Ep 169: The Pied Piper of Hamelin Part 2

ABOVE IMAGE: Illustration by Kate Greenaway of the Pied Piper leading the children out of town, for the publication of Robert Browning’s poem, The Pied Piper of Hamelin

 
 

“...In order to talk about any genre, particularly what we call simple genre – a myth, a legend, an anecdote, a Tall Tale and so on – we really have to understand something about the origin of stories altogether.”

– Professor, Ph.D., author, and folklorist Jack Zipes regarding his book, The Irresistible Fairytale

 

Background:

As with any mysterious event, it’s often said that we should look to the simplest solution as being most likely the right one. The idea that when presented with competing hypotheses that make the same predictions, the solution with the fewest assumptions should be chosen is usually attributed to the principle of “Occam’s razor.” But what happens if we try to apply this cure-all of an axiom to explain a medieval legend that has few clues associated with it? In Part Two of our series on The Pied Piper of Hamelin, we’ll explore several of the leading hypotheses on this bizarre event such as the plague and Murine Typhus, forced emigration, the “Dancing Madness” and ergotism, slavery, the Crusades and even alien abduction. And if we return to applying “Occam’s razor” to this mystery from the Middle Ages and accept the contemporary accounts? Then what remains is the disturbing thought that somehow, a nefarious charmer simply used a flute to tragically persuade a large group of children to follow him into oblivion. They may be lost and their names are forgotten, but they and their Piper shall be forever remembered as one of the most famous legends of all time.

 
 
 

Location:

The town of Hamelin (or “Hameln” in German) in the state of Lower Saxony in Germany. Located on the Weser river and with a population of roughly 56,000, Hamelin is best known for its legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

 

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CREDITS:

Episode 169: The Pied Piper of Hamelin Part Two.  Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel. Sound Design by Ryan McCullough; Tess Pfeifle, Producer, and Lead Researcher; Research Support from the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a.k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2020 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Notable Figures, Vanished, Folklore & LegendForrest BurgessPied Piper, Hameln, Germany, Lower Saxony, Weser, Rat Catcher, Ergot, Dancing Plague, The Black Death, Plague, Grimm, Fairy Tale, Legend, Robert Browning, Rats, mice, Typhus, Typhoid, children, missing, emigration, river, Rattenfänger von Hameln, Goethe, Pan Piper, Rat-catcher, infestation, Fairytale, Jack Zipes, abduction, 20205 Comments