The French Broad River in Western North Carolina is rich in history and mystery. The beautiful waters that sweep through the mountains are full of not only water, but also legend. The story of the “Siren of the French Broad” dates back to the mid-1850s, when author William Gilmore Simms published a poem about it.
It wouldn’t be until the late 1800s. Just before the turn of the century, that folklorist Charles M. Skinner retold the tale, comparing the French Broad siren to a creature who serenades men and slowly lures them to their deaths in the water.
A weary traveler camped along the river banks of the French Broad one day. The man heard the soft, sweet melody that came from the flowing waters in front of him. He draws closer to the water and sees a beautiful woman with mossy hair, dark, with gleaming eyes staring back at him from the current. The man became entranced and slowly entered the river.
The music becomes sweeter as he reaches for her. The beautiful woman’s hand reaches back from the water as she embraces the man’s hand, but the embrace turns monstrous.
It grabs his hand, but the touch feels cold, slimy, and almost snake-like. Her once beautiful face changed to pure bone just before the man was thrust deeper into the French Broad, claiming his soon-to-be lifeless body.
No one heard his screams for help on that day, but for an instant, the world stopped spinning, and the soft melody that lured him there would ultimately be his downfall, as he gasped for his last breath.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
Image Credit: “French broad river 9228” by Pollinator at en.wikipedia is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
