Mythic Bestiary

Log 18: Lorelei

Summary: The Lorelei, Loreley or simply Lorelei, is a water spirit that is said to reside in a European river called the Rhine, or Rhein in German. Sources vary on what exactly Lorelei is, some say she is something called a Nixie, others a mermaid, and still others call Lorelei a siren.

Behavior: Lorelei is not a benevolent spirit. The fact that she has been called a siren is due to the fact that in the past, she was said to kill men very often. Lorelei would sit on a tall rock in the Rhine River and begin to sing each time a boat full of men was on the horizon. Her voice was said to be so sweet that any man would fall under her control, and because of that they would ram themselves into her rock and die, either on impact or by drowning shortly after. It is not known why exactly she was said to kill men.

Legends and possible birth: Most legends are short and sweet, simply about how the beautiful Lorelei sits on her rock and sings. However, I have had the privilege of hearing a rendition of how she came to be in German! Now, I will translate as best I can, keeping it simple instead of the usual complicated story format. Beware: The story has mentions of suicide and is just plain confusing.

There once was an extremely beautiful and young woman by the name of Lorelei, and she was incredibly sad. Her lover, a young, handsome, and kind man, had gone out to sea, and still had not come back. Due to this, man after man constantly came to court the lovely Lorelei, even killing each other to try and claim her hand in marriage any way they could. But even as death claimed them, the maiden paid them no attention. She only thought of her love. Was he alive? Was he seeing someone else? She did not know, but it was enough to make her miserable. One day, she visited a church and spoke to a priest, wanting to make peace before she ended her life for good. The priest was adamant that the young girl stay alive, and sent her home with a few knights to make sure the men would keep her from harming herself. They left, and on their journey back to her home, she peered down into the Rhine from the cliff they stood on. Miraculously, she saw her lover's boat sailing across the water. He was alive after all! She left the knights, attempting to call her love when she noticed the people on the boat yelling and panicking. In their path was a large whirlpool, and the rocks blocked any way around. She watched in horror as they were sucked up, boat and all into the dark water. Still staring down at the water, she saw something else there as the whirlpool disappeared. A woman, who looked so much like her. Before the knights could stop her, Lorelei too jumped and disappeared into the water. From then on, she could be seen on a rock now bearing her name, combing her hair and singing to any passing ships, that soon shared in her lover's fate.

Sad, and odd, the tale seems to imply she's now a ghost.

Weaknesses: The Lorelei has no recorded weaknesses. The best any man can do while sailing in her river is shut his ears, pray for safety, or let a woman steer the ship.