While cruising on the Rhine in Germany you’ll pass under a massive slate rock formation with a statue at its base. The rock and the statue are named Lorelei. The statue is a bronze sculpture portraying a mythical siren named Lorelei who is said to have lured sailors to their doom on the Rhine River with her call.
The actual Lorelei rock is a 433 foot tall, steep slate rock rising above the bank of the Rhine at Sankt Goarshausen in Germany. It has been an infamous disaster to navigation since the 10th century and to explain the high number of ship wrecks and the loud echoing noises associated with the passage by the rock numerous myths and legends have developed.
The name Lorelei probably comes from the old German words lureln for “murmuring”, and the Old German term ley “rock”. The translation of the name would therefore be “murmuring rock”. The heavy currents, and a small waterfall in the area create a murmuring sound, and this combined with a sort of natural amplifier in the terrain, gave the rock its name.
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