Conspiracy Theories
There are two conspiracy theories that are brought up on the subject of sirens from Greek mythology: first, did they ever actually exist, or were they strictly limited to Greek folklore? Second, did they actually murder sailors by disguising themselves as women and seducing them with their voices? Let's take a look at why people believe these, and whether or not they can be proved.
The first conspiracy theory is that sirens were real. There are a few reasons why people would believe this. For one, Homer’s The Odyssey is one of the most notable, describing what the sirens were and how they posed a threat to Odysseus on his journey (Odyssey 148). Although most scholars and historians do not think of The Odyssey as literal, some people think otherwise. They believe that the book is a retelling of historical events, and can even be pinpointed to certain locations; as an example, “The bay where the Laestrygonians attack Odysseus has been identified as Mezapos Beach–a site that fits well within a logical route to Ithaca,” as said by Was Homer’s Odyssey Inspired By Real Events? written by The Archaeologist (Archaeologist 1).
Another reason is that sirens “continue to fascinate people due to their symbolic significance of temptation, danger, and the mysteries of the sea, perpetuated through literature, art, and modern media,” as written in MysteryUncover’s Are Sirens Real? The Truth Behind This Mythical Mystery, and they simply want to believe it is true (MysteryUncover 1). Ultimately, the most logical evidence that disproves the existence of sirens is in Hrvoje Milakovic's study, Are Sirens Real and Do They Exist? He states that “there is no definite evidence that would suggest that sirens exist, nor is there any proof that sirens ever existed in the past,” and also that it is “scientifically impossible for humans to be half birds and capable of flight because of our biological makeup” (Milakovic 1). Though, if they were ever to exist, they would have simply been “prostitutes who drove travelers into poverty,” as Lia Chang’s page, The Sirens in Greek Mythology. Legends +19 Facts, state (Chang 1).
The other theory about sirens is what they looked like and what they did. Contrary to popular belief, sirens did not look fully like gorgeous, young women. Syed Rafid Kabir writes in his study The Sirens of Greek Mythology, "they were portrayed in Greek art and pottery as having the body of a bird (with deep, scaly nails) but the face of a beautiful woman" (Kabir 1). These creatures were so hideous up front that the only way to attract men was to enchant them. In Dr. Oliver Tearle's
study, A Summary and Analysis of the Myth of the Sirens, he writes, “they were enchantresses whose song had lured sailors onto their rocks so the Sirens could devour them” (Tearle 1). Why was this song they sang so tempting? In Kabir’s same study, he says that the song “lured sailors from all walks of life and was a significant catalyst for producing excess serotonin,” and “as a result, the siren’s song was a mere symbol of temptation, a dangerous temptation that affected the human psyche” (Kabir 1). One of the reasons they were so desperate to bring sailors in was because they would kill themselves if they didn’t. The Odyssey does not specify this, but in later retellings of the story, “the sirens are fated to die if sailors were to hear their song and escape; after Odysseus’ ship passes by, the sirens fling themselves into the sea and are drowned,” as claimed by Dana Wilson’s page, Odysseus and the Sirens (Wilson 1).
Sirens were a mythological species that resided by the water, and would call out to sailors to lure them to their deaths. It is undeniable that this myth has taken its claim on society’s influence on mythology, but unfortunately for them, there is no logical or historical evidence that points to sirens ever existing. If there was any possibility that they existed, they would not still be today, due to them committing suicide after Odysseus’ party made it through without harm. However, today, sirens as a whole are symbolic of temptation and seduction.