Folklore: Piper/Ratcatcher of Hameln

Subject: Piper/Ratcatcher of Hameln
From: T in Oklahoma (Okiemockbird)
Date: 20 Dec 99 - 01:36 PM

My understanding of this story's evolution:

(1) In 1282 a stranger entered the town of Hamelin/Hameln and left with a large proportion of the town's youth.

(2) In the 15th/16th centuries the story of this incident merged with the folktale of the Ratcatcher's Revenge.

Does anyone know any versions of the unpaid contractor/unpaid piper/ratcatcher's revenge story that are not associated with the Hameln incident ?

T.

Subject: RE: BS: Piper/Ratcatcher of Hameln
From: MMario
Date: 20 Dec 99 - 01:46 PM

I had been given to understand that the story was an allagory dealing with the children's crusade.

Subject: RE: BS: Piper/Ratcatcher of Hameln
From: MMario
Date: 20 Dec 99 - 02:06 PM

found this interesting link:

http://www2.ims.uni-stuttgart.de/~jonas/piedpiper.html

Piper Page

Subject: RE: BS: Piper/Ratcatcher of Hameln
From: Okiemockbird
Date: 20 Dec 99 - 02:26 PM

MMario, thanks for those links.

Another point to ponder: Illustrations of Browning's poem show the piper playing a two-handed pipe, but I detect hints that Browining imagined the piper to be playing a one-handed pipe: the reference to the piper's "one hand" when he first appears, and to "pipe or tabor" at the end of the poem.

T.

Subject: RE: BS: Piper/Ratcatcher of Hameln
From: Abby Sale
Date: 20 Dec 99 - 02:50 PM

Here's a confoundationn for you. Having come across the following facts in various almanacs, I determined never to pursue the matter.

Hamlin: "Historians" give a date that all the town's young men left to find work= 6/26/1284.

The local, traditional date the Pied Piper left Hamlin= 12/28/1376.