This story is one of the most dramatic and fascinating tales I have ever come across. Although there are many versions of this story, the one I purchased was by a 19th century author Robert Browning. In this story, you have a man who is particularly good with a flue, a set of pipes, or really any other small wind instrument. He finds a town called Hamelin in which is having an awful problem with rats.
Oh, and by the way: This rat problem is quite possibly the worst you can imagine. There are rats in literally everything. People cannot even take a bath without the vermin swimming around with them. They jump into their soup even as they eat. Everyone time a door is opened, the little things scurry out. It is an absolute disaster which likely spells the end of their society if it cannot be stopped somehow,
The Pied Piper (the word "pied" denoting that he comes wearing colorful clothing) steps in and claims he can literally "play" the rats away. The claim is ridiculous. No one really takes it seriously; however, the mayor is so desperate that he promises to pay the Piper a very large sum of money to do as he suggests.
And would you believe it! The Pied Piper does it! He strikes up a tune and hypnotizes the rats to skip away out of the town. In the Browning version, he sends them all out into a river--the Weser River to be precise--to be drowned. Only one rat seems to have the will to break his hypnosis at the last moment, and he escapes with his life as well as a very fanciful story of what it as like to be hypnotized by such a beautiful melody.
The town is ecstatic that their rat problem is finally gone. They hold a celebration and everything. However, when the Pied Piper comes to be paid his dues, they mock him. After all, all he did was play music. It seems to them that he should have worked harder for the payment promised. In most versions, the Piper either gets paid nothing or something small like only one coin.
The Pied Piper becomes vengeful against the people of Hamelin for not keeping their promise. He sees them as vile and deceitful people. His perspective is that the poor, innocent children living there should not grow up and be the same as those who are raising them. And so, he plays a new tune that draws every single child out of Hamelin. The Piper takes them to a mountain that opens up into a wonderful world filled with toys and candy. All of the children disappear into this place except for one crippled boy who could not make it in time. Similar to the one rat who lived, this boy too came back with wonderful stories of the music and what he saw within the mountain before it closed. And so the story ends.
"The Pied Piper of Hamelin" is a story that directly attacks the indifference of society. This man--however magical--comes with a skill and uses it to help others. They mock him despite being saved by him, and do not give him what he was promised... and honestly what he deserved. If this story is based on a real event--and I think that it is--I suspect that this person may not have been entirely human... if at all.
The Pied Piper has the personality of a sociopath. He made his decision to steal away the children without a second thought. He did not brood on it for any time at all. His vengeful nature seems very cruel. However, he acts in the best interest of the children. I want to say he is either an angel or a demon, but I cannot decide which. And there is a big reason why. The crippled boy.
It has always seemed to me that the crippled boy who was not allowed to enter remained so that he could tell Hamelin of what truly happened to the other children. But he was forsaken himself. Another possibility is that the Piper was simply not aware of him, but that is a little hard to believe. The man was obviously a magical adept. He never comes across as a man who could make such a mistake. Still, I would love to hear your opinion on the matter.
"The Pied Piper of Hamelin" will go down in history as one of the most dramatic narratives about indifferent and cruel societies. Its controversy remains to this day. Many can still not accept what the Piper did with those children as a good thing. Perhaps, it was not good. You can decide for yourself.
Thank you for reading my blog. If you have an opinion about this, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. Thank you!
This is very much a story about two wrongs not making a right. The people were indifferent to the piper, so he takes their children. No matter how wonderful the place is that he takes them, it still makes him nothing more than a kidnapper.
ReplyDeleteI don't entirely agree. It depends on if he is human or not. You once wrote a story about an elf that open my eyes to this sort of business. Granted the children did not belong to him, but what if he had no doubt that what he was doing was right? Human beings have a distinctly keen sense of right and wrong that they can either accept or ignore. What if this man had no moral sense at all? In that light, he might have been acting entirely in the right. It just doesn't smack a human's perspective in the same way.
DeleteNow, the other side of it is that you are entirely correct. This could have been a very bitter act of revenge. It really just comes down to who he is and how his mechanisms operate. And once again, it would be important to know if he was truly human. Besides, how many humans do you know that can do that with a flute?
I've only heard of the story through children's cartoons, so the crippled child who did not get to go was surprising and sad. Fascinating that the Piper's motive is vengeance but he still seems to care for the innocent children, he never really gave them a choice in the matter either. Love the mysterious quality of it all, and a lesson to be learned; If a person with talents does you a great service don't turn your back on them when the bill arrives.
ReplyDeleteLet me mention a few things for your consideration. First off, you may have seen the Silly Symphony from Disney where the child made it in at the last moment. (If you haven't, please do.) He also threw away his crutches. I thought that was a very good scene! Also in the same cartoon, the rats were not drowned but sent to live in a giant piece of cheese that disappeared to some other world. That was also cool.
DeleteNow as to the comment you made about him not giving the children a choice, there is a small chance that he did. The crippled boy who was unable to make it into the mountain was entirely conscious of what he was doing when he was following the Pied Piper to the magical land. This is credited to his testimony after the fact. He loved the melody and forever trusted the man. I do not think he blamed the Piper either. Although this may suggest brain washing, it might also simply be a sudden case of affection brought on by a good man. Those children may not have been hypnotized after all. But then... maybe they were. It is hard to tell. There are clues and hints to both sides of the story.
The Piper was a demon holding to the mathematical "morality" of cause and effect: "tit for tat" if you will. He initiated a cause but was not reciprocated with the appropriate effect. True to his angelic heritage he crunched the numbers for the appropriate result. His attitude towards the children was consistent with math. They were a future variable SUBTRACTED from the original equation that through things out of balance. ALSO: angels and demons alike are emotional but unabashed in acting according to those emotions. His concern for the children was that they were unrealized potential. Children are ALWAYS viewed as "potential" by angels and their offspring.
ReplyDeleteYes, and these people are not always at fault. They do things based on their own code that has nothing to do with humanity. As far as children being seen as potential: It is hard to hear something like that, but it is also very true. He only understands the nature of human beings but not who they are as individuals.
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