e leader of la dance macabre, a carrier of leprosy and even an allegorical figure that stands for the Plague.3 Yet, was he possibly an agent of death and ruin as all these theories indicate?
             To answer this question, it is interesting to note that when the Piper reached the town, the place was already cursed with vermin. It is quite obvious that he did not bring death, but was himself a rat-catcher; a terminator of the Black Death carried by the rats. Besides, the historical inscription on the Hamelin church window absolves the Piper from being an agent of death, for it reads: "On the day of St. John and St. Paul, 130 people left from Hamelin to Calvary [Hill] and were led into all kinds of danger to Koppen [Hill] and vanished."4 The inscription suggests that these people had voluntary left, without the slightest reference to abduction or murder. Moreover, their very thorny journey through Calvary and Koppen is reminiscent of Crucifixion and is consequently indicative of a spiritual journey rather than annihiliation.5 Now, if the Piper had nothing to do with mortality, who was he then? And why did he visit this particular place?
             A closer scrutiny of the legend would reveal that the Piper could stand for an agent of justice, sent by God to examine the Hameliners' sense of morality. Though he is no prophet and lacks the dignity of Christ and Moses, this Piper serves as a saviour-like character that carries various associations with immortality and rightousness.6
             To begin with, there is an air of mysticism which enwraps the Piper and associates him with a higher level of existence. He seems to be a well-liked figure, as old as eternity, whose presence inspires awe and admiration instead of fear and repulsion, as is reflected in the following lines:
             And he [the Piper] himself was tall and thin,
             With sharp blue eyes, each like a pin,
             And light loose hair, yet swarthy skin,
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