Melusina

One morning in 963 Count Sigfried of the Ardennes was hunting in the Alzette Valley and heard a woman singing. It was Melusina, high up on the Bock, overlooking the Alzette River. Sigfried climbed the cliff to meet her, and under a magic spell, he drifted into a deep sleep. When he woke, she was gone, and unable to find her, he made his way home. He returned each day, until he found her and asked her to marry. She agreed but on two conditions: that they would live forever on the Bock and he would give her privacy every Saturday. He agreed, and overnight the Castle of Luxembourg appeared.

Melusina and Sigfried were happy, had many children, and remained on the Bock. Over the years, Sigfried’s friends teased him about what she did every Saturday. He was curious too, so one fateful Saturday he sneaked down to her quarters. He peered through the keyhole and saw she was a mermaid. The promise was broken, the wind kicked up, and she sunk into the stone, imprisoned in the Bock. Every seven years she resurfaces in the Alzette with a golden key, and whoever gets the key sets her free.

Image adapted from original photo by Rodhullandemu: One of four twin-tailed mermaids, or melusines, on the Pooley Gates of former Liverpool Sailors’ Home, Paradise Street. CC Share-Alike