Melusina
The legend of Melusina
There are more versions around the legend of Melusina. We will tell you about the two most popular versions:
Version 1 (told to all children in the Grand Duchy):
When Siegfried, Count of Luxembourg, married the beautiful young woman, he had no idea that she was hiding a secret from him. So he allowed her to withdraw once a week, according to her wishes, so that she could bathe. He was consumed with jealousy, however, and eventually spied on her, thereby discovering her secret - his wife had a fishtail. On discovering her husband's betrayal, Melusina threw herself out of the window of the castle which used to stand on the Bock rock and disappeared into the waters of the Alzette.
Version 2 (written on the information panel near the sculpture):
One day, Count Siegfried was walking on the banks of the Alzette when he met a princess more beautiful than the day. This gorgeous creature was the nymph of the Alzette, named Melusina, and charmed the valley. Siegfried fell headlong in love with her and in no time had offered his heart and crown to the young woman, who accepted.
Melusina, however, mad one condition, which Siegfried had to promise to observe or lose her forever. On Saturdays, the count was to leave Melusina alone in her room and neither see her nor attempt to find out what she was doing. Siegfried agreed and the couple married. For years, they lived happily and had many children.
One Saturday, however, Siegfried walked past Melusina’s room and, hearing a noise, looked through the keyhole. Imagine his horror when he saw her splashing about in a large pool, her body ending in a fish tail. Now that her true nature had been revealed, Melusina uttered a piercing cry and was swallowed up by the earth. Since then, the nymph of the Alzette has been sealed in a rock known as the Bock and only reappears once every seven years.
More informations around the sculpture of Melusina
Location of the sculpture:
On 14 October 2015, the City of Luxembourg inaugurates a sculpture bearing the name of the fabulous creature - 'Mélusine'. It is on the edge of the Alzette river, in rue Plaetis, beneath the Bock outcrop and opposite the Neumünster Abbey, and thus marks the exact spot where the drama would have unfolded in the tenth century.
Interpreted by Luxembourgish artist Serge Ecker, the sculpture represents a magenta-colored Melusina seated on a rock. In February 2014, she was chosen from among several projects by artists who participated in a competition organised by the City of Luxembourg to create a sculpture to celebrate the 1050th anniversary of the founding of the city by Count Siegfried. Entered projects were subject to a vote of a jury and a public vote that counted in equal shares.
What makes this sculpture unique is the fact that it was completely designed on a computer and then printed in 3D. This relatively new technique makes it possible to construct a work layer by layer in a specialized printer.
And the result is convincing! Not only that the sculpture creates a bridge between the old Luxembourg and Luxembourg in the digital age, but she is alive, interactive. Indeed, far from wanting to create a work that invites only to look at it, Serge Ecker has created a sculpture that doubles as a bench, on which a person can sit down to take a picture, or even a selfie with beautiful Melusina.
Thus, he was able to translate a legend of the 10th century into a post-digital piece of art of the 21st century.
Cache
Please complete the following two tasks to qualify for your smiley:
- Optional: dress up the sculpture with one or more accessories, like scarf, glasses, necklace, … Let your imagination play!:) Don't forget to take a photo of it!
- Post a photo of the sculpture with you, your GPS, a piece of paper with your name and / or a travelbug in front of Melusina... Neither from the other side of the river nor from above..... It's worth making the descent down, it's beautiful!
Any log who fails to meet the requirements will be deleted.
It's not required, but we would really love to read about your experience and feelings about your trip in Luxembourg-city.
Sources:
- http://luxembourg.public.lu/de/actualites/2015/10/14-melusine/index.html
- google.maps.lu
- Information panel from the VDL near the sculpture
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.