Sirens By: Tyler Armer

Summary of Sirens Odysseus goes back to Circe’s island where Circe reveals his course ahead. She gives him advice on how to avoid danger: the Sirens, the Wandering Rocks, Scylla, the whirlpool Charybdis, and the cattle of the sun god. Odysseus tells his men to tie him up to allow him to hear the Siren’s song without jumping off ship to his death. He also placed wax in their ears for protection.

God or Monster? “The Sirens were beautiful but dangerous creatures that lured the sailors with their beautiful voices to their doom, causing the ships to crash on the reefs near their island.” (“Sirens”). “[A]nyone who heard their song became absolutely mesmerized with them. So mesmerized, in fact, that they became obsessed with reaching the shore to get closer to the sound. And then the Sirens would eat them.” (“The Sirens Mythology”).

Birth? “They were the daughters of the river god Achelous, while their mother may have been Terpsichore, Melpomene, Sterope or Chthon.” (“Sirens”). “The Seirenes(or Sirens) were three sea nymphs who lured sailors to their death with a bewitching song. They were formerly handmaidens of the goddess Persephone. When the girl was secretly abducted by Hades, Demeter gave them the bodies of birds, and sent to assist in the search. They eventually gave up and settled on the flowery island of Anthemoessa.” (“Seirenes”).

Story? “Ovid (Metamorphoses, Book V) wrote that the Sirens were human companions of Persephone. After she was carried off by Hades, they sought her everywhere and finally prayed for wings to fly across the sea. The gods granted their prayer. In some versions Demeter turned them into birds to punish them for not guarding Persephone. In art the Sirens appeared first as birds with the heads of women and later as women, sometimes winged, with bird legs.” (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica “Siren/Greek Mythology”). Some stories say that they had wings and feathers, while other stories say that Hera plucked their wings after they fought and they grew mermaid tails.

Odysseus? “Odysseus sailed by, bound tightly to the mast, his men blocking their ears with wax. The Seirenes [Sirens] were so distressed to see a man hear their song and yet escape, that they threw themselves into the sea and drowned.” (“Seirenes”).

Works Cited "The Sirens." The Sirens - Mythology's Original Temptresses. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015. "Sirens." Sirens. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015. "SIRENS." SIRENS : Bird-Women Monsters/Greek Mythology, Seirenes, W/ Pictures. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015. "Siren/Greek Mythology." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.