The ancient man “populated” the world not only with the immortal gods who made their fate, but also with fantastic creatures. Some of them treated people well, helped them, while others, on the contrary, were fraught with danger. Such creatures that could harm a person were sirens. Mythology endowed them with a beautiful voice, amazing appearance and cruel disposition. And their victims were sailors sailing by.
Historical information
Today, the siren is considered mythical, that is, a fictional character. Previously, people believed in their existence. The ancient Greeks described them as female birds, but already in the fifth century a certain author claimed that these creatures were women to the waist, and birds below the navel. In the sixteenth century, sirens were considered half-humans, half-fish. Albert the Great claimed that their faces were ugly, but their voice was amazing. It was the last image of creatures that became the most popular, so a whole detachment of mammals living in the sea was named after them. But there was another image that took root in the world for a short while:
Myths of the ancient Greeks
So we figured out what sirens look like. The mythology of the ancient Greeks considered them to be creatures with the head of a woman, and the body of a bird. They were the daughters of the river god Aheloy and one of the muses (either Melpomene or Terpsichore). Father gave them a sharp temper, and mother - in an amazing voice.
But at first, all the sirens were people. Mythology says that they were beautiful girls who angered the gods, for which they lost a beautiful appearance. According to one legend, Aphrodite punished them for arrogance and pride, according to another - the muses did it because the sirens called them to a singing contest.
It is also likely that these wondrous creatures were previously nymphs in Persephone's retinue. When she married the god of the underworld and went after him to Hades, Demeter (mother of Persephone) turned the girls into birds. Or maybe they themselves wanted to turn in order to find their mistress, because initially Hades stole the young goddess. People refused to help them, then in desperation they retired to the island and began to take revenge.
Revenge of the Sirens
Sophisticatedly avenged people sirens. Mythology claims that creatures lured sailors with their voices, and when they approached, their ships were wrecked on reefs. No one could resist, so they went to certain death. The whole island was littered with human bones, and sirens continued to sing, luring new victims.
Not a single ship could slip past the island and remain unscathed. The first people who managed to avoid the evil fate were the Argonauts. The sweet song of the sirens was drowned out by the singing of a man. This is the legendary Orpheus, playing his kifar, performed his song. The second past the unfortunate island managed to swim Odysseus. King Ithaki knew about the existence of these dangerous maidens, since his father Laertes was on board the Argo when he was heading to Colchis.
Odysseus wanted to listen to the song of the sirens, but had no right to endanger his ship. Then he took advantage of the trick: he covered his friends' ears with wax, and ordered himself to be tied tightly to the mast. The comrades did not give in to Odyssey’s requests to untie him — they did not hear the king or the singing. The sirens themselves, seeing that their spell no longer affects people, rushed into the sea and became rocks.
Impact on culture
The reader already knows what the siren looked and did. Greek mythology also spoke about the death of these wondrous creatures. Subsequently, people began to consider sirens as the muses of the other world, the angels of death, performing mournful songs. In the Middle Ages, it was fashionable to depict them on the arms of the nobility, giving them new features. And today it is a beautiful image that is often used by the authors of the fantasy genre.