L is for Lorelei: A Creole from Louisiana, Lorelei Trahan is a protagonist in “Wyrm Bait”, and an avid player of the MMORPG set in the the world of Gossamer Steel.

The Lorelei is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which rises some 120 metres above the river. Marking the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea, it is the most famous feature of the Rhine Gorge, a 65 km section of the river between Koblenz and Bingen that was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in June 2002.

Lorelei is also the name of a female water spirit associated with this rock in folklore and in music, art and literature. Similar to mermaids known as Nixe or Nixie, or to the water nymphs in the epic poem Nibelungenlied – called Rhine maidens in Richard Wagner’s opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen – Lorelei has been portrayed as both innocent and seductive.

Rhein maidens warn Siegfried. Originally the image stems from Richard Wagner’s Siegfried and the Twilight of the Gods ~ by Arthur Rackham

The Lorelei is related to the Norwegian Nøkken, who are shapeshifting water spirits, who usually appear in human form, as handsome young men. These spirits have appeared in the myths and legends of all Germanic peoples in Europe, although perhaps most known in Norwegian and Scandinavian folklore – and therefore appearing in The Country, the Scandinavian enclave in Gossamer Steel.

L is also for Lyminster in Sussex, England where the English equivalent of the Nøkken lived. However, the English Knucker is depicted as a wyrm or dragon, which terrorized the countryside.

L is also for Doctor Lupero, alias Lupercus, the principal antagonist in Gossamer Steel. And L is for Lewis the law in “Wyrm Bait”.

PREVIOUS A TO Z POSTS:

A is for Array ~ B is for the Blood-Marked ~ C is for Corylus Avellana ~ D is for Duskweald ~ E is for Energy ~ F is for Feeniks ~ G is for Garuda ~ H is for Herders ~ I is for Ithaka ~ J is for Junk ~ K is for Kitsune

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The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out, the A to Z Challenge is posting every day in April except Sundays (we get those off for good behaviour.) And since there are 26 days, that matches the 26 letters of the alphabet. On April 1, blog about something that begins with the letter “A.” April 2 is “B,” April 3 is “C,” and so on. Please visit other challenge writers.

My theme is ‘The World of Gossamer Steel, the SF-fantasy setting for a series of short stories and novellas that portray the tales behind the MMORPG that is central to my crime novel ‘Wyrm Bait’.