The beautiful medieval city of Hamelin (Germany) is visited by around 4 million tourists each year, many of whom go there to visit the place they heard about as little children: the city of the
Pied Piper
.
The legend of the
Pied Pier
dates back to the Middle Ages. The earliest references describes 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 refused to pay for this service as promised, he retaliated 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.
Source: Wikipedia
Magic pipe aside, the meaning of the events in this story remains unclear to this day and there are many different theories about it.
Some suggest the
Pied Piper
was a symbol of hope to the people of Hamelin, which had been attacked by plague; he drove the rats from Hamelin, saving the people from the epidemic.
Here is an interesting BBC article about it, which also suggests the story is based on an actual historic incident.
The Pied Piper is known to everyone in Germany as "der Rattenfänger von Hameln" and also to millions of people around the world.
I believe this character would make a perfect premium stamp and a very much needed alternative to the ones with traditional food.