the infestation failed. Then along came a strange figure, clad in pied (multicolored) clothing, who asserted that he could rid the town of its pests. The authorities promised him a reward – 1000 guilders in some versions – if he succeeded. So the man, known thereafter as the Pied Piper of Hamelin, pulled out a pipe, and began to play it. The rats, entranced by his music, flocked to and then followed him out of town and into a river, where they all drowned. However, when he sought the promised payment, the good people of Hamelin stiffed the piper. They either refused to pay, or paid only a fraction of the promised amount – 50 guilders, in some accounts. The understandably upset piper left the town in a huff, vowing revenge.
Most myths don’t have exact dates for when they’re supposed to have happen, and are more in the “once upon a time” category far as that goes. Not so the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, whose key event has a precise date: June 26th, 1284. It was on date that the Pied Piper supposedly returned to Hamelin. While all the adults were gathered in church, he played his pipe, and entranced Hamelin’s children – 130 of them – to follow him out of town. They were never seen again. Only three kids were left in Hamelin when the adults came out of church: a crippled child who could not follow the piper, a deaf one who had not heard his tune, and a blind one who was unable to follow the other children. It is a fascinating folk tale that, as seen below, had some possibly dark real life origins.
