Author's note: This story was originally told as the Grotto of Love. In this story was a man that became bored and resorted to other pleasures. These pleasures were among the sea with a siren. I will keep with the same story but change the ending and the character names and a few traits.
Bio: Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917)
Grotto of Lust
Leorio, as with many who are given too much in life, was dissatisfied. Leorio had the most beautiful and loyal wife, Setsu, but he tired of her constant presence. In his boredom he began to think of a siren he once saw, but could not catch. She had a voice that could make tears prick your eyes and a beauty that surpassed anyone Leorio had ever set his eyes upon. He sat and thought about the way she sang and played her lute effortlessly. It all became a dizzying daydream and he could not bare the thoughts any longer. He left his wife without a thought and made his way to the emerald sea where she lived.
Once his feet sunk into the sand and he breathed in the salty air he began to hear the voice he had heard all those years ago. The siren sang the sweetest melody. He sprang into the water and began swimming deep, deep into the depths of the ocean. Leorio did not fear of anything that leered in the great ocean as he continued to push on. He followed the voice until he came upon a cavern far beneath the ocean's surface.
Note that Leorio was a very capable man and could hold his breathe longer than the average person.
As Leorio pushed further into the cavern the sweet voice and strum of a lute grew stronger. Within the cave Leorio could again breathe air. As he walked toward the sound of the siren he began to see the soft glow of hundreds of pearls that lit the cavern. There were delicate sea-lilies that held the finest sake and bountiful heaps of fruit.
 |
| Siren |
Leorio stood entranced by the splendor he witnessed. His eyes took in every detail of the beautiful space. Finally, his eyes fell on the siren who was playing her instrument with such ease it sounded as soft as butter. Leorio was immediately infatuated with this mermaid. He saw no other way apart from confessing his love to this woman.
Without stopping her sweet music the siren replied, "loving me would surely kill you." This harsh consequence did not make Leorio falter. He returned saying, "Even a moment with you would be worth all the love I can give." "Then sail to Horaizan and retrieve the golden apple. This apple is the key to immortal youth. Then and only then can we have unending love," sang the siren.
Without any knowledge of who the siren was or if she was telling the truth Leorio set off in search of this golden apple. The siren knew that Leorio was married to the princess Setsu and was disgusted with his disloyalty. She hoped that it would take him many long and treacherous years to find the golden apple that was a figment of her imagination. "It serves him right," she thought. With a slight upturn of her mouth she closed her eyes and began to play her soft serenade once more.
Hey Lindsi,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your rendition of this story! I think it is so great that you put such an emphasis on the disloyalty of Leorio and how the siren completely disagreed with that. That changes the original story and makes it so much more enjoyable in my opinion! I am excited to continue reading your stories throughout this semester!
Hi Lindsi! I really liked your story! I have heard the story before, but your telling of it was very interesting in that you actually gave the Siren a sense of morality. This was different from anything I had heard before, and honestly made the story a lot more interesting. I look forward to reading more of your stories, especially if you keep writing like this!
ReplyDeleteHi Lindsi! I really liked how you told this story and developed the siren's character to be one of morality. At first, I was expecting the siren to agree with Leorio's disloyalty, but I was very pleased that she didn't agree whatsoever and had her own consequences for Leorio in mind! Great work! I can’t wait to read more of your stuff!
ReplyDeleteHello Lindsi! The story you wrote is so good!! The title was kind of what caught my eye and it didn't disappoint. I love the role that the siren had. It was really cool to see it interact and disagree with the disloyalty that Leorio committed during the story. I love the work that you have done this semester and I excited to see what you do for the rest of the semester.
ReplyDeleteHello Lindsi! I liked your portrayal of sirens here! Often, sirens are seen as those who drown mortals for fun. Yet, your siren knows that Leorio is unfaithful and dislikes him for it? What is the siren's goal? The siren knows of Leorio's wife and hates cheaters, so why does she give Leorio false hope to find the golden apple? Is it to reveal which people are cheaters so their spouses can find decent people instead? On that note, how did Leorio's wife react to her husband leaving?
ReplyDelete