The ancient Greek bestiary is full of interesting creatures with special abilities. Among the female creatures, one of the most significant is the sea maiden. A siren is a demon that has the appearance of a beautiful nymph. She is known for her divine voice, characterized by charm and alluring notes.

Origin of Creatures

The god Achel and the muse Terpsichore are considered the probable parents of the half-birds-half-women. There are versions about other higher creatures that gave birth to young nymphs, but the exact information has not been preserved. Mysterious maidens lived on the rocks of a small island near Sicily.

It says that at the beginning of their existence, the sirens were nymphs who looked after the young goddess Persiphone. On one of the summer walks, the young maiden was kidnapped by Hades, who dreams of getting her as his wife. The beauties were upset by their inattention and immediately went in search of Persephone.

They could not find her either with the help of Demeter, the mother of the young goddess, or with the participation of influential representatives from the human world - they simply refused to help. Then the nymphs swore to take revenge on the human race for their inattention and moved to small island, where they began to invite negligent travelers with their bewitching voice, and then tear them apart and deprive them of blood.

Description of the image of the sirens

Sirens are portrayed as beautiful creatures with a charming voice and unusual appearance.

According to references in mythology, sea maidens had two appearances:

1. , who lost their tail and acquired wings as punishment from Demeter for the loss of Persephone.
2. Women with a bird's body, in which the nymphs were turned by Aphrodite for her unwillingness to marry.

The enticing voice of the virgin was inherited from her mother. With its help, beautiful creatures enchanted sailors and lured them into the depths of their lair. In some sources, a description of the attractive look that helped the beauties to tempt travelers has been preserved.

The first legends speak of two sea creatures, but their names have not been preserved. Later, information about three sirens appeared:

• Peisinoe, who plays the cithara;
• Aglaofa, who has a magical voice;
• flutist Telxiepia.

In other sources, the names of the nymphs change. In total, there are references to eight virgins who tempt men with an alluring voice and bewitching appearance.

The image of mythical creatures is filled with special symbols. Their extraordinary appearance speaks of the fallacy of judgments based only on appearance, and warns that malicious intentions may be hidden behind the beauty of a person. The singing of half-woman half-birds in mythology symbolizes deceit and danger. Appearance sea ​​creatures warns of animal instincts and the bitterness of beauties.

The mention of beautiful maidens in ancient legends

Greek mythology different eras interprets the essence and appearance of the sirens according to the spirit of the current time:

1. The first information about the bewitching was preserved in Homer's Odyssey. He mentioned the existence of virgins living on a desert island. Its territory was littered with the bones of their victims and the remains of ships.
2. Ancient myths described sea creatures as muses who came from another world. They were considered angels of death, mourning the dead, and carved the image of sea nymphs on stone tombstones.
3. In the Middle Ages, sirens gained unprecedented popularity. The appearance of beautiful half-birds, half-women was used in the coats of arms of noble families. They were depicted not only in the traditional form: sometimes the bodies of animals or details from the images of other creatures were added to the virgins.
4. In the classical era, bewitching creatures were mistaken for spirits that accompanied the deceased to the Kingdom of the Dead and immortalized them on monuments.

One of the old legends refutes the incomparable beauty of the voice of the sirens. It speaks of a competition between nymphs and muses. The sea maidens then lost, and the insidious muses took off their plumage and wove wreaths from it, which they carried with them until the end of their days in memory of the victory.

The death of the fairy maidens

Sirens were predicted to die instantly if one of the sailors could suppress the temptation and sail past the lair of beautiful maidens. Not a single traveler was able to resist the magical attraction of the beauties until Odysseus sailed near the island. Circe warned him about the strange nymphs, and Odysseus was able to find a way out. He covered the ears of the whole team with wax, and ordered himself to be tied in order to hear the magic call and understand the essence of the magic of half-woman, half-bird.

The ship was able to sail past the lair of wondrous creatures. Then the sirens drowned themselves, jumping off a cliff, and turned into the cliffs that have surrounded the island for many centuries.

The story of the death of beauties refutes the opinion of the Virgin did not want death and were forced to lure every sailor to their island, avoiding the punishment of prophecy.

Impact on the modern world

The current culture does not forget about mythical creatures; references to them can be found in TV shows, books, and computer games.

An alarm is called a siren in memory of the main symbolic meaning of the voice of the nymphs - a warning of danger.

Half-woman half-birds have not been forgotten by astronomers either. A small asteroid is named after them. Another bears the name of the most beautiful nymph - Parthenope.

Screenwriters and writers love sirens, and in many works they add fantasy maidens to the image. The Witcher series showed magical creatures in their true form, but there are much more serial beauties than in the giveaways. Siren named the heroine of the film "Pirates Caribbean Sea"- a mermaid who has been tested and was able to truly love a man. In 2018, the Sirens series was released, filmed in the fantasy genre, which convinces viewers of the existence of sea maidens in the real world and talks about their wars and life.

Conclusion

Legends and myths about bird women have passed through the centuries and continue to influence culture and life. Their image combines many symbols that warn of hidden danger and vindictiveness of bewitching beauties. The story of their death changes the concept of the nature of the virgins - they followed the prophecy and had no other choice.

Tananova Ekaterina

Sirens

Summary of the myth

Siren figure. Bronze. 8.1 cm. Etruscans, 5th c. BC.

Sirens are mythical female creatures, bird women or mermaids. They were the product of one of the sea gods - either Phorkis, or Achelous - and one of the muses, most likely Terpsichore. Sirens lived on one of the lifeless islets of Anfemoesse near Sicily.

According to legend, the sirens were originally nymphs surrounded by the young goddess Persephone. Once, when Persephone was walking in a meadow near Enna by Lake Perg, the god underworld, Hades, kidnapped her to make his wife. The poor nymphs could not forgive themselves for not following their beautiful goddess. No one could tell them where Persephone had disappeared, so they decided to go in search of her on their own. Not finding the young goddess on land, they went to Persephone's mother, Demeter, for help. The desperate mother turned the nymphs into half birds and half fish so that they could search for Persephone in the air and water kingdom. But that didn't help either. When the sirens turned to ordinary people for help, the mortals refused to help them. In despair, the Sirens moved to a deserted island and began to take revenge on the entire human race: the fish-maidens dragged the sailors into the abyss of the sea with their singing. The winged maidens sucked the blood of those who stopped to listen to them.

It was predicted to the Sirens that they would die when one of the travelers passed by their island without succumbing to temptation. When Odysseus sailed on his ship past the island of Anthemoess, he heeded the warning of Circe and ordered everyone on the ship to seal their ears with wax, and tie him to the mast. Only thanks to this trick, the ship of Odysseus remained intact, and the sirens rushed into the sea and turned into cliffs.

Images and symbols of myth

Waterhouse John William
Siren, 1900

Siren's image ancient Greek mythology is an alluring but destructive beauty. Sirens are accompanied by numerous symbolism, which makes the image complete. I would like to highlight the main symbols in the myth of the sirens.

Bird and fish bodies symbolize that part of the nature of the sirens, which is animal and embittered.

The beauty of the sirens shows us how deceiving appearances can be. Often, behind a beautiful, pleasant face, bad thoughts and intentions are hidden.

Odysseus and the Sirens. Drawing from an antique vase

The singing of the sirens attracts men and makes them go to certain death. The singing of the sirens symbolizes danger and danger. Not in vain in modern world A siren is a signal used to warn of something.

Sirens are almost always found at sea. Perhaps this is due to the fact that water spaces travelers become defenseless and more easily succumbed to the sirens' charms.

Communicative means of creating images and symbols

Herbert Draper. Odysseus and the Sirens. 1909

The first surviving mention of the sirens is in Homer's Odyssey. According to him, they live between the land of Circe and Scylla on the rocks of the island, littered with the bones and dried skin of their victims. They killed many people whose bones turn white in the meadow. With enchanting songs, sirens lure travelers passing by, who, forgetting about everything in the world, swim up to magical island and perish with the ships.

In ancient times, sirens were perceived in the same way as the muses of another world. They were often carved on stone tombstones in the form of death angels singing funeral songs to the sound of a lyre.

Siren sculpture
Gold. 3x4 cm
End of the 4th century BC

In the Middle Ages, sirens were also very popular as symbols; they were widely used in the coats of arms of noble families. They were depicted not only with bird features and a fish tail, but even with the body of a four-legged animal.

Fountain "Siren" F. F. Shchedrin
1805. Petrodvorets

Paintings and sculptures from the Preclassic and Classical eras also depict sirens with bird bodies, and are rather difficult to distinguish from harpies. Sirens were often depicted on ancient classical tombstones and could symbolize the souls of the dead or the spirits that accompany the soul to the god of the underworld, Hades (Hades).

American researcher John Pollard points out that works of art that have come down to us testify to the connection of sirens with a number of associations and symbols preserved in literature, not counting the images of sirens on tombstones and those that met Odysseus and his companions. Sirens are depicted next to Theseus, Artemis, Hero, Athena, Dionysus; although most sirens are female, some, especially of earlier eras, have beards. They not only portend death or lead to death, but also deliver unearthly pleasure with their singing and symbolize animal strength.

The social significance of the myth

Edward Boutibonne. Sirens. 1883

In Greek mythology, sirens are female demons. Sirens represent a deceptive but charming sea surface, under which sharp cliffs or shoals are hidden. The siren is a symbol of deceit, seduction, the disastrous temptation of the material world, tempting the spirit on its way to the goal.

Frederic Leighton
The fisherman and the siren
1858

In general, the image of the sirens actualizes the motif of fatal female beauty, characteristic of Greek culture at a certain stage (during the transition from matriarchy to patriarchy). Sirens are associated with destruction and death.

Also, recalling the sirens, the ancient Greeks often talked about their double-mindedness and saw this as a great danger, because you never know how they will behave: like a beautiful girl or like an animal.

However, not only negative associations are associated with sirens. The image of the sirens can be endowed with positive connotations (in the context of interpreting music and singing as symbols of the universe). In Plato, for example, the sirens are located on the eight spheres of the cosmic spindle of the goddess Ananke, creating the harmony of the world with their sweet-sounding singing.

The Complete Encyclopedia of Mythological Creatures. History. Origin. The magical properties of Conway Dinn

Sirens

Despite the fact that in Greek mythology the sirens were associated with the ocean and water, they were originally birds with human features. Their name comes from a Greek root word meaning "to bind or bind". In Latin, this word came as sirena, and in French it was transformed into sereine; therefore these sea-nymph-bird-women were sometimes called seirens. Their temple was in Sorrento.

Various sources claim that there were two, three, four and even eight sirens. These bird-like sea nymphs had a bird-like body the size of a human, as well as the heads, arms, and breasts of women. With their beautiful, seductive voices, they drew the sailors to their death on the huge coastal cliffs. Their favorite musical instrument was the lyre or double flute. Sitting on the cliffs, the sirens sang love songs, and anyone who heard them sing was instantly captivated by them. He jumped overboard and drowned. Sirens, like the Minotaur, loved human meat.

There are many conflicting stories about the origin of the sirens. According to one of them, they were once sea nymphs, daughters of the river god Achelous and the nymph Calliope. Ceres turned them into half-bird, half-woman. In addition, perhaps they have something to do with Persephone, the ruler of the underworld.

Most often they were given the names of Aglaophon (with a brilliant voice), Felksepeya (bewitching with words), Peisinoe (persuading) and Molpa (song). Other authors also add the names Parthenope, Ligeia and Leukosia.

The myth tells that the vanity and pride of the Sirens because of their voices and musical talents were so great that they once challenged the Muses to a musical contest.

The Muses won and punished the Sirens by plucking all the feathers from their wings. Ashamed of their appearance, these half-birds, half-women left the springs and valleys where they lived and hid among the steep coastal cliffs. southern Italy. They settled at Cape Pelorus, Capri, the island of Antemusa and the Sirenusian Islands.

When Ulysses had to sail past the islands where the sirens lived, he covered the ears of his crew members with wax, and then ordered them to tie him to the mast. So the Greek hero could hear the song of the sirens, but he could not jump overboard and swim towards them.

Greek myths tell of only one more hero who managed to escape the spell of the sirens - this is Jason the Argonaut. On the ship of Jason and the Argonauts was Orpheus, a skilled musician who played the harp. When the Argonauts' ship reached the island of the Sirens, Orpheus began to play his harp and sing, and all but one of the Argonauts were able to resist the temptation of these sea nymphs. Only Butoh jumped overboard, but Aphrodite saved him.

According to an ancient prophecy, when the sirens fail to lure the sailors to their death, they will turn into huge cliffs. When they failed to attract Argo's sailors, the Sirens jumped into the ocean and became dangerous pitfalls. Tradition says that the body of one of them, Parthenope, was washed ashore in the place where Naples was later built.

A lot of information about sirens is contained in the works of Aristotle, Pliny, Ovid and Hyginus, as well as in the Physiologus (approximately the 2nd century AD) and medieval bestiaries.

Perhaps the sirens lived not only in Greece. Columbus, during one of his travels, recorded that he and his people saw sirens.

Psychological characteristics: The temptation to spend too much time delving into paranormal and spiritual matters, leading to an imbalance in a person's personal life.

magical properties: singing; love spell.

Sirens

From the book Encyclopedic Dictionary (C) author Brockhaus F. A.

Sirens Sirens (SeirhneV, Sirenes) - in Greek mythology, sea muses, personifying a deceptive, but charming sea surface, under which sharp cliffs or shallows are hidden. The first mention of S. are in the Odyssey. They live in the west, on an island between the earth

From the book Exotic Zoology author Nepomniachtchi Nikolai Nikolaevich

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When and why did the sweet-voiced sirens commit suicide? Sirens - half birds - half women - had a divine voice. They lived on a rocky island and lured travelers with their singing, whom they ate. Responsibility for the suicide of the sirens alone lay on

From the book The Complete Encyclopedia of Mythological Creatures. History. Origin. magical properties by Conway Deanna

From the author's book

Sirens Sirens personify both danger and irresistible charm. Legends say that at night these beautiful creatures call on sailors to return to the sea. Unfortunately, the term "siren" is of little use for the unfortunate creatures that medicine

From the author's book

From the author's book

Sirens Despite the fact that in Greek mythology the sirens were associated with the ocean and water, they were originally birds with human features. Their name comes from a Greek root word meaning "to bind or bind". In Latin, this word came as sirena,

In ancient times, everything dangerous and incomprehensible was perceived as something magical and divine. So, the sea surface attracted sailors with its beauty. She frightened them with sharp cliffs and shoals that hid under her. This is how myths appeared, the main characters of which were sirens. In Greek mythology, these sea creatures received a divine voice from their mother, and a wild temper from their father.

Character characteristics

Sirens are considered the most popular characters in ancient Greek legends. Mythology, which has come down to us, describes them in the form of birds that have the likeness of women. Sometimes they are represented as a mixture of fish and women.

It is believed that they were hetaerae. They differed from each other in that they played different musical instruments. They all had sweet voices. The characters were often compared to harpies. Sometimes they were perceived as muses from underworld. Therefore, their images were found on tombstones.

According to one legend, they were companions of Persephone, who was considered the goddess of fertility. In addition, she ruled the realm of the dead, after she was kidnapped by Hades. The gods turned the maidens into half-birds so that they would look for Persephone. According to another version, the girls themselves turned into birds, mourning Persephone, who was taken to the kingdom of the dead.

Who created these half-women?

Pedigree of singing creatures

Ancient Greek authors had different attitudes about who is considered the father of the siren. The mythology of Sophocles, who lived in the fifth century BC, calls the father of the sea deity Phorkis. There were other versions on this score.

Possible parents of sirens:

• father - the river god Aheloy, mother - the muse of Melpomene or Terpsichore;
• mother - Steropa;
• mother - Gaia, father - Pontus;
• Keto.

Character ideas

Sirens in ancient Greek mythology appeared a long time ago. The first mention of them came to us from Homer's Odyssey. According to the time frame, this is the eighth century BC. The work describes two sirens who, with the help of their charming songs, lured travelers to them. Their listeners swam to the island and perished there along with the ships. Nobody has seen these creatures.

Modern researchers believe that the sailors heard all these enchanting sounds from the caves, which in Greek seas enough. Maybe that's why no one saw the singing creatures. But back to mythology.

What did the sirens look like?

The mythology of the post-Homer era presents them as maidens with bird wings, a body and clawed paws. There is an option in the form of virgins with a fish tail.

According to the works of Apollodorus, one can judge the sirens as incredibly beautiful virgins with a charming voice that they inherited from their mother muse. One of the three sisters played the cithara, the other played the flute, and the third sang. The travelers, lulled by the music, were torn to pieces by the sirens and eaten. Such a wild disposition they had from Father Phorkis.

In the work of Apollonius of Rhodes, there are many sirens. How many sirens are described in mythology?

List of mythical creatures

Throughout the history of the development of ancient Greek culture, several variants of mythical maidens have been described.

Sirens in Greek mythology:

• Aglaopa - her name means one with a "sparkling voice". It is considered the daughter of Achelous with Melpomene.
• Pisinoe is the creation of Achelous and Melpomene.
• Levkosia - there was an island named after her, it is located at Cape Sirenuss. According to legend, her body was washed ashore near Posidonia.
• Molpa - has the nickname "Dance". It is considered the daughter of Aheloy with Melpomene.
• Ligeia - the body of the maiden was thrown off the coast near Terina.
• Parthenope - the grave of this siren was shown in Naples.
• Felxiopa - the name means "delightful look." It is also a creation of Achelous and Melpomene.

habitats

There is a legend according to which the sirens (the mythology of Attica) decided to compete with the muses in singing. Gera advised to hold the competition. As a result, the Muses won, who plucked the sirens, and made wreaths from their feathers. Since then, such decoration has become the headdress of the muses.

The characters competed near the city of Apter, which was located on the island of Crete. The main Olympic god singled out the island of Anfemoessu for the mythical maidens.

Character locations:

• Sicilian Cape Pelor;
• Sirenusian Islands;
• Cape Pelorias;
• Caprea;
• Sirenuss.

Using an Image

Sirens have been written about since ancient times. There are separate works about mythical maidens, for example, Nicophon's comedy Sirens. The characters are also mentioned in the works of Homer and Apollonius of Rhodes.

At all times, sea maidens were depicted in paintings. We can note such artists as Armitage, Waterhouse, Draper, Krupinski, Korolkov and others.

In medieval heraldry, these characters are used as shield holders.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, an asteroid was discovered, which was named (1009) Siren.

Ancient man "inhabited" the world not only with immortal gods who decided destinies, but also with fantastic creatures. Some of them treated people well, helped them, while others, on the contrary, were fraught with danger. Sirens were such creatures that could harm a person. Mythology endowed them with a beautiful voice, amazing appearance and cruel disposition. And the sailors passing by became their victims.

Historical information

Today, the siren is considered mythical, that is, a fictional character. Previously, people believed in their existence. The ancient Hellenes described them as female birds, but already in the fifth century, a certain author claimed that these creatures were women up to the waist, and birds below the navel. In the sixteenth century, sirens were considered half-human, half-fish. Albert the Great claimed that their faces were ugly, but their voice was amazing. It was the last image of the creatures that became the most popular, so a whole detachment of mammals living in the sea was named after them. But there was another image that took root in the world for a short time: the de-fish-bird.

Myths of the ancient Greeks

So, we figured out what the sirens look like. Mythology considered them to be creatures with the head of a woman and the body of a bird. They were the daughters of the river god Achelous and one of the muses (either Melpomene, or Terpsichore). Their father rewarded them with a cool temper, and their mother with an amazing voice.

But in the beginning all the sirens were human. Mythology tells that they were beautiful girls who angered the gods, for which they lost their beautiful appearance. According to one legend, they were punished by Aphrodite for arrogance and pride, according to another, the Muses did this because the sirens called them to a singing competition.

It is also likely that these marvelous creatures were previously nymphs in the retinue of Persephone. When she married the god of the underworld and followed him to Hades, Demeter (mother of Persephone) turned the girls into birds. Or maybe they themselves wanted to turn in order to find their mistress, because initially Hades stole the young goddess. People refused to help them, so in desperation they retired to the island and began to take revenge.

Revenge of the Sirens

Sirens subtly took revenge on people. Mythology claims that the creatures lured the sailors with their voices, and when they approached, their ships crashed on the reefs. No one could resist, so they went to certain death. The whole island was littered with human bones, and the sirens continued to sing, luring new victims.

Not a single ship could slip past the island and remain unscathed. who managed to escape the evil fate were the Argonauts. The sweet song of the sirens was drowned out by the singing of a man. This is the legendary Orpheus, playing his kithara, sang his song. Odysseus was the second to sail past the ill-fated island. The existence of these dangerous maidens was known to the king of Ithaca, since his father Laertes was on board the Argo when it was bound for Colchis.

Odysseus wanted to hear the Sirens' song, but he had no right to endanger his ship. Then he took advantage of a trick: he covered the ears of his friends with wax, and ordered himself to be tightly tied to the mast. The comrades did not succumb to the requests of Odysseus to untie him - they did not hear either the king or the singing. The sirens themselves, seeing that their spell no longer affects people, rushed into the sea and became rocks.

Impact on culture

The reader already knows what the siren looked like and what it did. also spoke about the death of these wondrous creatures. In the future, people began to consider the sirens as muses, angels of death, singing mournful songs. It was fashionable to depict them on the coats of arms of the nobility, endowing them with new features. And today it is a beautiful image, which is often used by the authors of the fantasy genre.