#lorely

Empress Of at the El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles

Technically not a sea shanty because it takes place on a river but I don’t care:

“And the winds would cry/And many men would die/And all the waves would bow down to the Loreley...”

The Loreley

Loreley rock, a near vertical slate rock (120m high) on the Rhine river gorge near St. Goarshausen in Germany, has a prominent role in local folklore. It is the narrowest point on the Rhine between Switzerland and the North Sea and due to its depth, strong current and rocky base many boating accidents have occurred throughout history. In the Middle Ages there are stories of sailors in wooden dinghies shipwrecking here. At St Goar (a monastery) across the river these poor sailors were nursed back to health. In German the name Loreley can be translated in different ways. Firstly the German word 'lureln' could translate to murmering, 'ley' is the Celtic term for rock. This murmuring could refer to Loreley being known as echoing rock. Supposedly a small waterfall which was still there in the 19th century combined with an echo produced a murmuring sound. On the other hand the German verb 'lauern' indicates that it translates as luring rocks which refers to the many accidents that occur here. Lorelei is also the name of a waterspirit or mermaid, known to lure sailors into the depth of the Rhine. She sits on top of Lorelei combing her hair and sings bewitching songs. (see this site for a variety of stories about Loreley:http://bit.ly/1amDMlA )

Hey, doesn’t this sound familiar? Well, these female spirits luring sailors to their deaths appear to be a worldwide phenomenon. It starts with Greek mythology where the sirens, former handmaidens of Persephone (the wife of Hades) lure sailors to their death with their beautiful voices and music. Collectively of course, these female creatures are known as mermaids (although the merman also exist supposedly). In Russia these creatures are known as Rusalka’s and in Ireland they are known as Undines. According to historians and folklorists the mermaid can be connected to the manatee (appropriately of the order Sirenia) a animal that in bad weather shows similarities with a beautiful woman?

Loreley has been a main character in popular culture throughout history. From a lead in an opera by Felix Mendelsohn to a poem by Sylvia Plat, a song by the Pogues or a role in the tv-show ‘Gilmore girls’, Loreley is here to stay.

-OW-

Image: Image 1: courtesy of Felix Koenig. Lorelei rock in the distance (at the kind of the meander) as seen fom Castle Katz. Image 2: public domain. A painting of the Loreley from the 1900s

References and further reading: http://www.loreleytal.com/…/hansen-bla…/1997nr50/loreley.htm . http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Seirenes.html

http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php…