The sirens of ancient Greek mythology were bird-women whose enchanted singing lured sailors off course, causing shipwreck and disaster.
In Book 12 of Homer’s Odyssey, the hero Odysseus took the advice of the sorceress Circe and blocked the ears of his crew with wax so they could row undisturbed. This allowed them to safely navigate around the rocky island guarded by the sirens. Odysseus wished to hear their magical songs though, and had himself tied to the mast so that he would not be tempted to steer in the wrong direction.
A vase is painted with this famous scene and is known as the Siren Vase. It is a wide-necked vessel thought to have been used for serving wine. It used to be in a famous collection of antiquities, paintings and drawings assembled by the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Lou Figueroa
tied to the mast
for a couple of
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