If the castles along the banks of the Rhine appear to be out of storybooks, then the tales surrounding the rocks on the river have their own mystical quality. Most famous among these is the legend of Lorelei, which has been immortalised in Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung.

The legend goes that the beautiful young maiden named Lorelei, plunged herself into the river in despair over a faithless lover. Upon her death she was transformed into a siren, whose hypnotic songs lured sailors to their death.

Even if the sailors did manage to cross the Lorelei hurdle, then they could fall prey to the seven sisters. The story goes that at the castle of Schönburg lived seven sisters of extraordinary beauty, who were courted and wooed by many a nobleman.

But the coquettish girls dallied with their suitors only to jilt them. One evening, a large party of noblemen decided to force the issue. They decided to wear their best costumes and gather at the banqueting-hall of the castle, forcing the seven sisters to choose seven husbands among them. The young ladies agreed to this. But when the suitors arrived in all their finery, there was no sign of the young ladies.

Finally, one of the nobles glancing out of the window spotted the sisters gaily rowing a boat on the Rhine. As the girls stood up to taunt their suitors, the boat capsized and the damsels were drowned. People of this area believe that the sisters inhabit seven rocks on the river, and make life difficult for sailors.