--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a story about a man who came to…" description: "\"“There is a story about a man who came to town during the plagues that were killing so many at the time. The rats were the problem and while people did..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/anonymous-1_children_there-is-a-story-about-a-man-who-came-to_2633436.jpg" --- # There is a story about a man who came to town during the… ![“There is a story about a man who came to town during the plagues that were killing so many at the time. The rats were the problem and while people did not know this in a scientific way like they do now, it was their intuition that told them that the rats were bringing the disease. He claimed that…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/anonymous-1_children_there-is-a-story-about-a-man-who-came-to_2633436.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/anonymous-1_children_there-is-a-story-about-a-man-who-came-to_2633436.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/anonymous-1_children_there-is-a-story-about-a-man-who-came-to_2633436.jpg) > ““There is a story about a man who came to town during the plagues that were killing so many at the time. The rats were the problem and while people did not know this in a scientific way like they do now, it was their intuition that told them that the rats were bringing the disease. He claimed that he knew how to get rid of the rats, but most of all how to get rid of the fevers and the disease that were decimating the countryside. The town had to give him one hundred and thirty of their children for him to take back to his home in Transylvania. The population there were so few that it was becoming almost impossible to marry outside of family. The inbreeding was causing disease in the bloodlines --- primarily mental disease. So he promised to free the city of rats, and hence plague, in exchange for these children. He promised they would be healthy for much longer than any normal children in plague-ridden cities could hope for. The people were so desperate they agreed to the man’s request and within a fortnight the town was the only place for miles around which was miraculously free of rats. Soon the town was also unburdened of the former pestilence. When he came to collect his pay in the form of seventy girls and sixty boys under the age of ten, the town refused. They hung him in the town square, fearful of allowing him to leave in case he would rain the black plague down upon them. The people knew that he was a powerful sorcerer of some type and condemned him to death rather than hand their children over to him.             “It wasn’t until the following spring that people began to see the familiar form of the strange man on the roads leading out of town. He was said to be alive and playing a musical instrument that made people feel dizzy or hypnotized. Soon there was a panic. The woods, still devoid of all rats, were searched for the presumed dead traveler. Nothing was found. Then on the Ides of March, in the middle of the night, one hundred and thirty children disappeared from their beds. The adults spoke of an odd feeling that came over them, accompanied by the faint sound of music on the wind. It had put them to sleep and when they awoke all that was left of their children was a pile of bloody teeth resting on their pillows. The parents searched everywhere, pulling their hair and wailing their mournful cries, but the children had vanished. There are stories that these were the first vampire children who later populated the Carpathians, brought from Hamlin by a dark conjurer. Whatever happened in reality, the song was passed down for hundreds of years as a warning not to make deals that you know you will not uphold. It could be a deal with the devil, and he always gets his due.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A desperate town trades children for a promised cure, then kills the healer when he demands payment, illustrating fear of unknown power and moral compromise. **In simple terms:** Desperate people sacrifice for safety, then reject the source of that safety. Key Takeaway Beware of bargains that demand moral costs. Themes ethics fear power community trust Mood anxious reflective somber Type cautionary mythic ethical When to use this quote - public health crises - community decision‑making - handling outsiders - protecting children - dealing with charismatic leaders Key Concepts moral dilemma social contract mythic archetype Questions to Reflect On - What ethical lines are crossed when survival is at stake? - How do fear and gratitude shape our treatment of benefactors? A Different Perspective The tale may be a cautionary myth, not a factual account, limiting its historical reliability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black Plague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-plague/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Deal With The Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deal-with-the-devil/) [Ides of march](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ides-of-march/) [Mental Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-disease/) [Middle of the night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-of-the-night/) [Plague People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plague-people-2208482/) [Plague Ridden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plague-ridden-2208486/) [Plagues Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plagues-killing-2208484/) [Rats Plague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rats-plague-2208485/) [Sound of music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound-of-music/) [Strange man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-man/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Town Plagues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/town-plagues-2208483/) ## Related quotes > [Leaving out the gamblers, the burglars, and the plumbers, perhaps we do put our trust in God after a fashion. 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He claimed that he knew how to get rid of the rats, but most of all how to get rid of the fevers and the disease that were decimating the countryside. The town had to give him one hundred and thirty of their children for him to take back to his home in Transylvania. The population there were so few that it was becoming almost impossible to marry outside of family. The inbreeding was causing disease in the bloodlines --- primarily mental disease. So he promised to free the city of rats, and hence plague, in exchange for these children. He promised they would be healthy for much longer than any normal children in plague-ridden cities could hope for. The people were so desperate they agreed to the man’s request and within a fortnight the town was the only place for miles around which was miraculously free of rats. Soon the town was also unburdened of the former pestilence. When he came to collect his pay in the form of seventy girls and sixty boys under the age of ten, the town refused. They hung him in the town square, fearful of allowing him to leave in case he would rain the black plague down upon them. The people knew that he was a powerful sorcerer of some type and condemned him to death rather than hand their children over to him.             “It wasn’t until the following spring that people began to see the familiar form of the strange man on the roads leading out of town. He was said to be alive and playing a musical instrument that made people feel dizzy or hypnotized. Soon there was a panic. The woods, still devoid of all rats, were searched for the presumed dead traveler. Nothing was found. Then on the Ides of March, in the middle of the night, one hundred and thirty children disappeared from their beds. The adults spoke of an odd feeling that came over them, accompanied by the faint sound of music on the wind. It had put them to sleep and when they awoke all that was left of their children was a pile of bloody teeth resting on their pillows. The parents searched everywhere, pulling their hair and wailing their mournful cries, but the children had vanished. There are stories that these were the first vampire children who later populated the Carpathians, brought from Hamlin by a dark conjurer. Whatever happened in reality, the song was passed down for hundreds of years as a warning not to make deals that you know you will not uphold. It could be a deal with the devil, and he always gets his due.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-a-story-about-a-man-who-came-to-town-during-the-plagues-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-a-story-about-a-man-who-came-to-town-during-the-plagues-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/anonymous-1_children_there-is-a-story-about-a-man-who-came-to_2633436.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/anonymous-1_children_there-is-a-story-about-a-man-who-came-to_2633436.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/anonymous-1_children_there-is-a-story-about-a-man-who-came-to_2633436.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is a story about a man who came to town during the plagues that were killing so many at the time. 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