The Song of the Lorelei
The Lorelei is a popular and widely known German water nymph. The name Lorelei comes from Old German 'lureln' meaning 'murmuring', and the Celtic 'ley' meaning 'rock'. Piecing this mysterious name together it means “murmur rock” which is a name the area has to this day. While it might seem a modern fairytale, the roots of this particular nymph on a rock in the Rhine can be traced back to prehistoric times.
When I visited the Rhine river, I was excited to see the exact place of the Lorelei. I wanted to know if there truly was anything special in the air on that corner of the Rhine valley. After I unpacked my bags, I researched the Lorelei mythology to see if I could see what the writer of this ballad saw.
The Story of the Lorelei
The Lorelei is actually a German myth. Most of the information comes from Romantic poet Clemens Brentano in his ballad Lore Lay. The tale is a continuation of one of his novels so naturally, the tale is embellished to fit the narrative, but it does reveal a lot about the nature of the nymph.
The first line of the poem is Zu Bacharach am Rheine which roughly translates to A sorceress lives at Bacharach am Rheine. Brentano writes that she churns the water around the rocky headland of Sankt Goarshausen, causing ships to sink and sailors to be frightened. In another story by Heinrich Heine, similar themes of a beautiful water nymph combing her long hair and singing distracts the sailors causing the ship to be shredded on the cliff face.
Both of these stories begin to reveal threads of the truth behind the Lorelei. Men interpret her as menacing as distracting, when she is merely existing in the channels of water. Her forces may churn the waters below, but she does not intend to bring harm. The Lorelei is not a mischievous sprite as the late 20th century would have her appear; she is the embodiment of the swishing energy of the Rhine.
I decided to climb up the Lorelei rock to see for myself what this nymph would really be like. I had seen a patch of water below the mountain face from a distance while on the ferry, but I didn't think I was close enough to tell. I began the climb up the hill early in the morning and reached the peak by early afternoon.
Looking from the top was so scenic — I could see the ruins of the Sankt Goar castle and both villages below. The energy of this place was so strong, although from the hilltop you wouldn't have noticed it. It wasn't until I was on the ferry later that evening that I could really feel the strong pull of the waters.
The Lorelei transforms into a mermaid
In the 1800s, the legend of the Lorelei was presented as a mermaid. The locals told stories of how young warriors had tried to capture the beautiful maiden to marry, or how the Prince of Palatine had fallen into the waters as he searched for her captivating beauty, and drowned himself. This is how the Lorelei started to become associated with menace.
An old story tells of how a guard was ordered to slay the Lorelei for drowning the Prince of Palatine. When asked, the Lorelei said she did not drown the Prince, as it was his own fault. He was so enchanted by her singing on the rock that he had drowned himself.
Her energy and spirit is portrayed in this period as luring men to their deaths, even if she was not to blame. This is just one of the stories that surrounds the Lorelei, but it shows how the Victorian themes of romance, lost love and their obsession with death created a tragic romantic tale. The tale of Die Loreley is so much more than that, however. Her spirit is too strong for this world, it cannot be contained.
On the ferry ride home, I noticed the magic in the water. There was a sense of playfulness and lightheartedness. The way the water churned one way, then the other, embodying the movement of a playful nymph. That is the magic of the Lorelei — her energy is not found in either the rock or the waters, but in both. No wonder they call it murmur rock; both the rock and the water are important in understanding the Lorelei myth.
The ancient threads of the lorelei myth
The Lorelei is a legend that originates from ancient times. Prehistoric tribes along the Rhine would've noticed the pattern in the water and watched on with reverence for its destructive powers.
To them birth, life and death were all essential patterns of life. It was only in the medieval period when the meaning becomes lost, causing death to be seen as horrible consequences of life. The Lorelei myth is about reminding us that nature is powerful, and that with life comes death.
Through her various transformations throughout our folklore history, the Lorelei which was once a mermaid, then a siren and a nymph can be seen as an energy that lives beneath murmur rock. Perhaps the pull of the waters is caused by a strong energetic being, or the myth arose from explaining the state of the waters, no one knows for sure.
As a researcher and writer, I see the Lorelei in her original form as a water spirit. It’s not hard to see why the Celtic tribes would have looked on at the water and slate rock with reverence and austerity. She is the spirit of the place, native to the Rhine river itself.
The Lorelei teaches us not to take life too seriously. She asks us to remember all aspects of life, including change and death. From the death of things comes the rebirth and new opportunities. The Lorelei is an embodiment of the cycle of life, calling us to take a step back from whatever problems we are facing and trust in the flow of life.
