Credit: Ali Sahib/Chronicle.lu

Despite its compact size, Luxembourg has its fair share of fables, folktales, myths and legends, from a mermaid and a wild woman to a wolfman and an underwater bogeyman.

In this series of articles, Chronicle.lu will be delving into some of these tales and their lasting impact in Luxembourg.

First up is Luxembourg’s Founding Myth, that of Siegfried and Melusina.

Perhaps the best-known Luxembourgish myth is that of Melusina, the mermaid who married Count Siegfried, founder (in 963 AD) and first ruler of Luxembourg. She agreed to marry the count on the condition that she be left alone in total privacy once a week. However, the count’s curiosity and jealousy got the better of him and he broke his promise. He followed Melusina into her private chambers to spy on her, and one day spotted her fishtail as she was taking a bath. Upon discovering her husband’s betrayal, Melusina dove into the river Alzette, never to be seen again.

A purple statue of Melusina draws visitors to Luxembourg-Grund for photo opportunities. The statue was created by local artist Serge Ecker using 3D printing and was installed on the banks of the Alzette river in this district in 2015. The sculpture, in violet-coloured pyrogranite, is mounted on a concrete block under a willow tree in the shadow of the Bock promontory.

Siegfried is also said to have made a deal with the devil in his quest to build his “Lucilinburhuc” castle. Having acquired the site on the Bock in 963, Siegfried found he did not have sufficient funds to make this dream a reality. In his frustration, he called out the devil’s name - “speak of the devil and he will appear”, as the saying goes. The devil offered to provide Siegfried with enough money to remove the old Roman fort and build his castle. In return, all Siegfried had to do was sign away his soul, which the devil would collect 30 years later. Siegfried accepted the deal…