The Song of Rusal and Erse
In the history of Saaland, Rusal was a legendary warrior, poet and prince. In the story, Rusal become enchanted with a woman he sees on a passing ship and pursues her by jumping in the water.
But the waters are too strong for him to catch her. The song is about his call to the woman as the waves eventually take him. She can only watch as he drowns.
The second part of the song describes how the woman, Erse, takes the same route on the ship years later and the shade of Rusal rises from his watery grave to court her once more. This time she chooses to jump into the water and they embrace, the waves bearing them to the depths.
The story highlights the dangers of recklessness and obsession and serves as a warning tale to intemperate youth. Various renditions of the story exist with the apocryphal Rusal (also known as Russe in the south of Saaland) having varying accomplishments and adornments. He has also been syncretised into other heroic myths.
The identity of Erse (Elspe in the south of Saaland) is less straightforward but is said to represent the historical drowning of Lady Erse on the crossing between Erea and Saaland. Erse was exiled from Saaland during the overthrow of her father, a local warlord and was able to return in her old age, once all of her enemies were dead. Her sorrow at her dead family results in her throwing herself from the ship once she sights the coast.
In the tongue of Saaland, these verses rhyme and are accompanied by music.
The waters of Saaland speak his name,
Rusal, the prince of legend,
Warrior with a heart of poetry,
His eyes found her on a passing ship,
An ethereal vision,
Her silhouette a beacon on the horizon.
With reckless abandon he plunged,
Into the depths, toward her shadow,
The waves mocked his valiant pursuit,
Their cruel embrace dragging him deeper,
His call to her lost in the roar,
His fate sealed by the unforgiving sea.
Years drifted by like autumn leaves,
Erse, her heart laden with sorrow,
Returned to the waters of her exile,
Her eyes searching for a coast long unseen,
A spectral figure rose from the depths,
Rusal’s shade, his love undimmed by death.
This time she did not hesitate,
The waters held no terror, only reunion,
She leapt from the ship, arms wide,
To meet her lover beneath the waves,
Their embrace a final, fateful dance,
The sea their eternal witness.
Together they sank into legend,
Two souls bound by the currents,
Their story a whispered warning,
To those who chase shadows on the water,
Recklessness and obsession,
The waves’ unyielding toll.
In Saaland, their tale endures,
Rusal, the poet prince, and Erse,
Echoes of their love and loss,
Resounding through the ages,
A myth to temper youthful ardor,
A love as vast and perilous as the sea.