The Grim Truth Behind the Pied Piper on BBC News

BBC News in the Travel Section has an article today about the Pied Piper: The Grim Truth Behind the Pied Piper by Raphael Kadushin.

The tale in fact has survived for a very long time. Originating as medieval folklore, the story inspired a Goethe verse, Der Rattenfänger; a Grimm Brothers’ legend, The Children of Hamelin; and one of Robert Browning’s best-known poems, The Pied Piper of Hamelin. And although each writer tinkered with the story, the basics remained the same: the Piper was hired by Hamelin to rid the town of its plague of rats. Trailing after the hypnotic notes of the rat-catcher’s magical flute, the rodents politely filed through the city gates to their presumed doom.

They weren’t the only ones lured by his music, though. When the town refused to pay the Piper for his service, the saviour turned into a more satanic seducer and came for Hamelin’s children. Entranced by the notes of his flute, the transfixed boys and girls followed the Piper out of town and simply vanished.

The article goes on to describe many ways Hamelin capitalizes on the tale, from rat shaped bread and other dishes to reenactments. Then it delves deepest into the possible sources of the tale which is  a complex set of theories such as there is for many popular tales. 

And it's always fun to read about folklore in the popular media. Even one--or especially one--with macabre elements. 

Read D. L. Ashliman's Pied Piper of Hameln page, including the Grimms' version of the tale.

Read about the Pied Piper on Wikipedia.

Bargain Ebook: Wild Magic by Cat Weatherill is $1.99

Wild Magic by Cat Weatherill is $1.99 for ebook format as part of Amazon's The Big Deal: Kindle Books Up to 85% Off through 11/23/14.

This book is the most recent in the genre of retellings of the Pied Piper of Hamelin story. Other novels in this small group include After Hamelin by Bill Richardson and the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix that starts with Mister Monday (Keys to the Kingdom, Book 1).

Book description:

When the Pied Piper enchanted the children of Hamelin and led them away, Mari and her brother, Jakob, followed his song. Now they are trapped in a beautiful but cruel world inhabited by a horrid Beast. Finding a way to escape will require some wild magic, in this powerful story of a family torn apart by tragedy, and the magical adventure that heals them.

More Fairy Tale Toys by Ostheimer

Bremen Town Musicians

Okay, just in case you don't click through and see the other Ostheimer fairy tale toys at The Wooden Wagon, here are some other favorites. I want one or two to sit on my desk. Maybe. My desk is cluttered as it is, but these would be fun!

Frog Prince Princess

Frog Prince Well

Frog Prince

Castle

Mermaid

Mermaid

Wolf

Little Red Riding Hood

Pied Piper

Rumpelstiltskin

The Star Child (I adore!)

Hansel and Gretel

Two New Grimm Episodes and My Thoughts on Both Shows

Don't watch that if you don't want to see autopsied rats. Really. You've been warned.

If you are a Grimm fan, don't forget that we get two new episodes this week, one tonight and one tomorrow night. Tonight's is "Danse Macabre" with a Pied Piper inspiration. Tomorrow's is "Three Bad Wolves" which I would assume draws inspiration from Three Little Pigs although I haven't confirmed that.

I am enjoying the extra content on NBC's site, such as the Bluebeard tie-in for the Lonelyhearts episode that has a slide show of real life Bluebeards, i.e. serial killers of women. I can't argue with that since I have always leaned to the belief that all of the Bluebeard tales derived more from serial killers in general than a specific historic figure. No proof either way, but there's been too much violence against women in history for it not to be a strong argument.

Also, just to let you know, Grimm has about half the viewership numbers of ABC's Once Upon a Time in the Nielsen ratings. I spent almost an hour last week trying to get the solid numbers for the post but gave up when there were too many inconsistencies. "OUAT" is safe and will most likely see a second season. "Grimm" is doing well for NBC, but to put that in perspective, NBC rarely has a show in the top 25. Grimm's numbers anywhere else would have it on the cancellation bubble and even now a second season is chancy. So watch and talk it up here and elsewhere if you are in love. Roughly, if you like numbers, OUAT gets about 10-13 million viewers while Grimm gets 5-6 million on its best weeks. That's a considerable difference.

As for me, there are many things I enjoy about both shows and I am thrilled to have both of them around with full seasons picked up for both. But I admit that as time passes I am more drawn to "Once." I know my own bias is towards strong female leads and Grimm is missing that element for me. I wish--and my friends would laugh because I am not an X-Files fan--that Nick's partner had been a woman and we'd been given more of a Mulder/Scully relationship. That said, I like Hank. It's nothing against the actor or character--I just feel something missing. For me, fairy tales are primarily the stories of the disenfranchised with much exploration of women and children's stories. If we have a hero for the lead in fairy tales, they are often beta males or noodles, disenfranchised third sons, for example. Grimm, with all of its great research and the creators' history with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, seems to forget that.

Another problem is that I am just not much into horror and Grimm is definitely delivering more and more of that. So I am not the ideal audience. If it wasn't using fairy tales, I wouldn't be there. That's taste and it doesn't keep me from appreciating what the show is doing. I have seen every Buffy episode made so I can overcome my preferences if I am entertained and engaged. And I was never a Lost fan--gave up after a few episodes--so I am rather surprised at which group of writers and creators has engaged me this round.

And don't think I don't have my quibbles with OUAT, either. I am not a Disney hater, but I am not enjoying the Disney influenced characterizations. The best characters are the ones created wholesale from the original tales, not the Disney versions. The episode about Jiminy Cricket made me swallow my revulsion because I thought it was better done than I expected. Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold is a favorite for me. I want HIS story, don't you? I am very wary of the Belle/Gaston/Beast episode that is upcoming though. I haven't read much about it, just know it exists, but I am going to be a hard sell, I admit.

Fairytale Reflections (27) Joanne Harris

 

   

Last Friday Katherine shared Fairytale Reflections (27) Joanne Harris at SMoST. Here in the U.S. Harris is best known for her novel, Chocolat, which inspired the film of the same name. She also wrote Runemarks which was a fantasy for young readers that was well reviewed, too. (The paperback is bargain priced on Amazon right now if you are interested in it. It is a completely different cover from the original release.) Katherine discusses it Runemarks in her introduction and it makes a great introduction to Harris's guest post about the Pied Piper of Hamelin, that tale which resonates with so many children and adults.

Here are the first few paragraphs. Click through to read the entire entry, especially if you are enthralled by that tale yourself:

Raised as I was on the darkest, grimmest of Grimm’s fairy tales, I’ve always been very much aware of the dual nature of the world depicted in folklore and story. For every happy ending, there is an equally tragic one; children left to die in the woods; lovers parted forever; villains with their eyes pecked out by crows, or burnt alive; or hanged. Fairytale is a world away from the comfortable assurances of the Disney franchise – and surely that was the purpose of those original fairy tales, devised as they were for an audience comprising mostly of adults; often very poor; people whose lives were cruel and harsh, and who would never – even in fiction - have accepted to believe in a world in which the shadows did not at least occasionally rival the light.

My favourite of these ambiguous tales was always the Pied Piper. It’s interesting that this very well-known story has never been softened and sweetened in the way in which, for instance, The Little Mermaid, or Sleeping Beauty, or Cinderella have been adapted to suit our more sensitive times and cultures. Perhaps because the main character is such a sinister figure, nameless, appearing from nowhere, then vanishing into nowhere again, leaving nothing but unanswered questions and a story that lingers uncomfortably without a happy ending. But the ambiguity and the unanswered questions are part of my fondness for this tale, which seems to me to sum up perfectly our uncomfortable relationship with the world of magic and story, a relationship that combines longing and fear in fairly equal proportions.

   

Pied Piper of Hamelin Movie

'Piper' comic book being adapted into film: Project to take a dark look at Pied Piper of Hamelin fable by Borys Kit

Persistent Entertainment, Pantry Films and Zenescope Entertainment are teaming up to produce an adaptation of Zenescope's comic "The Piper."

"Piper" aims to take a dark look at the Pied Piper of Hamelin fable. The story will center on a much-bullied high school band student who unintentionally channels the spirit of the mysterious Pied Piper and triggers terrifying consequences of his actions beyond his control.

The Piper (Grimm Fairy Tales) by Mike Kalvoda and Axel Machain, the graphic novel upon which the movie will be based, was published a few years ago and is still available. Here's the product description from the publisher:

Seven hundred years ago he took a horrifying revenge and paid the ultimate price for his sins. Now he's returned to forge a deal that will cost more than your life! Present day Florida, a prestigious boarding academy where a musically gifted but misunderstood high school student named Sean stumbles upon a mysterious book that will give him the ability to finally get back at those who have wronged him the last few years. But when Sean realizes exactly what he has summoned, he knows that the price of revenge is certainly not worth the trouble... It's time to pay the Piper! All four issues now collected in one incredible trade paperback!