The Pied Piper of Hamelin
The mayor and corporation of Hamelin outsource a rodent problem to a professional rat-catcher.
1284
King Edward I 1272-1307
The mayor and corporation of Hamelin outsource a rodent problem to a professional rat-catcher.
1284
King Edward I 1272-1307
The tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin in Lower Saxony goes back to the 13th century, and has been retold by the Brothers Grimm, Goethe and our own Robert Browning. Scholars have surmised that its origins lie in the migration of Hamelin’s population to work in lands from modern-day Poland to Romania.
IN 1284,* the town of Hamelin on the River Weser was plagued by an infestation of rats. They fought the dogs and killed the cats, they bit babies in their cradles, gnawed into cheese and licked soup from ladles, until the despairing people rose in a body and blamed the mayor.
Despite years of wearing ermine robes and eating excellent dinners, neither the mayor nor his councillors had any solution. At that moment, however, there came a soft knock on the door of the council chamber, and a man entered. His figure was slender, his eyes piercing blue, and his long coat was half yellow and half red. The visitor announced himself as the Pied Piper, and exhibiting his pipe reeled off a list of his triumphs in pest-control, from gnats in Mongolia to vampire-bats in India. He seemed heaven-sent, and the council lost no time in engaging the piper’s services, with a promise of a thousand gilders on completion.
The town chronicle of Hamelin for 1384 stated “It is 100 years since our children left.”
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
What problem did the mayor and corporation of Hamelin face in 1284?
An infestation of rats throughout the town.
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Hamelin was infested with rats. The townsfolk blamed the mayor. The mayor was at a loss.