Did the Pied Piper lure hundreds of children to their death?

Siobhan
Siobhan
Jul 28, 2017 · 2 min read

Ratcatcher's Day celebrates that famous exterminator: the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

On July 22, 1376, a ratcatcher lured over a hundred children from Hamelin, Germany.

They were never to be seen again.

One or three children were left behind, depending on the version being told.

One child was lame, another was deaf while the third one was blind.

Early Pied Piper Legends may have hinted at the plague.

(Which would explain the rats.)

However, the rats were not added to the story until the 16th century.

Another theory is that the Hamelin children died as a result of a natural disaster.

The Piper is acting the part of Death.

Perhaps the children were recruited to a doomed "children's crusade," forced to fight in the Holy Land.

One dark theory is that the Pied Piper was a pedophile who abducted sleeping children.

Most modern historians think the Pied Piper of Hamelin symbolizes the colonization of Eastern Europe.

Thousands of young people emigrated from central Germany to Transylvania.

The street where the children were last seen is called Bungelosenstrasse (street without drums).

No one is allowed to play music or dance there.

We will probably solve the mystery of the Pied Piper.

An entry in the chronicles of Hamelin from 1834 reads simply:

"It's 100 years since our children left."

Sources: National Geographic , Medievalists, Ancient Origins

Siobhan

Written by

Siobhan

Siobhan is a freelance writer, research addict and lover of twisted history.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade