Information AboutSiren |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SIREN | |
| greek mythology | |
| greek legendary creatures | |
| mythological hybrids | |
| motif of harmful sensation | |
|
depicting Odysseus ' encounter with the sirens.]] In Greek Mythology the Sirens or '''Seirenes''' ( Greek Σειρῆνας) were Naiads (sea Nymph s) who lived on an island called Sirenum Scopuli which was surrounded by cliffs and rocks. Approaching Sailor s were Drawn To Them by their enchanting Singing , causing them to sail on the Cliff s and Drown . They were considered the daughters of Achelous (by Terpsichore , Melpomene or Sterope ) or Phorcys ( Virgil . V. 846; Ovid XIV, 88). Their number is variously reported as between two and five, and their individual names as Thelxiepia/Thelxiope/Thelxinoe, Molpe, Aglaophonos/Aglaope, Pisinoe/Peisinoë, Parthenope , Ligeia , Leucosia , Raidne, and Teles. According to some versions, they were Play mates of young Persephone and were changed into the Monster s of lore by Demeter for failing to intervene when Persephone was abducted ( Ovid V, 551). The term "siren song" refers to an appeal that is hard to resist but that, if heeded, will lead to a bad result. APPEARANCE In early art, the Sirens were represented as birds with the heads, and sometimes the chests, of women. Later, they were represented as female figures with the legs of birds, with or without wings. The 10th century encyclopedia s (half woman, half fish). The fact that in some languages (such as Spanish, French, Italian or Polish) the word for mermaid is ''Siren'', ''Sirena'' or ''Syrena'' adds to this confusion. ENCOUNTERS WITH THE SIRENS .]] Odysseus escaped the Sirens by having all his sailors plug their Ear s with Beeswax and tie him to the Mast . He was curious as to what the Sirens sounded like. When he heard their beautiful Song , he ordered the sailors to untie him but they ignored him. When they had passed out of earshot, Odysseus stopped thrashing about and calmed down, and was released ('' Odyssey '' XII, 39). Jason had been warned by Chiron that Orpheus would be necessary in his journey. When Orpheus heard their Voice s, he drew his Lyre and played his music more beautifully than they, drowning out their voices. It is said that after a ship successfully sailed by the Sirens, they threw themselves into the water to show protest. Varying traditions associate this event with their encounters with Jason or Odysseus.Later the sirens killed the son of Odysseus, Telemachus . It is also said that Hera, queen of the gods, persuaded the Sirens to enter a singing contest with the Muses. The Muses won the competition and then plucked out all of the Sirens' feathers and made crowns out of them. POPULAR CULTURE See '' Sirens (mythology) In Popular Culture ''. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS Prof. Dr. Vasil S. Tole, Odyssey and Sirens:A Temptation towards the Mystery of the Iso-polyphonic Regions of Epirus, A Homeric theme with variations, Tirana, Albania, 2005, ISBN 99943-31-63-9 |
|
|