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Dave's Mythical Creatures and Places |
Sirens
| Description |
Human females from the head to the waist, and then birdlike below
that. Sometimes depicted as being a woman's head on a bird's
body, or as a woman, or as part woman, part fish (like a
Mermaid or a Nereid,
but with the singing ability.)
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| Features | They
sing beautiful songs, that lure men in. Alternatively, the songs
might lull them to sleep, and then the sirens can kill them easily. In
Greek mythology, the three named Sirens were Parthenope, Ligea, and
Leucosia, although there are different versions that number varies
from 2 to 8. Although similar and equally dangerous, Sirens are generally considered more attractive and pleasant than Harpies.
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| More | The
Sirens were first mentioned in Homer's Odyssey (although their
appearance is not described by him.) Odysseus had his ship's crew put wax in
their ears to block the Sirens' songs, while he was lashed to the mast
so he could hear them sing.
In another story, Orpheus was able to beat the Sirens' song, by playing his own music which was even more pleasing than theirs.
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| Links |
http://www.thanasis.com/sirens.htm
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