by Christina Pomoni

Created on: September 12, 2008

The Sirens were feminine deities associated to water, love and death. In the Greek Mythology, they were referred to as sea demons and they were portrayed with a female head and a body of predatory bird. Sirens were extremely beautiful and seductive and they were singing beautiful melodies aiming to distract the sailors of the boats that were approaching to their island and attack them.

Sirens are said to be the eight daughters of the river god Acheloos and the Muse Melpomeni or Terpsichore or Steropis. Another version says that they were daughters of the sea god Forky and their mother was Chthon (in Ancient Greek, Chthon means Earth). Sirens were Aglaopi (brilliant in the looks), Thelxiepeia (enchanting in speech), Parthenopi (virgin), Lefkosia (white substance), Ligeia (clear voice), Molpi (melodic voice), Thelxinoi (beautiful mind), and Thelxiopi (enchanting looks). Their names are most likely related to Sirius.

According to the myth, the Sirens were aquatic nymphs (Naiads), escorts of Persephone. When Persephone was abducted by Hades, the king of the under world, her mother Demeter, the goddess of harvest and fertility, transformed the Sirens into half-woman, half-bird creatures in order to help her finding her daughter. When Persephone was found, the Sirens resorted to an island from where, with their beautiful song, they were attracting the sailors of the boats that were approaching in their region and were constantly causing their destruction.

The Sirens are mentioned for the first time in Homer's Odyssey, as living in the Anthemoessa island of Tyrrhenian Sea, at Messina between Sicily and Calabria. Odysseus had been informed by Kirki for the Siren's enchanting song with which they trapped the nave travellers, making them to forget their destination. Odysseus ordered all his sailors to put wax in their ears so that they don't hear the song of the Sirens, while he asked to be tied up on the boat so that he couldn't be carried away be the Sirens' song.

Before Odysseus only Argonauts had managed to pass from their region, without being attacked, because Chiron had warned Jason to take Orpheus with him to the trip. Orpheus's song exceeded the charm of the Sirens and Argonauts managed to slip through without casualties. The island of Sirens is not precisely identified. Although many regions have been proposed, in majority, the various scholars and researchers believe that it was in the beach of Campania near Neapolis.

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