"Come this way, honored Odysseus, great glory of the Achaians, and stay your ship, so that you can listen here to our singing; for no one else has ever sailed past this place in his black ship until he has listened to the honey-sweet voice that issues from our lips; then goes on, well-pleased, knowing more than ever he did; for we know everything that the Argives and Trojans did and suffered in wide Troy through the gods' despite. Over all the generous earth we know everything that happens. "
In Greek mythology, the Sirens were dangerous yet beautiful creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting song to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island They were formerly handmaidens of the goddess Persephone.
The Sirens appear in many Greek myths, with one of the most famous being their encounter with Jason and the Argonauts. Jason was told that without the aid of Orpheus, the legendary Thracian musician, the Argonauts would never be able to pass the sirens safely. When the crew passed the Siren's island, Orpheus drew his lyre and played music that was louder and more beautiful, drowning out the Sirens' bewitching songs.
However, possibly the most famous story involving the sirens appears in of Homer's The Odyssey, when Odysseus passes the island as part of his long quest to return to his home in Ithaca after the Trojan war. As instructed by the goddess Circe, Odysseus tells his crew to plug their ears with beeswax and has them bind him to the mast of the ship. Odyseuss alone hears the siren's song, which promises to reveal the future. The Sirens’ song is so tempting that Odysseus begs to be released from his fetters, but his faithful men only bind him tighter.
The Sirens were depicted as birds with either the heads, or the entire upper bodies, of women. In mosaic art they were depicted with just bird legs. However, in some much later versions of the myth, they were depicted as mermaids.
About The Cache
This cache is the first is a series themed about female mythological creatures in world mythology.
The cache is a camoflauged container hidden by the sea in Greystones. It's near a footpath that gets a lot of muggle traffic, so please use stealth. It's located near the edge of a small cliff, so be careful!