The Pied Piper of Hamelin

In 1284, the town of Hamelin was suffering from a rat infestation. A man dressed in pied garments appeared and claimed that he would rid the town of the rats, and was promised by the townsme to be paid in return. He accepted and played his musical pipe and lured all the rats into the Weser River, where they drowned. But the townsmen refused to pay him and he left angrily, but returned later to seek his revenge. Read on... Famous versions of the Pied Piper are given by the Brothers Grimm and in English by Robert Browning. Illustrations by Kate Greenaway