was really the Pied Piper of Hameln. The “i” was added to the English version so it would be easier for Anglophones to read it. A sad tale that has an even sadder truth behind it… just something I found out while looking up other stuff, and really, worthwhile knowledge considering “our” current policy of recruiting children for the armed forces.
The “plagued by vermin” meaning the rats (and the Plague) starts it off, just like the real story. Which is hideous.
Rats were carriers of the Black Death, what with the new trade routes opened up by the previous Crusades, a lot of money was pouring into Europe.. and Bubonic Plague.
Previously it took so long to get anything moved anywhere toward Europe that the rats with plague died en passant.
No infected rats getting to the Mainland, no plague getting to the mainland.
Medieval superstition having outpaced Medieval Science and left it eating dust far far behind… there were many causes attributed to Bubonic Plague. Witches, for instance, who lived far from everybody else, kept their houses cleaner, didn’t slaughter hogs in their living rooms and had pet carnivores like cats and owls. Not affected. “It must be Witchcraft!”
Jews who lived in separate quarters of the cities from Gentiles, also didn’t slaughter animals in their living rooms, maintained sewage disposal and garbage disposal rules that the Gentiles wouldn’t catch up to for another couple of centuries, not affected nearly as much as the Gentiles. “It’s a Jew/Witch Plot!”
“It’s people not being zealous enough burning Jews and Witches!”
then… enter the Hameln story… “It’s the fault of Crusaders not being zealous enough at capturing and holding the Holy City!”
Enter the Real Pied Piper: “I have seen a vision and heard the Voice of our Lord, to atone for the cowardice of the Knights and soldiers of the (Holy Roman) Empire, we are called to take back the Holy Land from the Infidel, and Children will lead the way, for they are Purer, and more Noble”.
Thus begins a really fucked up story made worse because It Really Happened.
20,000 children from across Europe lured into this Holy Shit.
130 from Hameln.
Most of the kids lured into it, never came back.
None of the kids from Hameln came back. Except for the one kid who was lame and couldn’t keep up. He’s mentioned in the story at the end as well. Both the Real History and the allegory.