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ABOUT
Bron
The Sirens*
Mother-Daughter Poetry

RELATED SITES
www.bronsongs.com
www.loving-australia.com

CONTACT
Bronwyn Edwards Cryer (email)
SirenSong Productions
206-938-3820 office
PO Box 46457
Seattle WA 98146-0457

About the Sirens...

The Sirens were Greek mythological birdlike creatures with the faces of beautiful women and an irresistible song. Norman Lindsay, the famous turn-of-the-20th-century Australian artist, painted them. Due to my Australian heritage and love of Lindsay's artwork, and the nickname of "Siren" that I had acquired from the guys in my band, I named my business SirenSong. The mythology of the Sirens has always fascinated me, so I have included some of their stories here.

Click on thumbnail at left for larger image of Norman Lindsay's etching "Unknown Seas."

The Sirens - 1

In primitive times the Sirens, who were daughters of the river Achelous, had been river deities. In number they were - depending on different authors - two, three, four or even eight. They had names which emphasized the charm of their voices: Aglaophonos or Aglaophone (of the brilliant voice); Thelxepeia (of the words which enchant); Peisinoë (the persuasive); Molpe (song).

The Sirens - 2

When Odysseus (Roman name Ulysses) was about to leave Circe and take to his swift ships again, she warned him of the dangers of the voyage and in particular said: 'First thou shalt arrive where the enchanter Sirens dwell, they who seduce men. The imprudent man who draws near them never returns, for the Sirens, lying in the flower-strewn fields, will charm him with sweet song; but around them the bodies of their victims lie in heaps.'

And so it was that Odysseus came in sight of a rocky islet where he perceived the bizarre creatures, half-women, half-birds, who, seeing his ship, began to sing. They were the Sirens and what they sang was: 'Draw near, illustrious Odysseus, glory of the Achaeans, stop thy ship and come to us. None has yet passed by this isle without having listened to the enchantment of our voices and heard us sing of the mighty deeds done by the Greeks beneath the walls of Troy. For we know all that happens on the fruitful earth.

There were various explanations of the Sirens' strange shape. According to some they were with Persephone when she was ravished by Hades, and it was at their request that Zeus gave them wings so that they could fly in pursuit of the ravisher. According to others they owed their birds' bodies to the wrath of Aphrodite who punished them in this way for having been rebellious to love.

The Sirens were excessively proud of their voices and their musical talent and had, it was said, dared one day to challenge the Muses. But the Muses vanquished them and pulled out their wing feathers. They then abandoned the springs and dales and went to hide their shame among the jagged rocks along the coasts of Southern Italy. Their abodes were Cape Pelorus, Capri, the isle of Anthemusa, and the Siren Isles. There from the shores they attracted sailors by their songs and devoured the unhappy wretches who had been unable to resist their seduction.

In the end, however, they found their master. When the ship of the Argonauts sailed past their island they tried as usual to exert their power. But only Butes, son of Zelion, jumped overboad to join the treacherous goddesses. The others were prevented by Orpheus who was with them. He tuned his lyre and began to sing; and his persuasive voice overcame the allure of the Sirens. Vanquished, the Sirens from that moment lost all powers to do harm and were changed to rocks. One of them, Parthenope, threw herself into the sea in vexation. Her body was tossed on to the shore by the waves, and a tomb was erected for her on the very spot where later the city of Naples rose."