Loreley

We are often asked the origin of the name of Loreley. Loreley (German: Lorelei) is a 430 foot high slate cliff towering above the Rhine River between Mainz and Koblenz in Germany. Until the 19th century, it was very dangerous for captains to sail around this high and mighty cliff.

According to legend, Lorelei was a maiden who threw herself into the Rhine in despair over a faithless lover. She was transformed into a beautiful but wicked siren whose enchanting and echoing song can be heard luring boatmen to their deaths against the cliff.

The legend, claimed as his invention by German writer Clemons Bretano in his novel, Godwi, has been the Heinrich Hein's poem of the beautiful river nymph Loreley, which has been set to music by more than 25 composers, and is still well known today.