The Sirens: Tragic Figures of Feminine Seduction

Chthonia

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This week's episode looks at the Sirens, bird-monsters with female heads (later represented as mermaids) whose song leads sailors to shipwreck and starvation. They are usually considered to be children of the Muses (Terpsichore or Melpomene), and the handmaidens of Persephone, who are either given bird wings to help in Demeter's search or to punish them for neglect at her abduction. Our modern use of the term "Siren" usually indicates a woman who leads a married man astray. What do we understand about the psychology of love and seduction from the stories of the Sirens?