Loreley

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For other uses, see Lorelei (disambiguation).

The Rock of Lorelei by the Rhine

Lorelei

Loreley sign on the bank of the Rhine

View of the Rhine as seen by Lorelei

The Loreley (also written as Lorelei) is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, which soars some 120 meters above the water line. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat accidents there.

Loreley is also the name of one of the beautiful Rhine Maidens who lured navigators of this river to their dooms with their alluring singing, much as the ancient Greek Sirens did.

The name comes from the old German words "lureln" (Rhine dialect for "murmuring") and "ley" (rock). The translation of the name would therefore be: "murmur rock" or "murmuring rock". The heavy currents, and a small waterfall in the area (still visible in the early 19th century) created a murmuring sound, and this combined with the special echo the rock produces which acted as a sort of amplifier, then gave name to the rock itself.^[1] The murmuring is hard to hear today due to the urbanization of the area. Other theories include attributing the name to the many accidents, by combining the word "luren" (lurk) with the same "ley" ending, with the translation "lurking rock".

1 In folklore and poetry
2 The Lorelei by Heinrich Heine Translated by Aaron Kramer
3 Trivia
4 Notes
5 External link

[edit] In folklore and poetry

The rock is associated with several legendary tales originating in German folklore. It appears in many forms.

[edit] The Lorelei by Heinrich Heine
Translated by Aaron Kramer

I cannot explain the sadness
That's fallen on my breast.
An old, old fable haunts me,
And will not let me rest.

The air grows cool in the twilight,
And softly the Rhine flows on;
The peak of a mountain sparkles
Beneath the setting sun.

More lovely than a vision,
A girl sits high up there;
Her golden jewelry glistens,
She combs her golden hair.

With a comb of gold she combs it,
And sings an evensong;
The wonderful melody reaches
A boat, as it sails along.

The boatman hears, with an anguish
More wild than was ever known;
He's blind to the rocks around him;
His eyes are for her alone.

--At last the waves devoured
The boat, and the boatman's cry;
And this did with her singing,
The golden Lorelei.

[edit] Trivia

The song "Beautiful Dreamer" by Stephen Foster contains the lyrics: "Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea. Mermaids are chanting the wild lorelie."
"Lorelei" is referred to in "Vanishing Point", an online puzzle by Microsoft and 42 Entertainment. More specifically, murmuring rock is referenced leading to this page.
"Lorelei" is the most sexual song by Cocteau Twins
"Lorelei" is a song by Dschinghis Khan, German group of the 80's
"Lorelei" is the name of, and the name of the subject character, in the rock 'n' roll hit song by the American band Styx from 1975.
Lorelei Lee is the name of Marilyn Monroe's character in the 1953 movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Lorelei is the subject of "When Mermaids Cry", a song by Eagle-Eye Cherry.
Blackmore's Night's song "Loreley" is based on the nixe-version of the legend. The song was also used as a theme for German TV-series Die Burg.
Lorelei is the name of a sacred weapon (a Diviner) used by Ledah, a companion and eventual rival of the main character in the video game Riviera: The Promised Land.
Loreley is the name of a German Biergarten in downtown New York City.
Lorelai is the name of Lauren Graham's character on Gilmore Girls.
Lorelei is the name of a mermaid played by Marta Kristen in the 1965 movie Beach Blanket Bingo. The character Bonehead, played by Jody McCrea, falls in love with her.
"Lorelei" is the name of a song written by David Gray
"Lorelei" is a song by Last Train Home
"Lorelei" is a song by The Pogues written by Philip Chevron
"Lorelei" is a song by Franz Liszt, with the text by Heine
"Lorelei" is a song by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin
"Lorelei" is a song by Theatre of Tragedy
"Lorelei" is a song by Fading Colours
"Lorelei" is a song by [Wishbone Ash[1]]
"Black Forest (Lorelei)" is a song by Mercury Rev
"Lorelei" is a song by Tom Tom Club, side-project of Talking Heads members Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz
"Lorelei" is the name of a song performed by Chinese singer Alan Tam, the song played in the ending credits of Jackie Chan's "Armour Of God"
Lorelei is evoked in the song "Lorelei Sebasto Cha" from French singer Hubert Félix Thiéfaine
"Lorelei" is the final song on the album Turn It Around by Comeback Kid.
Lorelei is referenced in the Harry Connick Jr. song: "Just Like Me"
Lorelei is also used in the Japanese manga 'Ah! My Goddess'. It is a name used for the race of peaceful swimming humanoids in the ocean.

An Argentinian rock band called Vilma Palma e Vampiros has a song called "Lorele" comparing the haunting power of the siren with drug abuse.
Lorelei, in Pokemon is a member of the Indigo Plateau Elite Four, who specializes in using ice-type Pokemon. Her name changes into Prima in the anime.
In the Transformers: Cybertron anime, the female Decepticon Thunderblast was said to be behind the inspiration for Lorelei.
"LORELEY" is a song by J-Rock band L'Arc~en~Ciel on the album HEART
Lorelei is referenced in the Toad The Wet Sprocket song: "All Right" (1995 Album, In Light Syrup)
Lorelei is referenced in the Paul McCartney song "Beautiful Night".
Lorelei is the name of a supervillain from the Fairyland dimension who is an adversary of the Justice Society of America
Lorelei is the name of a character in the James Bond "spoof" movie, Casino Royale
Experiment 624 (Angel) from Lilo & Stitch: The Series is a parody of Lorelei, as she sings a beautiful song that can turn a formerly evil person (who is now good) evil again.
The Lorelei is the name of a folk/rock band in Aberdeen, Scotland
Lorelei is the name of a god in Auldrant, the world seen in the Tales of the Abyss
Lorelei is a song by the German punk band Schtraff
At his death Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn left some sketches for an opera on the story of Lorelei.
"Die Lorelei" is a song by Vialka, with lyrics by Heinrich Heine.
The Lorelei was a thriller broadcast on BBC2 in 1990.
The myth of the Lorelei plays a large part in the eighteenth episode of Gundam X, "The Sea of Lorelei."
An episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series entitled "The Lorelei Signal" involved woman of the Taurean system sending out a signal to entice males to their planet to drain their life energy.
In the anime "Saber Marionette J" and its 2 sequels "Saber Marionette J Again" and "Saber Marionette J to X", Lorelei is the name of the first and only woman to set foot on the planet Terra 2.