Urban Nana

Hello my darlings,

My newest article for weight loss 360 magazine will soon be out.   I had such an interesting journey writing it and I wanted to share some of what I discovered with you.

My journey began one morning as i was drinking my coffee and listening to my favorite news commentator, Thom Hartmann.   he happened to say that June 26  was Rat-catcher’s day. That’s right, rat-cather’s day!  He went on to explain that this was a holiday celebrated in the town of Hamelin,  Germany.  Right, that Hamlin,  and those rats!

This resulted in my making a request of my good friends at Wikipedia and taking a fresh look at a very old story! The pied piper. As you may recall,  this story tells of a town infested with rats and the mysterious piper in brightly  colored garb,  who offers a solution to their plight! the town administrators and the mayor make an arrangement with this strange man who promised a speedy end to the blight.. He kept his word – but the villagers politicians didnt and as a result the piper, having  been insulted by the town authorities and refused his payment, returned the next day,  in hunter’s green and played a song on his pipe which spirited every one of the towns children away! All except on little lame boy in one version of the tale – and in another,  three children; one lame,  and one  blind, and another who was deaf,  were unable to keep up with their peers, where all left behind to tell others what had happened.

There are many versions of this story, as is often the case with  fables which have  been passed from mouth to ear for many,  many years. I was fascinated to learn that there are actually several real life events which may have served for the basis of the fable.

Firstly, there is  theory that the pied piper represented some sort of illness which “took” the children. Then is the possibility that these children were taken away by Nicholas of Cologne to fight the in awful Children’s Crusade, which resulted in the slaughter of many young ones.  There is also the possibility that the children were spirited away by a person know as a Lokator, whose  job was secure people to colonize new settlements in Eastern Europe. Lokators were known for being dressed in bright colors as well as being silver tongued, similar to used care salesmen and military recruiters! Sigh.  There has been research into  his version of and its been shown that the surnames of Hamlin families were found to have spread to the towns in such regions, perhaps proving the reality of this version of this version of this strange story.

It was also a custom of the time to “sell’ unwanted or illegitimate children as they were considered a burden that the cash strapped town could not afford. And that “house cleaning ” was the cause of the children’s removal from their homes.   The story may have developed to assuage the communities’ guilt of giving up their children in this way. (we didn’t sell them – they were taken!)

There is even a version, though not a poplar one which says that the children were lured away from their homes and killed  – by a madman. Another  unpopular version was that the Piper, in retaliation for not getting his due, drowned the youngsters as he had the rats.

No mater how it came to pass – the following is actually noted in the town records  of the city of Hamlin in 1384 : ”  It is 100 years since our children left.” And there is a glass window in the town church depicting the brightly dressed piper, blowing his fateful tune , while being followed by dancing children, many dressed in white.

And no matter how it happened this story has survived the text of time and comes to us bringing  us many cautionary gems.

My short list was:
parents do not allow your government to sell  your children away from you, or take your role away as the primary person responsible for your child’s  safety and welfare.

Parents, do not allow your household or communities to be places where your children think it best to leave or feel that they have a better chance of survival far from you.

Parents, do not allow your children to be lured away by stories of the glory of war, nor tell them that God requires the sacrifice of their life – this is never asked of any child.

Parents pay your fricken’ bills and be sure that your government does as well. Make your peace with money – so that it can be a tool, a means to an end rather than the straw that breaks your family.

Parents, love your children and honor each and every day you have them  – as tomorrow isn’t promised. Even with t he best of intentions and perfect diet – people die, children die. And while it is usually against nature for this to occur – it can and does.

And parents, every moment with your children, holds a kernel of joy, don’t miss it!