The Pied Piper of Hamelin Part One

The Pied Piper of Hamelin Part One

In the year 1284 CE, a remarkable and colorfully dressed young man came to the town of Hamelin in Lower Saxony, Germany. There are two documentations of this wanderer’s visit, the originals of which have since been lost. According to the contemporary Hamelin chronicle and a depiction in a stained glass window in a local church, this handsome stranger began to play his flute through the streets. Enchanted by the notes, 130 children from the town followed him into the woods, never to be seen again. In the hundreds of years since the supposedly real event occurred, the most significant addition to the story would be the reason for the mass kidnapping. After successfully ridding the town of a plague of rats using his musical pipe, the payment the piper was promised was withheld by the mayor and the town leaders. Furious at his being cheated, the magical visitor took their children as his payment. This later variation of the narrative we have all come to know as “The Pied Piper of Hamelin.” Today, we may think of this story as a children’s Fairly Tale. But as the Brothers Grimm had noted themselves, and who are partly responsible for making it known to the world, this is a legend and not a Fairy Tale. The difference is that legends are considered to be based on actual events, people, and places. In relation, it’s also said that there is a kernel of truth to every legend. If that is accurate, then the real Pied Piper event may be far more mysterious and tragic than we could have imagined, either as children or adults.

For more information on this episode visit our website!

Avsnitt(421)

S1 Ep45: Uninvited Intruders

S1 Ep45: Uninvited Intruders

In tonight’s dead letter, a listener recounts a childhood filled with unexplained phenomena in their 1940s Michigan home. From persistent footsteps and unsettling noises like dragging chains and hamme...

9 Sep 202532min

Mystery Solved! AMA 2025

Mystery Solved! AMA 2025

Alright Astonishing Legends listeners, buckle up! In this special AMA episode, Scott and Forrest are answering your burning questions! We're diving headfirst into everything from the implications of s...

7 Sep 20252h 27min

S1 Ep44: The Beginning that Never Ended

S1 Ep44: The Beginning that Never Ended

In tonight’s dead letter… Listener, Isla recalls a childhood park trip in Australia where she and a friend went exploring after her mom’s car broke down in the bush. They wandered too far from the car...

2 Sep 202539min

S1 Ep43: Tracked

S1 Ep43: Tracked

In tonight’s dead letter… Listener, Scott recounts a series of unexplained howls heard in the woods near his Alabama home. Night after night, he and his family would sit on the porch and listen, notic...

26 Aug 202534min

S1: Dead Letter Office Special Announcement

S1: Dead Letter Office Special Announcement

This week’s Dead Letter Office is cancelled, but the show will return next week. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

19 Aug 202514s

S1 Ep42: A Gathering of Shadows

S1 Ep42: A Gathering of Shadows

In tonight’s dead letter, listener Jerri-Kay recounts a story from her childhood when her mother witnessed multiple shadow figures entering their bedroom in broad daylight. Later that night, while see...

12 Aug 202536min

The Hatem Files 2

The Hatem Files 2

This week, Scott and Forrest welcome back Richard Hatem of Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf to Astonishing Legends! Join us as we delve into Richard's unique insights on paranormal literature, inc...

9 Aug 20251h 33min

S1 Ep41: The Fisherman's Ghost and the Homunculus

S1 Ep41: The Fisherman's Ghost and the Homunculus

In tonight’s dead letter, we hear from our listener Sam, who shares two spooky stories. The first involves two hauntings at an aquarium in the UK. An old lady ghost with a penchant for floral perfume,...

5 Aug 202533min

Populärt inom Samhälle & Kultur

podme-dokumentar
p3-dokumentar
badfluence
en-mork-historia
mardromsgasten
gynning-berg
nemo-moter-en-van
aftonbladet-krim
creepypodden-med-jack-werner
skaringer-nessvold
killradet
p3-historia
hor-har
flashback-forever
p1-dokumentar
spar
svenska-fall
historiska-brott
vad-blir-det-for-mord
kod-katastrof