ÿþ<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <head> <meta name="author" content="Frederick John Kluth"/> <meta name="description" content="Sirens are sea nymphs who by their sweet song they lured mariners to their deaths but they are imaged as raptor birds with female heads"/> <meta name="keywords" content="women, woman, temptress, monster, Odysseus Greece, Greek, art, symbol, fjkluth"/> <style type="text/css" media="screen"> h2 {color: red; text-align: center} img.photo { float: left; margin-right: 20px;} </style> <title>Sirens, Temptresses of the Sea</title> </head> <body> <p><img class="photo" src="logo.gif" width="200" height="150" alt="The Role of Women in the Art of Ancient Greece"/></p> <p><a href="index.html">RWAAG</a>, Sirens--></p> <h2>Sirens and Their Impact on Greek Art and Culture</h2> <p>Advertisement:</p> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-0012620521126070"; /* Goddesses */ google_ad_slot = "1441480835"; google_ad_width = 300; google_ad_height = 250; //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> <p>If you click above and follow the links to a purchase then this site receives a commission for its support.</p> <h2> Sirens and Their Impact on Greek Art and Culture</h2> <p>Sirens are identified as sea nymphs who by their sweet song they lured mariners to their deaths. They are imaged as raptor birds with female heads. The derivation of the name seems more associated with their bird-like nature. The name means 'she who grasps, binds, enthralls' and derives from Indo-European 'twer-2', 'To grasp, hold hard','ya-', 'To be aroused' and 'en-', 'In'. This concept seems likely to come from the Indo-European culture who were not associated with the sea. So the concept must have been modified when it got to Greece.</p> <p>The Sirens lived on an island (Hesiod calls this Island Anthemoessa) in the sea. They sang songs so sweetly that they lured sailors to their deaths. Hesiod also that they calmed the winds from their island and that they had a piercing voice. A picture of a siren follows: <a href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1990.01.2465">Click Here</a> </p> <p>A more recent siren: <a href="http://witcombe.sbc.edu/water/images/waterhousesirenb.jpg"> John William Waterhouse, 'The Siren' </a></p> <p>Apollodorus (E 7.19) discusses the Sirens as follows: "Now the Sirens were Pisinoe, Aglaope, and Thelxiepia, daughters of Achelous and Melpomene, one of the Muses. One of them played the lyre, another sang, and another played the flute, and by these means they were fain to persuade passing mariners to linger; [19] and from the thighs they had the forms of birds.1 Sailing by them, Ulysses wished to hear their song, so by Circe's advice he stopped the ears of his comrades with wax, and ordered that he should himself be bound to the mast. And being persuaded by the Sirens to linger, he begged to be released, but they bound him the more, and so he [p. 293] sailed past. Now it was predicted of the Sirens that they should themselves die when a ship should pass them; so die they did.2"</p> <p>The notes on this passage are interesting:</p> <p>"1 Similarly Apollonius Rhodius (Ap. Rhod., Argon. iv.898ff.) describes the Sirens as partly virgins and partly birds. Aelian tells us (Ael., Nat. Anim. xvii.23) that poets and painters represented them as winged maidens with the feet of birds. Ovid says that the Sirens had the feet and feathers of birds, but the faces of virgins; and he asks why these daughters of Achelous, as he calls them, had this hybrid form. Perhaps, he thinks, it was because they had been playing with Persephone when gloomy Dis carried her off, and they had begged the gods to grant them wings, that they might search for their lost playmate over seas as well as land. See Ov. Met. 5.552-562. In like manner Hyginus describes the Sirens as women above and fowls below, but he says that their wings and feathers were a punishment inflicted on them by Demeter for not rescuing Persephone from the clutches of Pluto. See Hyginus, Fab. 125, 141. Another story was that they were maidens whom Aphrodite turned into birds because they chose to remain unmarried. See Eustathius on Hom. Od. 12.47, p. 1709. It is said that they once vied with the Muses in singing, and that the Muses, being victorious, plucked off the Siren's feathers and made crowns out of them for themselves (Paus. 9.34.3). In ancient art, as in literature, the Sirens are commonly represented as women above and birds below. See Miss J. E. Harrison, Myths of the Odyssey (London, 1882), pp. 146ff. Homer says nothing as to the semi-bird shape of the Sirens, thus leaving us to infer that they were purely human."</p> <p>"2 This is not mentioned by Homer, but is affirmed by Hyginus, Fab. 125, 141). Others said that the Sirens cast themselves into the sea and were drowned from sheer vexation at the escape of Ulysses. See Scholiast on Hom. Od.xii.39; Eustathius on Hom. Od. 12.167, p. 1709; Tzetzes, Scholiast on Lycophron 712; compare Strab. 6.1.1. "</p> <p>The sirens were creatures who sang so sweetly that they attracted sailors to their death. The Sirens are a threat because they give the choice of hearing about life instead of experiencing it. Sirens were temtresses who with their sweet voices represent the distractions that keep you from your goal. The Greeks thought the Sirens were daughters of one of the Muses and were perhaps related to Hera. Odysseus brought about their destruction by listening to them while he was tied to the mast. Their fate was only to live as long as they were successful in their lure. Odysseus listened but was not lured. They ceased to exist as a result.</p> <p>The fact that they are half human and half bird suggests that they came from the goddeses of another mid-eastern land. The deites of the other countries, such as Egypt, are more commonly of this form.</p> <h2>Resources:</h2> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.eliki.com/ancient/myth/siren/">Song of the Sirens</a></li> <li><a href="http://cgfa.kelloggcreek.com/waterhou/p-waterh24.htm">John William Waterhouse</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.pantheon.org/mythica/articles/s/sirens.html">Sirens</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.endicott-studio.com/forsirn.html">Sirens and other Demon Lovers</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Sirens/sirens.html">Sirens</a></li> </ul> <h2>Pictures:</h2> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1990.01.2465"> Siren</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/Arts/departs/classical/image_myth/week_one.htm">Odysseus and Sirens.</a></li> </ul> <hr/> <p>To ask a question about this topic note the topic (Sirens) and <a href="comm.html">Click here</a></p> <hr/> <h2>Sirens and Their Impact on Greek Art and Culture</h2> <h2>Questions and Answers</h2> <p>Question: Could you please send me some info and books &amp; websites that would help me give a presentation on the Sirens? Thank you!</p> <p>Answer: This is it.</p> <p>Question: Are there any songs about the Sirens?</p> <p>Answer: Journeyman, by Stephen Thomas, Tsunami, Inc., Walla Walla, WA, 1997, 127 pages, paperback, "The Sirens' Song"</p> <p><a href="http://members.tripod.com/~NightWing/gull">When Boy meets Gull</a></p> <p><a href="http://members.nbci.com/moneybin/poems.html">The Song of the Sirens </a></p> <p>Question: i'm doing a speech on the Sirens for my english class and what i really don't understand is , whether or not the sirens father is acheloos the river god , or phorcys the sea god. also i've read that there are actually five sirens instead of three but i can't find much info on that.</p> <p>Answer: Robert E. Bell says they were the daughters of Achelous. He also lists various groupings of Sirens incluing the following names:</p> <ul> <li>Aglaopheme</li> <li>Thelxiepia</li> <li>Peisinoe</li> <li>Aglaope</li> <li>Parthenope</li> <li>Legeia</li> <li>Leucosia</li> <li>Teles</li> <li>Raidne</li> </ul> <p>As if this were not enough there are also variations on these names.</p> <p>Question: How were the Sirens born?</p> <p>Answer: They were daughters of a god and goddess.</p> <p>Question: why do the sirens lure sailors to their deaths?</p> <p>Answer: One reason given is that they want to eat them. They also may want the possessions of the sailors. They serve as a warning to men not to be distracted by lovely women.</p> <p>Question: did sirens eat human flesh? ive read that they did but im not sure</p> <p>Answer: Homer says: "To the Sirens first shalt thou come, who bewitch all men, whosoever shall come to them. Whoso draws nigh them unwittingly and hears the sound of the Sirens' voice, never doth he see wife or babes stand by him on his return, nor have they joy at his coming; but the Sirens enchant him with their clear song, sitting in the meadow, and all about is a great heap of bones of men, corrupt in death, and round the bones the skin is wasting." Homer, Odyssey, Book XII. This suggests that the sirens were not cannibals because they left the skin to rot. But others are not so sure. The fact that eating has a sexual connotation may be very relevant. The Sirens seem to be temptresses that distract men from their work so their work does not get done. The song seems to attract the men because it gives a sexy impression. The Sirens then kill the men off with sexual excess.</p> <p>Question: Which myth except for Atlantis do the Sirens appear in</p> <p>Answer: Jason, in the voyage of the Argo, and Odysseus, in the Odyssey, both had to deal with the Sirens.</p> <p>Advertisement:</p> <p>Buying links: <a href="grepar.html">Art Supplies and Original Art</a> -- <a href="grepe.html">Audio Books</a> -- <a href="grepp.html">Auto Parts and Accessories</a> -- <a href="grepeb.html">eBooks(books in digital form)</a> -- <a href="grepq.html">Traditional Books</a> -- <a href="grepb.html">Business to Business</a> -- <a href="grepcoe.html">Collectibles</a> -- <a href="grepcol.html">College and Education</a> -- <a href="grepcomh.html">Computer HW(Hardware)</a> -- <a href="grepcoms.html">Computer SW(Software)</a> -- <a href="grepcon.html">Construction and Built-in Decoration of Homes</a> -- <a href="grepce.html">Consumer Electronics</a> -- <a href="grepcos.html">Cosmetics and Fragrances</a> -- <a href="greppa.html">Costumes and Party Goods</a> -- <a href="grepev.html">Events</a> -- <a href="grepk.html">Furniture and Removable Decoration of Homes</a> -- <a href="grepg.html">Games</a> -- <a href="grepga.html">Garden and Flowers</a> -- <a href="grepj.html">Gifts</a> -- <a href="grepgr.html">Groceries, Gourmet Food, and Wine</a> -- <a href="grepha.html">Hair Care</a> -- <a href="grepl.html">Handbags and Luggage</a> -- <a href="greph.html">Health Food</a> -- <a href="grepho.html">Hotels</a> -- <a href="grepo.html">Jewelry</a> -- <a href="grepki.html">Kitchen and Dining</a> -- <a href="grepmal.html">Malls and Virtual Malls</a> -- <a href="grepme.html">Men&#39;s</a> -- <a href="grepu.html">Movies/DVD&#39;s</a> -- <a href="grepmu.html">Music</a> -- <a href="grepou.html">Outdoors</a> -- <a href="grepph.html">Photo</a> -- <a href="greppo.html">Posters, Prints and Painting Reproductions</a> -- <a href="greps.html">Shoes</a> -- <a href="grepte.html">Teens</a> -- <a href="grepto.html">Toys</a> -- <a href="grepa.html">Travel</a> -- <a href="grepw.html">Women&#39;s</a> -- <a href="grepeur.html">Geschäft in Europa</a> -- <a href="grepuk.html">United Kingdom Vendors</a> --</p> <p>If you click above and follow the links to a purchase then this site receives a commission for its support.</p> <p><img class="photo" src="logo.gif" width="200" height="150" alt="The Role of Women in the Art of Ancient Greece"/></p> <p><a href="index.html">RWAAG Home</a>, Sirens--></p> <p>updz20120130</p> </body> </html>