Pied piper

Press, 19 June 1979, Page 16

Pied piper

The story of the Pied Piper is legend ip the town of Hamelin or Hameln as it is spelt in Germany where it originated. Part of it is makebelieve, but it has developed from events that are supposed to have taken place, although the facts are buried in time.

In the story, the town of Hamelin was over-run by rats, and the peoples’ lives were unbearable. They were desperate, and the Mayor offered a large reward to anyone who could rid them of this terrible plague. One day a stranger appeared before the mayor. He undertook to rid the town of the rats in return for the reward. The Mayor agreed. The man set off down the street playing a tune on his pipe, and the people watched in fascination as rats began to appear from everywhere, to follow the music. The piper led them to the river just outside the town. Then he stopped on the bank, but the great horde of rats, hypnotised by the music, continued on, jostling each other into the water, where they drowned.

When the piper returned to claim his promised reward. the mayor and the people refused to pa\, offering him only one gold coin in a rather insulting and sneering manner. Without speaking a word, the piper returned

to the street to play a very different tune. Before the horrified people of Hamelin, the children came tumbling out of the houses and joyfully followed him down the street, out of the town and past the river to a mountain.

A door opened in the side of the mountain. Charmed by the music, the children followed the piper through the door, to disappear into the mountain forever. Only one child was left in the town — a little lame boy who was not able to keep up with the rest.

One theory about the origin of this legend is that the children left the town to join up with thousands of others from France and Germany, to form the children’s Crusade that went forth to fight in the Holy Land. The young Crusaders did not reach Jerusalem. Many died on the long coldmarch and others were sold into slavery. That there was a plague of rats in Hamelin is quite feasible, because they have always been a problem in areas where they can establish themselves in safety from preying animals that control their numbers.

The moral of the story is quite plain — never break a promise. The loss of the children, as the story relates, was a terrible punishment for a broken promise.