One of the most fascinating fairytales to me has always been the ‘The Children of Hameln’ recounted by Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm in 1816 and 1818 editions of their famous fairytale collection. But there are several legends of similar figures like the Piped Piper from surrounding region of Saschen and wider Germany. Another fairytale I found intriguing is the ‘The Singing Bone’ and the variations, including the Scottish legends of an enchanted harp made from bone.
In crafting my own reimagining of the Pied Piper tale and the fate of the children from Hameln, I was inspired by of the gothic folklore of Forests, a common theme in many fairytales. The Forest often represents great dangers and only reason a community taught to fear it might enter would be unwillingly. The Pied Piper is often described as a troubadour or jester-like character, but in this reimagining, I wanted something darker and connected to the Forest. I thought of magicians, a failing harvest in the otherwise fertile valleys where an unspoken agreement between hamlets and magician to restore fertility and abundance to the lands would come at a high price. The magician is feared, not only for his magic but his appearance, a gaunt and physically deformed man, historically not welcome in many medieval communities for the ill-fortune to which they were associated. In keeping with the tales, the hamlets refuse to honour the bargain with the magician and an enchanted harp wrought from human bone becomes the tool to steal away the young and future generations of the hamlets, summoning them to wander forever among the groves and copses of the Forest.
[…] and the Singing Bone fairytales. You can read more about my research behind “The Dark Harpist” here and “A Trail of Corpselights” […]
[…] I am pleased to announce the release of New Tales of Old, Volume 1 from Raven & Drake Publishing on 30th April, 2021. This anthology of short stories is inspired by fairytales and legends, reimagining with a twist. Two of my short stories are featured, “A Trail of Corpselights” inspired by Hansel and Gretel fairy tale, (you can read more here ) and “The Dark Harpist” a dark fantasy reimagining of the Pied Piper fairy tale, (more details here). […]
[…] Pleased to announce I will be joining a wonderful lineup of authors for New Tales of Old, Volume 1 to be published in 2021 by Raven and Drake Publishing! All stories and flash fiction in this anthology were inspired by the retelling and reimagining of fairytales. My story “A Trail of Corpselights” is inspired by gothic folklore of forests and the folklore behind corpselights, also known as Will o’wisps. You can read more here. My second story included in the volume is “The Dark Harpist” a reimagining of the Pied Piper of Hameln legends and the fairytales and folklore of the singing bones and enchanted harps. You can read more about this story here. […]