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The town of Hamelin in Germany is a very picturesque place and is famous for the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin (or Hamln). According to the story, which has lived for centuries in oral tradition (the origins go back to the year 1284), the city was infested with rats until a piper dressed in multi-colors (the meaning of "pied") came to town and promised to rid the city of its infestation for a price. The city agreed, the pied piper played his pipe and all the rats followed him out of town by means of his magic pipe-playing, and then the city reneged on its promise. At that point, the pied piper used the same magic piping to lure the children out of town permanently as punishment, and they were never seen again. A version of the story was told by Johann Goethe and became part of the collection of Grimm's fairy tales. The most famous account of the story is in a poem by Robert Browning, the Victorian poet, which is sub-titled "A Children's Tale" and has been enjoyed world-wide by many children. It has a gruesome end because the children apparently all die.
The town of Hamelin in Germany (Hameln) is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony. It is the gateway to the surrounding picturesque Weserbergland mountains, a popular vacation spot for hikers and bikers. The town is best known for for the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
According to the story, which has lived for centuries in oral tradition (the origins go back to the year 1284), the city was infested with rats until a piper dressed in multi-colors (the meaning of "pied") came to town and promised to rid the city of its infestation for a price. The city agreed, the pied piper played his pipe and all the rats followed him out of town by means of his magic pipe-playing, and then the city reneged on its promise. At that point, the pied piper used the same magic piping to lure the children out of town permanently as punishment, and they were never seen again.
A version of the story was told by Johann Goethe and became part of the collection of Grimm's fairy tales. The most famous account of the story is in a poem by Robert Browning, the Victorian poet, which is sub-titled "A Children's Tale" and has been enjoyed world-wide by many children. It has a gruesome end because the children apparently all die. Many of the traditional firy tales arte like that. Not the best material for bed time reading.
The town of Hamelin now recreates the legend and it becomes a favorite festival. A local flautist dresses up like a piper in a multi-coloured medieval costume, and the children dress up as rats to follow him. The photo here shows the festive recreation of the tale--children's literature brought to life with participation by the town children.
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