New insights into the Pied Piper story

"The Pied Piper of Hamelin" is probably one of the best-known legends in the German-speaking world. The term «Pied Piper» has long been part of the German language.

But what exactly is the historical background of this legend, what is its true core? Scholars have been arguing about this for centuries, as the book «Neuestes zur Rattenfängersage» by Gernot Hüsam shows us. The author meticulously traces which interpretations there have been and when, be it the collective emigration of young people, an illness or the Battle of Sedemünder. However, Hüsam does not find these paths completely convincing, but instead establishes a connection to the pagan places of worship in the area and the retention of pagan festivals in the Middle Ages.