It's not all happily ever after. And when it is, there's usually a lot more tragedy, greed, and drama involved in getting there
The story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin (or Hameln) is older than the Weserbergland mountains that surround the town.
The original versions of the story don't have what you would call a traditional happy ending. The plot involves a pied piper (the term 'pied' apparently refers to coloured patches on clothing; the traditional garb of minstrels in the middle ages. Or so says Wikipedia :-)) who arrives in the town of Hamelin as it is suffering from a rat infestation. The townsfolk had tried everything to rid themselves of the rats to no avail. The pied piper promised he could fix their rat problem once and for all, and in exchange the townsfolk promised to pay him for his service. The Pied Piper played his pipes and lured the rats into the Weser River where they drowned. When the piper returned for his payment, the townsfolk reneged on their promise. The pied piper left with an angry warning. He later returned and exacted his revenge on the town by luring all but (one or two depending on the version) of the children away from the town and into a mountain cavern, none of whom were ever seen again. Of the two children that remained, one was deaf and thus immune to the magical charms of the pipe, and the other was lame and unable to keep up with the rest of the children on his crutches. Both were boys. In the version I know rather than being lured into a cavern in the mountain, the children were lured into the mountain itself, which magically opened up to let them in and then swallowed them whole, leaving no seam in the rock where it had opened.
I don't find this tale particularly frightening. I didn't as a child either. I was fascinated by the magic of the pipes. I thought that while it was a tad overboard, that the pied piper had every right to be angry. And I thought that it served the townsfolk right that they should not have any children in the town to grow up and live and marry and have children of their own. They shouldn't have been so greedy. And they should have kept their promise. All of the tragedy could have been avoided had they not been greedy and broken their promise. There are irreversable consequences to going back on your word. These are all valuable lessons to learn as a child. Be honest. Be fair. Don't be greedy. Do what you say you will. Keep your promises. Be aware of the consequences of your actions. And although the original version didn't specify what actually happened to the children after they disappeared (some later versions have them founding a new town; others have them just disappearing; I think there are a few that suggest the piper was a pedophile or psychotic and he molested, abused, and even killed and dismembered the children. But thankfully I didn't hear those versions. I do think that would have been a bit too much for my age at the time) I imagined that the children were living in some fantastic magical cavernous world filled with stalactites and stalagmites where they stayed young forever and played on the banks of the underground stream that ran through the mountain, and danced to the music of the pied piper. Such is a child's imagination if left with unanswered questions. It's a good thing.
I read Bobbin the story of the Pied Piper tonight for bedtime. The version I read her was from a book I purchased from a second hand store because it was cheap and I had fond memories of the story, and of my Dad taking me to Hamelin on our way to Sweden, and driving up to what was supposedly the top of the mysterious mountain where the children had disappeared. He told me at the top that if I was very very quiet I might still be able to hear them singing and playing inside the mountain. I think in all reality we were standing on top of some random hill but it didn't matter. It was magic.
I had not actually read the entire book that I had purchased end to end before reading it to Bobbin. I read the first few pages, which seemed to stay true to the version I knew. So I was infinitely disappointed to find in this tamed down version the children DIDN'T disappear into the mountain but were in fact returned to the townsfolk after the Mayor came to his senses and agreed to pay the pied piper the original amount he had promised. And so upon finishing the book, I retold the story in the version I knew. And Bobbin found that much more intriguing. As I knew she would :-)
I want to read her the Little Mermaid before she gets her eyes/hands on the Disnified version. That's another personal favourite from my childhood. On the same trip to Sweden my Dad took me to see the statue of the Littlest Mermaid in Denmark. I have a picture of me standing beside her. This was in the '70s, before she was beheaded (multiple times, I believe) by vandals. I loved the story. Which ends with the littlest Mermaid not getting to be with the Prince, who instead has fallen in love with and decides to marry someone who is charming, kind, beautiful, AND who has not lost her voice to an evil witch of the water underworld in exchange for legs. No, she doesn't get the prince, and nor can she return to the sea as a mermaid to be with her sisters. The deal that she made with the evil witch to trade her voice for a pair of legs was that she must win the prince's love or she would lose her human form and any chance at an immortal soul, and would die of a broken heart and turn into sea foam. In a twist at the end, the mermaid's sisters strike a deal with the sea witch, exchanging their beautiful locks of hair for a magic knife that she must use to kill the prince. In return she would be able to return to the sea and live out the rest of her natural life with her family. In the end, the mermaid cannot kill her only true love despite the fact that he has married someone else. And so she flings herself overboard in dispair. But instead of turning into sea foam, she turns into a "daughter of the air'. A spirit with the chance of earning her own eternal soul by doing good deeds.
Love can be tragic, but also beautiful. High risk, high reward. Be careful what you wish for. Once you've made a decision there are times when it is impossible to reverse course. If it's worth it, go for it but but know but accept the consequences . Be good and kind, and good and kind things will happen to you. These too are all great lessons.
I am looking for a picture book with the true story of the Little Mermaid to read to Bobbin. Until then, the Disney version is off limits :-) And I've renew my search for an authentic version of the Pied Piper of Hameln story as well.
And if you haven't already, definitely check out the history and origins of the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. It's really fascinating! And apparently this year is the 725th anniversary of the piper's appearance in Hamelin.
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