Sieglind is a Ondine.
Overview[]
In the Old Country, Sieglind was a nixie seer; she and her ondine sisters made a habit of dispensing warnings and prophecies to passers-by. Brooding Nordic heroes were their preferred target, if only because such men were grim enough to fully appreciate the news of their impending dooms. Eventually the stream of warriors riding off to die in blood-soaked feuds dried up, and Sieglind began to think about relocating. In the 1690s, her best prospect was an obscure German apocalyptic cult named in her honor; the Society of the Woman in the Wilderness. She followed them to the woods outside of colonial Philadelphia and made her home in Wissahickon Creek, a local steam important to the Lenni Lennape tribe. (The Society's leader, Johannes Kelpius, loved in a cave near her banks and routinely consulted her for visions of the world's imminent demise.) Sieglind spent most of the 1700s asleep - covered with mills, the Creek had become a major industrial center, and Banality was in the air.
That changed during the 19th century. Business moved on, and family mansions and resorts soon joined the now-quiet mills. Painters and writers came from from all over to witness the Wissahickon's wild beauty and capture it in art; Edgar Allen Poe was one such devotee. Glamour's return roused Sieglind, and she set to work protecting her haven from the future she saw coming. A few decades later, the Pennsylvania State Assembly declared Wissahickon Creek a state park and set it aside for Philadelphians' relaxation and recreation. Mills and hotels were torn down, and nature was allowed to reclaim the ruins.
Today Sieglind spends most of her waking hours caring for the Creek and doing her best to keep the city out. Philly's changelings have known of her for years, and their relations are quite good. The local freeholds recognized Sieglind's sovereignty some time ago, and she in turn grants their subjects free access to whatever Glamour they can find along her course. The Seelie fae have her permission to hold their festivals and rades within her bounds. In addition, the Sidhe Resurgence jump-started her stalling career as an oracle. Sidhe monarchs consult her regularly, and Crystal Circle sages question her about the onset of Winter. She's even returned to telling the fortunes of mortals, basking on the shores of the Wissahickon during summer and uttering welcome and unwelcome truths to visitors walking the park's trails.
References[]
- CTD: Inanimae: The Secret Way, p. 101