Greek Mythology Encyclopedia: Sirens
Family History
The family lineage of sirens varies between individual sirens. For example, one well-known siren by the name of Parthenope (Παρθενόπη) is the daughter of Achelous (the God of large bodies of water and rivers), and Terpsichore (One of the nine muses and the Goddess of chorus and dance). Her sisters include other sirenes including Ligeia and Leucosia.
What is a siren?
A siren is a mythological creature believed to lure in lonely men at sea with their beautiful voices and kill them. Some famous sirenes are Agalope, Leucosia, Ligeia, Molpe, Peisinoe, and Thelxiope.
Where did the siren myth originate?
Sirenes are referenced in many Greek mythological texts, the most popular being ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is on a journey home from the Trojan war to reunite with his loving wife, Penelope. On his voyage, Odysseus and his crew hear the siren call. Since Odysseus had previously been warned about this, he ties himself to the mast of the ship. While he is tied up, his crew cannot resist the call of the sirens and begin to fight Odysseus. Luckily, he was able to keep the men in check long enough to get past the sirens.
Where are sirens our world today?
Even to this day, sirens are alluded to in our society. The most common example is the famous Starbucks Coffee logo. The famous logo depicts a siren with a split tail. Although the modern logo shows only the ends of her tails, older versions of the logo show her whole body, including both tails. The original logo was created by Terry Heckler.
Sources: 1000logos.net, Wikipedia.com, tvtropes.org, ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer
