In Greek mythology, sirens (Ancient Greek: singular: Σειρήν, Seirḗn; plural: Σειρῆνες, Seirênes) are humanlike beings with alluring voices; they appear in a scene in the Odyssey in which Odysseus saves his crew's lives. Roman poets place them on some small islands called Sirenum scopuli. In some later, rationalized traditions, the literal geography of the "flowery" island of Anthemoessa, or Anthemusa, is fixed: sometimes on Cape Pelorum and at others in the islands known as the Sirenuse, near Paestum, or in Capreae. All such locations were surrounded by cliffs and rocks. Sirens continued to be used as a symbol for the dangerous temptation embodied by women regularly throughout Christian art of the medieval era.
The earliest source to acknowledge the Sirens—Homer’s Odyssey—gives no description of them. Presumably, Homer would have mentioned if they had an unusual appearance; thus, it is possible that Homer’s Sirens just looked like ordinary human women. Almost all later traditions, however, represented the Sirens as half-human and half-bird, similar to the Harpies. The Sirens had the head (and often torso) of a beautiful woman, but the wings and lower body of a bird. A much later source, produced around the seventh or eighth century CE, described the Sirens as having the upper bodies of human women but the lower bodies of fish.[35] This is the origin of the mermaid Sirens that are sometimes found in more contemporary art and pop culture. But the Sirens’ most important attribute was, of course, their enchanting voices, which they used to lure sailors to their deaths: Whoso in ignorance draws near to them and hears the Sirens' voice, he nevermore returns, that his wife and little children may stand at his side rejoicing, but the Sirens beguile him with their clear-toned song, as they sit in a meadow, and about them is a great heap of bones of mouldering men, and round the bones the skin is shrivelling. One late source, the mythographer Apollodorus, noted that only one of the Sirens sang, while the other two provided instrumental accompaniment: one played the lyre, while the other played the flute. The Sirens also had the power to calm the winds. The Sirens can be found in ancient art from as early as the seventh century BCE. They were generally depicted as part-bird and part-woman, though they were sometimes shown as male or even bearded. Originally, the Sirens were most commonly represented as birds with human heads. But by the middle of the sixth century BCE, they were almost always shown with the head, torso, and arms of beautiful women and the wings and lower bodies of birds. In their newly-grown arms, they sometimes held instruments, fans, or pomegranates. The iconography of the Sirens suggests that these creatures were somehow associated with death and the Underworld. This view is reinforced by the fact that they often showed up on funerary monuments and sarcophagi. Other times they could be seen in the company of Underworld gods such as Persephone or Hades.
The Sirens were known in ancient Greece from as early as the Mycenaean period (ca. 1600–1050 BCE). However, little else is known about their origins. It is likely that they were first popularized by the outlandish tales told by sailors. The ancient Greeks themselves had several different stories about where the Sirens came from. In one tradition, the Sirens were originally beautiful handmaidens of Persephone. When Persephone was carried off by Hades, they searched far and wide for their mistress. Eventually, they were transformed into birdlike creatures, either because they begged the gods to give them wings to better search for Persephone, or, in another version, as punishment for their failure to protect her in the first place. In another tradition, the Sirens were originally maidens who chose to live out their lives as virgins. This offended Aphrodite, the goddess of love and sex, who changed them into part-bird creatures who lured sailors to their death through song. Zeus eventually gave the Sirens a new home on the island of Anthemoessa. In one myth, the Argonauts had to sail past the Sirens after stealing the Golden Fleece from Colchis. Fortunately, the men had with them no less a musician than the great Orpheus. As the Argonauts drew near the Sirens’ lair, Orpheus tuned his lyre and drowned out the song of the Sirens with music of his own. Only one of the Argonauts, the hero Butes, was lost to the Sirens: he leapt into the sea and swam towards the creatures’ voices. But he was saved, it was said, by Aphrodite, who carried him off to Sicily and became his lover. The Sirens would later meet Odysseus, perhaps the most famous adventurer of Greek mythology. On his way home from fighting at Troy, Odysseus had to sail past the Sirens, much as the Argonauts had done on their way home from Colchis. Since Odysseus did not have an Orpheus among his crew, however, he needed to find a way to outsmart the seductresses. Odysseus’ solution was simple. Following instructions given him by the sorceress Circe, Odysseus blocked the ears of his crew with wax. But he was curious to hear the song of the Sirens for himself. Thus, he had his men bind him tightly to the mast, with orders not to release him no matter how much he thrashed. As they sailed past the Sirens, Odysseus listened to their song: Come hither, as thou farest, renowned Odysseus, great glory of the Achaeans; stay thy ship that thou mayest listen to the voice of us two. For never yet has any man rowed past this isle in his black ship until he has heard the sweet voice from our lips. Nay, he has joy of it, and goes his way a wiser man. For we know all the toils that in wide Troy the Argives and Trojans endured through the will of the gods, and we know all things that come to pass upon the fruitful earth. Though Odysseus longed for the Sirens, he was held fast by his bonds. In this way, he was able to listen to their song and still sail away safe and sound. There were a few other myths told about the Sirens. Some traditions described the various victims who succumbed to the Sirens. It was said, for instance, that the Sirens were responsible for the deaths of several centaurs who were fleeing from a battle against Heracles. One account also claimed that the Sirens killed Telemachus when they discovered that he was the son of Odysseus, the man who had outsmarted them. There was another myth in which the Sirens challenged the Muses to a singing contest. The Muses won—and promptly plucked out the Sirens’ feathers to make crowns for themselves.