List of literary accounts of the Pied Piper
Encyclopedia
This is a list of literary
accounts of the Pied Piper, that is, of tellings or retellings of the full story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. For briefer allusion
s to the Pied Piper, in literature and other media, see Pied Piper of Hamelin in popular culture.
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
accounts of the Pied Piper, that is, of tellings or retellings of the full story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. For briefer allusion
Allusion
An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to, or representation of, people, places, events, literary work, myths, or works of art, either directly or by implication. M. H...
s to the Pied Piper, in literature and other media, see Pied Piper of Hamelin in popular culture.
The Pied Piper in literature before 1900
See also The Pied Piper of Hamelin.1300s
- Decan Lude chorus book (c. 1384): now lost, a chorus book owned by Decan Lude of Hamelin reportedly contained an eyewitness account of the event, written by his grandmother in LatinLatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
verse.
1400s
- The Lueneburg manuscript (c. 1440–50): these few lines in German appear to be the oldest surviving account.
1500s
- Count Froben Christoph von Zimmern, Zimmerische ChronikZimmern ChronicleThe Zimmern Chronicle is a family chronicle describing the lineage and history of the noble family of Zimmern, based in Meßkirch, Germany. It was written in a Swabian variety of Early New High German by Count Froben Christoph von Zimmern...
(c. 1559-1565): This appears to be the earliest account which mentions the plague of rats.
1600s
- Richard Rowland Verstegan, Restitution of Decayed Intelligence (1605): This, the earliest EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
account, includes the reference to the rats and the idea that the lost children turned up in TransylvaniaTransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
. - Robert BurtonRobert Burton (scholar)Robert Burton was an English scholar at Oxford University, best known for the classic The Anatomy of Melancholy. He was also the incumbent of St Thomas the Martyr, Oxford, and of Segrave in Leicestershire.-Life:...
, The Anatomy of MelancholyThe Anatomy of MelancholyThe Anatomy of Melancholy The Anatomy of Melancholy The Anatomy of Melancholy (Full title: The Anatomy of Melancholy, What it is: With all the Kinds, Causes, Symptomes, Prognostickes, and Several Cures of it. In Three Maine Partitions with their several Sections, Members, and Subsections...
(1621): the story is told in a single line as an example of supernatural forces: ‘At Hammel in Saxony, ann. 1484, 20 Junii, the devil, in likeness of a pied piper, carried away 130 children that were never after seen.’ - James HowellJames HowellJames Howell was a 17th-century Anglo-Welsh historian and writer who is in many ways a representative figure of his age. The son of a Welsh clergyman, he was for much of his life in the shadow of his elder brother Thomas Howell, who became Lord Bishop of Bristol.-Education:In 1613 he gained his B.A...
, Epistolae Ho-ElianaeEpistolae Ho-ElianaeEpistolae Ho-Elianae is a literary work by the 17th-century Anglo-Welsh historian and writer, James Howell. It was mainly written when Howell was in the Fleet Prison, during the 1640s; but its content reflects earlier travels he made from 1616 on behalf of a London glass factory. It appeared in...
(1645): brief reference. - William Ramesey, Wormes (1668): copying Verstegen, writes of "...that most remarkable story in Verstegan, of the Pied Piper, that carryed away a hundred and sixty Children from the Town of Hamel in Saxony, on the 22. of July, Anno Dom. 1376. A wonderful permission of GOD to the Rage of the Devil".
- Nathaniel WanleyNathaniel WanleyNathaniel Wanley was an English clergyman and writer, known for The Wonders of the Little World.-Life:He was born at Leicester in 1634, and baptised on 27 March. His father was a mercer. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and graduated B.A. in 1653, M.A. in 1657. His first preferment...
, Wonders of the Little World (1687): copies Verstegan's account.
1800s
- Johann Wolfgang von GoetheJohann Wolfgang von GoetheJohann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
, poem (1803): Goethe's poem based on the story was later set to music by Hugo WolfHugo WolfHugo Wolf was an Austrian composer of Slovene origin, particularly noted for his art songs, or lieder. He brought to this form a concentrated expressive intensity which was unique in late Romantic music, somewhat related to that of the Second Viennese School in concision but utterly unrelated in...
. - Jakob Grimm and Wilhelm GrimmWilhelm GrimmWilhelm Carl Grimm was a German author, the younger of the Brothers Grimm.-Life and work:...
, "The Children of Hamelin", in German LegendsDeutsche SagenDeutsche Sagen is a publication by the Brothers Grimm, appearing in two volumes in 1816 and 1818.The collection includes 585 German legends.Deutsche Sagen followed the publication of Kinder- und Hausmärchen...
(1816): a version drawing from eleven sources. In this account by the Brothers GrimmBrothers GrimmThe Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
, two children were left behind as one was blind and the other lame, so neither could follow the others. The rest became the founders of Siebenbürgen (TransylvaniaTransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
). - Robert BrowningRobert BrowningRobert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets.-Early years:...
, "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" (1842): Using the Verstegan/Wanley version of the tale and adopting the 1376 date, Browning's verse retelling is notable for its humor, wordplay, and jingling rhymes. - Andrew LangAndrew LangAndrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.- Biography :Lang was born in Selkirk...
used the title "the Ratcatcher" for his version in The Red Fairy Book (1890). - Joseph JacobsJoseph JacobsJoseph Jacobs was a folklorist, literary critic and historian. His works included contributions to the Jewish Encyclopaedia, translations of European works, and critical editions of early English literature...
compiled a number sources for inclusion in More English Fairy Tales (1894), using the title "The Pied Piper of Franchville".
1900-1989
- Marina TsvetaevaMarina TsvetaevaMarina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva was a Russian and Soviet poet. Her work is considered among some of the greatest in twentieth century Russian literature. She lived through and wrote of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Moscow famine that followed it. In an attempt to save her daughter Irina from...
, The Ratcatcher (poem, 1925): loosely based on the legend. - Eric Frank RussellEric Frank RussellEric Frank Russell was a British author best known for his science fiction novels and short stories. Much of his work was first published in the United States, in John W. Campbell's Astounding Science Fiction and other pulp magazines. Russell also wrote horror fiction for Weird Tales, and...
, "The Rhythm of the Rats" in Weird TalesWeird TalesWeird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
(short story, July 1950): a retelling of the Pied Piper legend as a 20th century horrorHorror fictionHorror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
story. - Shel SilversteinShel SilversteinSheldon Allan "Shel" Silverstein , was an American poet, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children's books. He styled himself as Uncle Shelby in his children's books...
, "The One Who Stayed" in Where the Sidewalk EndsWhere the Sidewalk Ends (book)Where the Sidewalk Ends is a collection of children's poetry written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. The book's poems address many common childhood concerns and also presents purely fanciful stories...
(poem, 1974): tells the story of a child who stayed behind while the rest of Hamelin's children followed the piper's song.
1990s
- David Lee StoneDavid Lee StoneDavid Lee Stone , is an English fantasy author best known for his series of books The Illmoor Chronicles.His books have been published in many countries and in several different languages...
, The Ratastrophe Catastrophe (1990): a parody based on the Pied Piper about a boy called Diek who takes away the children of a town because a voice in his head told him to. - Gloria Skurzynski, What Happened in Hamelin (novel, 1993): ergotismErgotismErgotism is the effect of long-term ergot poisoning, traditionally due to the ingestion of the alkaloids produced by the Claviceps purpurea fungus which infects rye and other cereals, and more recently by the action of a number of ergoline-based drugs. It is also known as ergotoxicosis, ergot...
from contaminated ryeRyeRye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
crops helps explain the mystery of what happened there. - China MiévilleChina MiévilleChina Tom Miéville is an award-winning English fantasy fiction writer. He is fond of describing his work as "weird fiction" , and belongs to a loose group of writers sometimes called New Weird. He is also active in left-wing politics as a member of the Socialist Workers Party...
, King RatKing Rat (1998 novel)King Rat is the debut novel by China Miéville. Unlike his Bas-Lag novels, it is not a New Weird story but an Urban Fantasy, set in London during the late 1990's. It follows the life of Saul Garamond after the death of his father and his meeting with King Rat...
(novel, 1998): The Pied Piper story provides the basis for the central plot and several characters. - Christopher WallaceChristopher WallaceChristopher Wallace may refer to:*Christopher Wallace , retired British Army general and current trustee of the Imperial War Museum*The Notorious B.I.G...
, The Pied Piper's Poison (1998): Contrasts an army doctor in post-World War Two Germany treating plague victims with the historical truth behind the Pied Piper legend and the Thirty Years' WarThirty Years' WarThe Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
2000s
- Bill Richardson, After Hamelin (children's book, 2000): picks up the story where Browning's poem left off. It is written in the voice of the deaf child in the poem, whom Richardson names Penelope.
- Terry PratchettTerry PratchettSir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated RodentsThe Amazing Maurice and his Educated RodentsThe Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents is the 28th novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, published in 2001. It was the first Discworld book to be aimed at the younger market; this was followed by The Wee Free Men in 2003...
(2001): a humorous take on the Pied Piper. - Adam McCuneAdam McCune-Biography:McCune was born on July 18, 1985, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to Keith and Grace McCune, and was raised in the Philippines and Russia.In the year 2000, when McCune was fourteen, his father showed him a three-page short story based on the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, and asked...
and Keith McCuneKeith McCuneKeith Michael McCune is a linguist, novelist, and translator. His study of Indonesian roots has been called "perhaps the most detailed and complete single work in the field of phonosemantics," while his retelling of the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin earned praise from Michael Boyer, the...
, The Rats of HamelinThe Rats of HamelinThe Rats of Hamelin: A Piper's Tale is a historical fantasy/fairy tale fantasy novel by Adam McCune and Keith McCune. Gachi-Changjo Publishing Company published a Korean translation entitled 6월 26일, 하멜른 in 2007.Set in medieval Germany, the story is based on the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin...
(novel, 2005): an eighteen-year-old Pied Piper faces a hidden enemy with powers like his own. - Jane YolenJane YolenJane Hyatt Yolen is an American author and editor of almost 300 books. These include folklore, fantasy, science fiction, and children's books...
and Adam StempleAdam StempleAdam Stemple, author and professional musician is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the son of writer Jane Yolen and her late husband David Stemple....
, Pay the Piper: A Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale (novel, 2005): reworks the story in an Urban fantasyUrban fantasyUrban fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times and contain supernatural elements. However, the stories can take place in historical, modern, or futuristic periods...
setting. - Helen McCabe, Piper (novel, 2008): a horror novel based on the legend.
- Bill WillinghamBill WillinghamBill Willingham is an American writer and artist of comics.-Career:Willingham got his start in the late 1970s to early 1980s as a staff artist for TSR, Inc., where he illustrated a number of their role-playing game products...
, Peter & Max (2009): tells the story of the Pied Piper, among other fairy tales. This book is a tie-in to his popular comic series Fables.