The Legend of Loreley and the Old Man
As a young woman, betrayed by her fiancé, Loreley has perched atop the rock bearing her name along the Rhine, brimming with resentment. The legend sais that her enchanting song and golden hair seduce every sailor who catches sight or sound of her. Blinded by her beauty, these sailors fail to recognize the currents of the Rhine and are often engulfed in its depths. Out of reverence, she is called the ‘Enchantress of the Rhine’.

On the mainland, untouched by the sounds of Loreley, an elderly widower climbed a clearing on the mountain opposite Loreley every day, singing to his wife who had sunk into the waters of the Rhine as she was working on one of the boats misled by the mystical sounds. One day, when the wind changed, the mournful tunes of the bereaved man wafted over to Loreley. Stirred by these sounds, Loreley was awakened from her grief: Could it be that true love existed? She left her rock to seek out the singer. When she reached the man’s clearing, the widower reacted with incredulous anger. This was the woman responsible for the death of his beloved wife. However, as Loreley began to sing, her voice heavy with inner turmoil, the widower recognized all the pain and sorrow he had also endured. Touched by the purity of her feelings, he forgave her. Subsequently, their voices full of pain and relief merged. Loreley and the old man ascended into the sky, carried by the sounds, and liberated from their sorrows.