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Apr 18, 2024 · Finish the semester strong with Britannica. Siren, in Greek mythology, a creature half bird and half woman who lures sailors to destruction by the sweetness of her song. In Homer’s Odyssey, the Greek hero Odysseus escapes the danger of the Sirens’ song by stopping the ears of his crew with wax and having himself tied to the mast.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Attic funerary statue of a siren, playing on a tortoiseshell lyre, c.370 BC. 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. [1]
Mar 22, 2021 · In Greek mythology, the Sirens were human-bird hybrid monsters. They lived on an isolated island and used their beautiful singing to lure ships and sailors to death. Two of ancient Greece’s most well-known stories featured encounters with the Sirens. READ NEXT: Circe: The Famous Sorceress of Greek Legend.
- Origins & Attributes of Sirens
- Odysseus & The Sirens
- How Are Sirens Represented in Art?
The Sirens were hybrid creatures with the body of a bird and the head of a woman, sometimes also with human arms. One tradition states their origin as companions of Persephone and, failing to prevent her rape, they were transformed into Sirens as punishment. Historically, the creature is of Eastern origin and came to Greece during the orientalizing...
One of their most famous stories is the Sirens' attempt to lure Odysseus and his crew as they passed on their home voyage to Ithaca following the Trojan War. The great Greek hero was already renowned for his quick wits and planning and he proved to be a much more difficult catch than the Sirens' usual victims. Advised by Circe, the hero had himself...
Their cult was especially prevalent at Neapolis (Naples), Sicily, and southern Italy in general. In Greek art they are most often represented with the body of a bird and a woman's head, typically clutching a lyre and most often seen in a musical context, scenes with Dionysos, or atop funerary monuments. They were also a common decorative feature of...
- Mark Cartwright
Jul 15, 2020 · Sirens in Greek artwork and mythology were a hybrid creature, having attributes of both a bird and a beautiful woman. The earliest images of the Sirens in art showed the bodies of either songbirds or gulls with the head of a young woman. Later depictions made the Sirens more obviously female.
Learn about the Sirens, half-bird, half-woman creatures who sang beautifully to lure sailors to their deaths. Discover their origin, appearance, stories and variations in Homer's Odyssey, Argonautica and other sources.
Nov 30, 2023 · In Greek mythology, the Sirens were dangerous creatures, often portrayed as part-woman and part-bird. They were known for their enchanting and irresistible singing voices that lured sailors to their doom. The most well-known story featuring the Sirens is found in Homer’s epic poem, the “Odyssey.”. The theme of the Sirens has persisted in ...
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