Roleplaying creatures

Water mythicals : sirens

Sirens :

A siren is a water-nymph related to the mermaid and the harpy, she was originally represented as a creature with the head of a woman and the lower body of a bird, later she had the body if a woman and the legs of a bird. She is also depicted with the lower body of a fish and occasionally with the feet of a falcon and the tail of a fish. Sirens are creatures who live on remote islands that are surrounded by rocky cliffs, they are quite different from mermaids. Though these sirens are only female, there are no male sirens, their singing is more enchanting than mermaids. A mermaid's song can only tap into man's curiosity and there the mermaid can kill. The sirens, however, their singing can totally make a man forget everything, this singing has a telepathic attitude. The sirens lured passing sailors by their singing, which would enchant any sailor listening to the point that he would lose all will-power, and crash his ship upon the Sirens' rocky shore and cliffs, killing all men aboard.

The true history of sirens is that they were mutilated women that drowned in the sea because they were thrown over board by the sailors. Back then, sailors believed that they receive bad luck whenever a woman is on board. So in the middle of the sea, they bind these women onto bundled heavy rocks or extra anchors and they were cast out into the deep waters. Other women survived for some magical reason and adapted to the environment. While the others were given prayers and sacrifices by their fellow sisters by sacrificing the sailors' souls so that they can rest in peace as they do their revenge.

Notes :
- as a sea nymph, the siren represents the destructive power of the ocean that lies just below the calm surface, as well as the hot winds that wither fresh young plants.
- they are also a symbol for beauty, eloquence, and song.
- a siren can be heard singing just before a storm and weeping during a good weather, she also sings laments for the dead.
- there has been a lost of speculation about what they sang, they would lure sailors to their death. Some think that the songs were different for each sailor, others say that it is not the words, but it was their magical qualities of their voices that lure sailors.