She fell in love with Altama, a young chieftain with the Pascagoula tribe. The singing mermaid theory is the oldest, but the tale the river is known for and actually named after is a tragic star-crossed lovers’ story that ended with the entire Pascagoula tribe holding hands and singing on a death March into the river.Īnola was a princess with the Biloxi tribe. According to a 19th-century historian, area tribes have always thought the sound of the river was their musical brethren, who still keep up their revels at the bottom of the river, in the palace of the mermaid. Neither bell, book, nor cross shall win ye from your queen.”Īt the sound of the mermaid’s voice, every nearby man, woman, and child of the Pascagoula tribe walked into the river, disappearing forever. One day, the mermaid, whose name has been lost in history, rose from the bottom of the river, and sang, “Come to me, come to me, children of the sea. The villagers would gather each night to sing, chant, dance, and play wooden flutes around a glorious mermaid carving. According to historical documentation, when French settlers came to Pascagoula, they asked local Native Americans about the strange sound and they were told in the mid-1500s the Pascagoula tribe worshiped a beautiful mermaid and built a temple in her honor. French settlers documented hearing the river sing as early as 1699. One such explanation is a mermaid is singing a song to lure those listening to a watery death. There are a couple of theories regarding the music-like sound, but the strange phenomenon has yet to be explained. According to those who have witnessed it, all you need to do is stand on the river banks after dusk, wait and hope. The humming is at its most vibrant and loudest from mid-October through Halloween. The intoxicating sound has also been compared to the delicate sounds and echos of rubbing the rim of a crystal glass filled with water or wine.įor hundreds of years, the mysterious music has intrigued both locals and Gulf Coast visitors alike, and the changing days of October are said to be the best times to hear the Pascagoula River sing. The Pascagoula River, or the Singing River, actually hums like a swarm of bees dancing on gentle notes from a wooden flute, according to those lucky enough to have heard it. Of all the rivers throughout the United States, none are as intriguing as the river that sings in Pascagoula - especially in October.
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