The Legend of the Pied Piper of Hameln (Der Rattenfanger)

"The play is beginning." This is a common sentence that echoes around the main streets of Hameln
every Sunday at 12 noon and in many different tongues. The town's people of Hameln stage the play based on the legend from mid May to mid September.


But, what is the truth behind the legend?

In reality probably no one will ever actually really know.
The only thing that is really certain is that the loss of a number of children from the town on the 26th June 1284 is well documented.
From this the story quickly became known in the local area.

The legend gained popularity during the 15th and 16th centuries when hand bills were printed documenting the loss.
The legend was again popularised with the publishing of Robert Browning's poem. But, even the poem is filled with inaccuracies ( Browning says July) and is made up of some of the different stories circulating at the time

Some people have suggested have suggested that the children left after being temepted away to join a children's crusade to the Holyland.

However, the date does not match any of the known dates of any crusade. The other question that has been raised is that of what is meant by children?

In the period concerned people did not recognise such a group as teenagers and it is well documented that people did travel around the area offering young people plots of land and a new start in life if they would move east; therefore this is a reasonable suggestion.

Also, groups of people with german ethnic origins are quite common throughout most east european countries and so the suggestion of a lost tribe in Rumania as suggested in Browning's poem is not beyond belief.

In reality the truth is not known and the legend can be equated with our own legend of Robin Hood.

And. like us the local people are proud of their legend, the Piper is one of the town's emblems and bread "rats" are a common souvenir in the local bread shops, and if you visit our town you may be lucky enough to see one of the guides leading a tour dressed in the famous costume. One of the guides is a special friend of the school and regularly comes in to see. ( As yet his magic flute has not charmed any of our 'rats' away.)
You may also be lucky and hear the play in English as the local British community take it in turn to stage the play. The Hochzeit's House also contains a carousel which shows a figurative re-enactment of the story.

 

 

 

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