<P> The Pied Piper of Hamelin ( German : Rattenfänger von Hameln , also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat - Catcher of Hamelin ) is the titular character of a legend from the town of Hamelin ( Hameln ) , Lower Saxony , Germany . The legend dates back to the Middle Ages , the earliest references describing a piper , dressed in multicolored ( `` pied '' ) clothing , who was a rat - catcher hired by the town to lure rats away with his magic pipe . When the citizens refuse to pay for this service , he retaliates by using his instrument 's magical power on their children , leading them away as he had the rats . This version of the story spread as folklore and has appeared in the writings of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe , the Brothers Grimm , and Robert Browning , among others . </P>
<P> The Pied Piper of Hamelin ( German : Rattenfänger von Hameln , also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat - Catcher of Hamelin ) is the titular character of a legend from the town of Hamelin ( Hameln ) , Lower Saxony , Germany . The legend dates back to the Middle Ages , the earliest references describing a piper , dressed in multicolored ( `` pied '' ) clothing , who was a rat - catcher hired by the town to lure rats away with his magic pipe . When the citizens refuse to pay for this service , he retaliates by using his instrument 's magical power on their children , leading them away as he had the rats . This version of the story spread as folklore and has appeared in the writings of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe , the Brothers Grimm , and Robert Browning , among others . </P>
where did the story of the pied piper come from
where did the story of the pied piper come from
the town of Hamelin ( Hameln ) , Lower Saxony , Germany
the town of Hamelin ( Hameln ) , Lower Saxony , Germany