Pied Piper of Hamelin, << HAM uh lihn, >> is a legendary character who was made famous by Robert Browning in a poem. According to the legend, the German town of Hamelin (now Hameln) was infested by rats. One day, a man dressed in a suit of many colors walked into Hamelin and offered to rid the town of the pests for a sum of money. When the mayor agreed, the man drew out a pipe and walked along the streets playing a haunting tune. All the rats came tumbling out of the houses and followed the Piper to the Weser River, where they drowned. When the Piper claimed his reward, the mayor refused to pay him. The Piper swore vengeance. Once more he walked along the streets playing his strange melody. This time all the children ran from their homes and followed him to a cave in the nearby Koppen Hill. The cave closed upon them, and the children were never seen again.
This legend seems to be based at least in part on fact. Old writings on the walls of several houses in Hamelin say that on July 26, 1284, a Piper led 130 children out of town and that they were lost in Koppen Hill. Some believe that the Piper was an agent of the Bishop of Olmutz who in the late 1200’s drew many Hamelin lads to Moravia, where they settled. Others claim robbers kidnapped the children. It is also possible that the legend came from the Children’s Crusade of 1212.
