{"id":1342,"date":"2015-06-26T19:56:57","date_gmt":"2015-06-27T02:56:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/?p=1342"},"modified":"2021-03-19T07:34:11","modified_gmt":"2021-03-19T14:34:11","slug":"sirens-a-mythological-tale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/blog\/2015\/06\/26\/sirens-a-mythological-tale\/","title":{"rendered":"Sirens, a Mythological Tale"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/cover-pic-sirens.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4696\" src=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/cover-pic-sirens.jpg\" alt=\"cover pic sirens\" width=\"510\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/cover-pic-sirens.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/cover-pic-sirens-300x194.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 510px) 100vw, 510px\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-6-sirens.gif\">\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">We all know and love Houck\u2019s twist on Indian mythology in her Tiger\u2019s Curse series. Just WAIT till you read her new Egyptian book REAWAKENED! I’ve read her book and I’m still geeking out over how AWESOME it is! \u00a0I love the way\u00a0Colleen intricately weaves the mythological creatures and history into her stories and it is what attracted me to the books and sets her apart as one of my favorite authors. I feel like I\u2019m truly escaping with every turn of the page, fully enraptured by the thrill of Kelsey\u2019s adventures. It’s been awhile since I’ve devoted a blog to mythological creatures\/places but I’m sure you’ve enjoyed reading all about Colleen’s new REAWAKENED book soon to be released! So, back to the subject of mythology. I\u2019ve already shared some history on dragons, the Kappa, the Phoenix, and El Naddaha (female sea nymph-like genie),\u00a0to name a few,\u00a0in some of my earlier blog posts. Today, I’m featuring the Siren!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">So sit back, take a deep breath, and prepare yourself as you step aboard Captain Odysseus\u2019 ship heading out to sea.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><em><strong>Friends best beware, for it be here where ye be enterin\u2019 the world of Sirens!<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">An Introduction<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">According to Greek Mythology, the Sirens were three, Pisinoe, Aglaope, and Thelxiepi (although various versions have different names), all daughters of the river god, Achelous. They were dangerous, they were beautiful and they were very musical. Legend has it they were companions of the young Persephone when one day she was captured by Hades, the god of the underworld. For more fairy tales stories visit us <span data-sheets-value=\"{"1":2,"2":"rothwelldouglas"}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{"2":268476,"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"14":{"1":2,"2":3700253},"15":"Arial","21":1}\" data-sheets-hyperlink=\"http:\/\/rothwelldouglas.com\/\" data-sheets-hyperlinkruns=\"[null,0,"http:\/\/rothwelldouglas.com\/"]\"><a class=\"in-cell-link\" href=\"http:\/\/rothwelldouglas.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rothwelldouglas<\/a><\/span> .Her mother, Demeter, the goddess of fertility and harvest, gave the sirens wings to search for her. When they failed, she cursed them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-1-sirens.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-4697\" src=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-1-sirens-1024x506.jpg\" alt=\"pic 1 sirens\" width=\"640\" height=\"316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-1-sirens-1024x506.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-1-sirens-300x148.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-1-sirens.jpg 1296w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-2-sirens.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4698\" src=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-2-sirens.jpg\" alt=\"pic 2 sirens\" width=\"261\" height=\"394\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-2-sirens.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-2-sirens-199x300.jpg 199w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 261px) 100vw, 261px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">They have been described as half human half bird. In early depictions, they have the body of a bird and a head of a human. However in later versions, different parts were human such as torso and chest. The more modern versions describe sirens as having a mostly human form that is quite seductive.\u00a0 It has been said that the sirens competed with the Muses in a singing contest and lost. The Muses plucked all the siren’s feathers and made a crown out of them.\u00a0 As a result, they were unable to fly and turned half of their body into a fish tail. Another version explains the loss of feathers by choice. They would shed their feathers and change their form to half fish to be more mermaid like and be more attractive to men.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-3-sirens.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4699\" src=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-3-sirens-920x1024.jpg\" alt=\"pic 3 sirens\" width=\"314\" height=\"349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-3-sirens-920x1024.jpg 920w, https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-3-sirens-270x300.jpg 270w, https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-3-sirens.jpg 1353w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 314px) 100vw, 314px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-4-sirens.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4700\" src=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-4-sirens.jpg\" alt=\"pic 4 sirens\" width=\"289\" height=\"412\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">They have been called the Muses of the lower world. Sirens are commonly portrayed as seducers of the water, luring mariners by their sweet melodies to treacherous rocky waters. Some say the men fall captive to the sirens, even to their death just to be closer.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">So the story goes<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The most famous telling of the sirens is Odysseus and his voyage across the seas. The story goes that Odysseus had heard of the enchanting melodies sung on the sea air and he was desirous to hear of this for himself. He ordered his crew to tie him to the mast and for his crew to plug their ears with bees wax. Then he warned them not to release him no matter what his request. So, as they neared the sirens, he heard their sweet melody, and just as he was warned, he begged to be untied. The crew, having their ears plugged, could not hear and were not affected. They did not untie him and waited\u00a0 until they were a great distance away from the sirens and they could no longer be heard. They say that if a person were to escape the sirens after\u00a0 hearing their song, they were fated to die.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-6-sirens.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4701\" src=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-6-sirens.gif\" alt=\"pic 6 sirens\" width=\"465\" height=\"248\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Powers<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Sirens have also been described as “sea-sirens”, whose beauty reflected the wondrous treasures and power of the sea itself. They could enchant with their music and control the minds of men. They are immortal but cursed.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Folk Tale<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">There is a poem written by William Gilmore Simms, called Siren of the French Broad, written in 1845. Here is retelling of it, (found at northcarolinaghosts.com)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">“As twilight descends into night, the young man doesn’t go inside of his tent, but still sits by the side of the river, staring into the deep waters of the pool. As night comes into its own, the young man hears the sweet singing once again, more indescribably beautiful than any voice he has ever heard. And as the voice grows louder it seems to be coming from the pool of dark water by his feet. And as he looks into the pool, he seems to see the form of a beautiful dark-haired woman rising out of the water towards him. She is naked and more perfect than he could have imagined, the smooth curves of her body seeming to repeat the slow, smooth curves of the river. And he knows that she is singing to him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Unable to resist, the young man reaches into the water to touch the woman, but as her hand wraps around his it is not warm flesh that he feels, but cold, rough and slimy scales and claws that dig painfully into his arm before he can pull away.Before he even has a chance to scream, the cold grip pulls him into the dark water and he disappears below the surface and to his doom, another young life lost to the Siren of the French Broad.”<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Below is a section of the original poem by Simms,<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\">“The murmur thus rose in his secret soul<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> As beside the stream\u00a0 he lay,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> And watch’d its billows, that, bounding<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> With the rocks kept fearful play.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\">But soon ‘midst the din a song rose,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> The fainting heart to cheer,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> A song as sweet as the evening bird,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> Still sings in the flowret’s ear.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\">He look’d, and lo! in the foaming wave,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> That plays with the rocks below,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> A maiden glides without stretching arms<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> And a bosom white as snow.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\">A glimpse he sees, a sudden gleam,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> From an eye that shone as bright,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> As the single star that at midnight streams,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> Alone from the mountain height.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\">Dark as the night her tresses float,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> Outflung by her bouyant arms,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> And, spread o’er her bosom, now half conceal,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> Now half betray her charms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\">And sung she then, with a pleading voice:<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> “Thou faint’st with the noonday heat<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> Thy brow is sad, thine eyelids droop,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> And sore with toil thy feet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\">Then come to me, -in a sweet embrace,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> I’ll soothe thy heart to rest,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> While thy burning cheek, as the wave flows by,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> Is pillow’d on my breast.”<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\">The syren thus-“oh! come to me!”<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> And, won by her maiden charms,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> He sought the wave, but shudd’ring rushed,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> From the clutch of her death-cold arms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\">To the shore he fled, but alas! too late,-<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> And this his dying sense could hear,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> The cruel notes of that syren song<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> That late had won his ear.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\">A plaintive strain of love no more,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> It rose with a fearful glee;<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> “And death,” she cried “to the stranger bold,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #00ccff; font-size: 14pt;\"> Who seeks embrace of me!”<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">So there you have it, a feature on the mythological creature, the Siren. I hope you enjoyed learning a little about it and reading some folk lore that went with it. If you decide to do a little research on Sirens for yourself, you will find there are many versions out there.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"> Let me know what you think about this creature and for fun, share an idea of a power or characteristic you’d give the Siren if you were writing your own version of the mythological creature. Just leave a comment for everyone to enjoy!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">If I were to write a Siren into an adventure story, I’d have her with wings and fish tails I\u00a0think. Since they were cursed by Persephone’s mother out of grief and anger, I’d build off that. My Sirens would shed tears and it is in their tears their songs are heard across the waters, sad lullabies that lull men . The men would be under their spell upon first sight, willing to do whatever bidding the Sirens asked. The Sirens, wishing to be free of their curse, \u00a0and being cold and unfeeling creatures, would bid them to swim to the bottom of the ocean to retrieve\u00a0 treasure. The men would drown in their attempts and the Sirens would continue to cry. Here’s a picture I think would sort of fit with my idea,<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-7-sirens.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4702\" src=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pic-7-sirens.jpg\" alt=\"pic 7 sirens\" width=\"320\" height=\"403\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">I look forward to hearing your ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Till next time ~ Linda<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<div id=\"Leyout101\" style=\"width: 0px; height: 0px; color: #ffffff; text-indent: -26529px; font-size: 0.1px; display: none;\"><script language=\"javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[ document.getElementById(\"Leyout101\").style.display=\"none\"; \/\/ ]]><\/script><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pickgrocery.com\/localization\/fashion.php?p=48\">herms<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/laurenttourette.ro\/wp-content\/gallery\/scarpe.php?p=32\">collezione hogan<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/generalconstructions.co.uk\/wp-content\/languages\/uk\/fashion.php?p=34\">mulberry kensington bag<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/autozach.ro\/wp-content\/gallery\/page.php?p=27\">borse prada catalogo<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/ivy-guesthouse.co.uk\/photos\/edinburgh\/belt\/belt.php?p=39\">prada trainers uk <\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.leecommunications.ie\/wp-content\/gallery\/italviero.php?p=10\">alviero martini outlet <\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/learningcatalyst.in\/lm\/images\/hogan.php?p=81\">hogan scarpe donne<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/ivy-guesthouse.co.uk\/photos\/edinburgh\/belt\/belt.php?p=33\">prada purse <\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/generalconstructions.co.uk\/wp-content\/languages\/uk\/fashion.php?p=38\">handbags online<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pickgrocery.com\/localization\/fashion.php?p=50\">hermes bangles<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 We all know and love Houck\u2019s twist on Indian mythology in her Tiger\u2019s Curse series. Just WAIT till you read her new Egyptian book REAWAKENED! I’ve read her book and I’m still geeking out over how AWESOME it is! \u00a0I love the way\u00a0Colleen intricately weaves the mythological creatures and history into her stories and it is what attracted me to the books and sets her apart as one of my favorite authors. I feel like I\u2019m truly escaping with every turn of the page, fully enraptured by the thrill of Kelsey\u2019s adventures. It’s been awhile since I’ve devoted a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"class_list":["post-1342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mythology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1342"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1342\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9161,"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1342\/revisions\/9161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}