From A Natural History of Serpents By Charles Owen, 1742, page 65.
A remarkable Instance in Rats we have in the publick Records of Hamelen, (an ancient City on the River Weser in Germany, about 28 Miles S. E. of Hanover) where the following strange Account is registered, viz.
That in June 26, 1284, a certain Stranger undertook to destroy an Army of Rats with which the Town had been long pestered, on promise of such a Reward; and immediately playing on his Pipe and Tabret, the Rats marched out, and followed the Musick to the River, where they were all drowned: But being denied the Reward, he threatened Revenge; and next day he went about with the same Musick, and most Children in the Town followed the Piper to the Mouth of a great Cave on a neighbouring Hill called Koppelberg, where he and and they entered, and were never heard of after.
In remembrance of this sad Catastrophe, the Citizens for many Years after, dated all their publick Writings from the Day they lost their Children, as appears by their old Deeds and Records: They still call the Street through which the Children went out, Tabret-Street; and at the Mouth of the Cave there is a Monument of Stone, with a Latin Inscription, giving the Particulars of this tragical Story.
Since the passage is from A Natural History of Serpents, and snakes are not mentioned in the story, I’m guessing the cave was really a big snake pit and the kiddies got et.
I recently came across the Pied-Piper of Hamlin in a modern story book and was taken aback to learn that the children all lived happily ever after on the other side of the river (the piper having led them to the river as well, and not to the cave we all know) and they were eventually reunited with their parents.
I said, “No they weren’t! It was a cave, and they never came out of it!” A few adults gasped at my macabre ending and said they’d never heard such an appalling story.
I didn’t know which one to be more confused by, the book or the people.
Blech. I hate these modern touchy-feely warm-fuzzy “politically correct” redactions of the old tales. Blech. There’s nor spine nor lifeblood in 'em. Thing is, Katie, your ending is the original, and correct one. That the adults had never heard it is a sad indictment that the irresponsible damage has been done.
But it’s a fantastic tale however you cut it. How on earth did the rats drown? They’re famously adept swimmers.
I could have understood if it was some poor child raised on such drivel, but I couldn’t comprehend how fellow adults had never known the true tale.
I’ve since discovered that many were not as privileged as I was to be surrounded by good books, so for many of them reading to their children or grandchildren was their first introduction to such classics, which meant they only knew the watered-down version as well. It is a shame.
I remember reading a scientific study done on fairy tales and the effects of telling the originals to children. IIRC, reading the originals produced more emotionally balanced and healthy children than reading the sanitized versions.
I grew up on the originals, and for as utterly odd as people make me out to be, I turned out okay for it, I think.
The Pied Piper tale was very much imprinted on me when I was young, and served to teach me the reality that all is NOT teddybears and buttercups in the world. A valuable lesson, and one that did not scar me at all. When you’re young you just take in the info and accept it.
Stories that are sanitised so much as to teach nothing have no value, IMO.
Where is the thread with that joke, I though it was on this forum, about the guy who buys a bronze statue of a rat or something in an antique shop, and all the rats in town start following him down the street, and he throws the statue into the river to get them to stop following him, and all the rats jump into the river after the statue and drown, so the same guy goes back to the same antique store and asks to purchase the statue of the accordian player …
So, Willy, let me and you be wipers
Of scores out with all men–especially pipers!
And, whether they pipe us free from rats or from mice,
If we’ve promised them aught, let us keep our promise!
The children are never seen again due to their parent’s breaking a deal.
Then the wicked woman uttered a curse, and was so wretched, so utterly
wretched, that she knew not what to do. At first she would not go to
the wedding at all, but she had no peace, and must go to see the young
Queen. And when she went in she knew Snow-white; and she stood still
with rage and fear, and could not stir. But iron slippers had already
been put upon the fire, and they were brought in with tongs, and set
before her. Then she was forced to put on the red-hot shoes, and dance
until she dropped down dead.
I always read the “gory” versions to my granddaughter. If nothing else they teach that there are consequences to our actions. I hate the watered down versions.
I particularly like this Pied Piper because he plays “Musick”.
My grandmother’s maiden name was Musick, spelled just this way. It’s a common last name in my area.
In the version of the Pied Piper I know they were also cats and frogs as well as rats and children…I think, that may have been another tale though. Shel Silverstein wrote an excellent poem about the tale, very somber for him. It was called “The One Who Stayed”.
I grew up on slightly watered down fairy tales, in Cinderella the stepsisters still got their eyes pecked out…but I didn’t hear the original ending of Snow White until just a few years ago. What I find interesting is that somewhere I read that in the original ending to Sleeping Beauty, the princess woke up…expecting… I have yet to find that version of the story.
