Siren_Mammen

Sirens
 * By Vineetha Mammen **

The Sirens were a group of sisters made by the river god, Achelous. They were made to be playmates for the goddess Persephone. When Persephone was abducted by Hades, the god of the underworld, the Sirens did not try to save her. So Demeter punished the Sirens by giving them bodies of birds and placing them on an island in the ocean. They sit on the island and sing seductive songs to lure sailors towards them. Any being that reaches the Sirens' island is put to death.
 * __ Origin __**

The Sirens were first depicted as women with bird bodies. Later on they were portrayed as nude women, usually holding a harp. Eventually they were illustrated as mermaids.
 * __ Appearance __**

**__Myths__**

One myth about the Sirens is from The Odyssey. Odysseus, the captain of his ship, told his sailors to tie him up to a pole to resist the songs from the Sirens. He also ordered his sailors to put beeswax in their ears to resist the temptation to go towards the Sirens. Odysseus’s plan was successful and they got past the Sirens.

Another myth about the Sirens is about Jason and the Argonauts. Jason brought along Orpheus, a musician, to play beautiful music to drown out the Sirens' music from the island. Jason's plan was successful, so they got past the Sirens.


 * __ Importance __**

The Sirens represent the evil nature of women. The Sirens portray women as deceitful people who use their beauty to lure men.

__** Modern References **__

“O Brother, Where Art Thou?” is a movie based on The Odyssey. This movie is set in the Deep South. There is a scene depicting the Sirens in this movie. media type="youtube" key="ODlmEjZ8UFA?version=3" height="360" width="640"

Bibliography [] [] [|www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Siren#Origin] [] []