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Folklore: Piper/Ratcatcher of Hameln

20 Dec 99 - 01:36 PM (#151997)
Subject: Piper/Ratcatcher of Hameln
From: T in Oklahoma (Okiemockbird)

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.


20 Dec 99 - 01:46 PM (#151999)
Subject: RE: BS: Piper/Ratcatcher of Hameln
From: MMario

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


20 Dec 99 - 02:06 PM (#152010)
Subject: RE: BS: Piper/Ratcatcher of Hameln
From: MMario

found this interesting link:

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

Piper Page


20 Dec 99 - 02:26 PM (#152018)
Subject: RE: BS: Piper/Ratcatcher of Hameln
From: Okiemockbird

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.


20 Dec 99 - 02:50 PM (#152034)
Subject: RE: BS: Piper/Ratcatcher of Hameln
From: Abby Sale

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.