1 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:05,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of 2 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:10,360 Speaker 1: My Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and 3 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: this is the Monster Fact, a short form series from 4 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:16,560 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind, focusing in on mythical creatures, 5 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:25,959 Speaker 1: ideas and monsters in time. This Friday on Weird House Cinema, 6 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 1: Joe and I will discuss the seventy three horror film 7 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: The Laurelize Grasp, in which a bloodthirsty immortal woman emerges 8 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 1: from the depths of the Rhine River in Germany to 9 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 1: take on a monstrous reptilian form and tear the hearts 10 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: from mortal victims. The movie is rife with allusions to 11 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:51,199 Speaker 1: Germanic mythology, and yet the actual origins of the Laurel 12 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 1: Monster can be found not in myth but in German 13 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: romanticism of the nineteenth century. Now. To be sure, global 14 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 1: traditions of mermaid It's in sirens are quite ancient, but 15 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:05,960 Speaker 1: this particular water spirit seems to only date back to 16 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 1: German poet Clemens Brentano's eighteen hundred poem lor Ley. It 17 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:15,400 Speaker 1: tells the tale of a doomed woman named lor Ley, who, 18 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 1: convicted of sorcery, throws herself off a high cliff and 19 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:25,039 Speaker 1: into the river Rhine. German poet Hendra Kaina also wrote 20 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,680 Speaker 1: a popular poem of Loralai and described her haunting of 21 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 1: the cliffs as follows. The fairest of maidens is sitting 22 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 1: up there a beautiful delight. Her golden jewels are shining. 23 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: She's combing her golden hair. She holds a golden comb, 24 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 1: singing along as well an enthralling and spell binding melody 25 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: in his little boat. The boatman is seized by it 26 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 1: with a savage woe. He does not look upon the 27 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: rocky ledge, but rather high up into the heavens. I 28 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: think that the waves will devour the boatman and boat 29 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: in the end. And this by her songs sheer power, 30 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: fair lore Lie has done with Highna's lyrics, we are 31 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: clearly within the domain of sirens and mermaids. Now. These 32 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: poems were quite popular, and both were also turned into song. 33 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 1: General enthusiasm for this romantic notion of a doomed siren 34 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 1: eventually led locals to erect a statue of her atop 35 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 1: a particular rocky cliff overlooking the Rhine. The Laura Lae Rock, Yes, 36 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 1: this would be her namesake, and the very geologic formation 37 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: that our poets were referring to in crafting their melancholy ballads. 38 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: Located in the upper Middle Rhine Valley or Rhine Gorge, 39 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 1: the rock was long seen as a place of possible 40 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 1: supernatural significance due to the strange echoes it elected, perceived 41 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:54,919 Speaker 1: as the possible murmurings of dwarves or gnomes in its caves. 42 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,640 Speaker 1: While long known as Laura Lae, the exact etymology of 43 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:03,080 Speaker 1: the name is uncertain. Lay means rock, but the lower 44 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:07,679 Speaker 1: part may refer to sounds, murmurs, or the possible presence 45 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: of magical creatures, depending on who you ask. But as 46 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: IGNACEE Freuerlicht points out in a article appearing in the 47 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: German Quarterly, there was never a tradition of a siren 48 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 1: atop these cliffs before nineteenth century poets created the connection quote. 49 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:29,520 Speaker 1: Sometimes the view is voiced that Haina, unlike his Romantic predecessors, 50 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:33,760 Speaker 1: restored the original legend. However, there is no old tradition 51 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: calling an all read or water nymph lorelei, and there 52 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 1: is no ancient legend about a maiden singing on top 53 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: of the Laura Lae rock who has no communication with 54 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: passing men Still. The romantic idea of this haunting figure, 55 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: as well as the monstrous version in the ninety three film, 56 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 1: speak to a long history of superstitions concerning the Rocky 57 00:03:56,600 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: Cliffs and the Rhine depths beneath it. Yah Tune in 58 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: for additional episodes of The Monster Fact each week. As always, 59 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:11,839 Speaker 1: you can email us at contact at stuff to Blow 60 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:22,360 Speaker 1: your Mind dot com. Stuff to Blow Your Mind is 61 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from 62 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: my Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 63 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.