From the horrific Greek legends that have graced literature, to the modern interpretations involving them, sirens have had an important impact when it comes to mythology. For example, in Supernatural, the Winchester brothers had to fight against a siren, a creature that almost succeeds in killing them both. In Rick Riordan’s The Camp Half Blood series, sirens were known as sea nymphs who managed to threaten both the protagonist and his love interest. Sirens have also taken center stage in Errin Stevens’s The Mer Chronicles series as protective spouses that will kill anyone who would harm their loved ones.

But what makes sirens so interesting to write about? What characteristics do they have that allow writers to draw inspiration from their muses? Below are a few answers.

Their Bloodthirsty Songs
Sirens are known for their tempestuous lullabies. They would lure sailors to their island, before feasting on them. And while many often confuse sirens and mermaids together, sirens are usually differentiated from their magical counterparts by being more vicious and cruel. One encounter was described in The Odyssey, in which Odysseus had his crew tie him to the ship’s mast. He had the crew plug their ears with wax, and then tell them that no matter what happened, they should not untie him, even when he begged them to. It was revealed by Circe that they had passed by the island of the Sirens.

Their Cultural Significance
Sirens are daughters of the river deity, Achelous, though their birth mother has changed from time to time. They were also said to be companions to the goddess of the underworld, Persephone, who was once a resident of Demeter’s world, the goddess of the harvest. However, after Persephone was kidnapped, Demeter cursed the sirens. As such, some say that the sirens’ songs are merely them calling out to Persephone, trying to get her to return to her mother. It’s also said that the sirens were once beautiful women who entered a singing competition against the Muses. When the Muses won, they mutilated the sirens. Because of their loss, the sirens now sing a cruel song that could lure in anyone they chose.

Sirens were said to be a combination of a woman and a bird. Pliny the Elder, a famous Roman historian, called sirens fictional, although others have asserted their existence in India. Leonardo da Vinci had stated himself that a siren’s songs are so sweet that they manage to lure sailors to sleep, so they could kill them.

Their History
Like many other pagan beliefs, when Christianity was introduced, many disregarded the mythology of the sirens. Rather, sirens were converted into a dangerous symbol in which women were portrayed as lustful creatures who could lead men astray. Cornelius a Lapide, a Jesuit, had even compared the likes of women to that of a siren, in which she uses her voice and beauty to enchant her prey, the man, before leading him astray.

Sirens are interesting creatures, to say the least. Even more so than witches, sirens embodied a powerful symbol that continues to be used today, whether that be for their enchanting voices, their tragic history, or even their cultural significance. While they may not be as popular as other mythological creatures, sirens still continue to hold a prominent position in the darkness of our muses.