I. Mythology Mythical female creatures who sing seductively
Sirens are mythical beings (in Greek myth female) in ancient sailors' tales (the earliest evidence - admittedly without context - extends back to the Mycenaean period [1]). Their seductive song makes sailors forget their home (cf. Lotophagi) and perish. Instructed by Circe, Odysseus outwits the Sirens: he stops the ears of his companions with …
Cite this page
Nünlist, René (Basle) and
Bäbler, Balbina (Göttingen),
“Sirens”, in:
Brill’s New Pauly, Antiquity volumes edited by: Hubert Cancik and , Helmuth Schneider, English Edition by: Christine F. Salazar, Classical Tradition volumes edited by: Manfred Landfester, English Edition by: Francis G. Gentry.
Consulted online on 27 February 2021 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e1114170>