The Role Of The Sirens In The Odyssey

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Sirens: Sirens were described as monstrous creatures that lured sailors to death with a beautiful song, most known for their depiction in the Odyssey. Contrary to popular belief and modern works, they were birds in ancient sources. Circe warns Odysseus of them: You will come first of all to the Sirens, who are enchanters of all mankind and whoever comes their way; and that man who unsuspecting approached them, and listens to the Sirens singing, has no prospect of coming home... Odysseus and his men get past the Sirens by listening to Circe and trying themselves to the ship and filling their ears with wax. Rowling uses the same connotation of danger when discussing her ‘sirens’. In Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them Rowling makes a …show more content…

First of all, unlike in ancient sources, Rowling’s ‘sirens’ take on the form of part human and part fish: The merpeople had grayish skin and long, wild, dark green hair. Their eyes were yellow, as were their broken teeth, and they wore thick ropes of pebbles around their necks. They leered at Harry as he swam past; one or two of them emerged from their caves to watch him better, their powerful, silver fish tails beating the water, spears clutched in their hands. While the ancient sources depict sirens with wings, modern sources tend to depict them with fish tails. This could be because they lure sailors to their death and so it would be more suitable to have them in the water. These merpeople are reminiscent of the ones in Peter Pan, where they are depicted as dangerous at night and unfriendly towards humans (except Peter). Barrie states “the most haunting time at which to see them is at the turn of the moon, when they utter strange wailing cries”. This is how they are portrayed in the 2003 film adaption of the book, which is similar to Rowling’s version. Rowling, and other sources such as Barrie, have taken the basis of the myth of sirens and have altered the appearance of them. While having a different appearance they are still associated with danger, music and the

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