Percy Jackson Re-read: Mythology Wednesday!
It's Wednesday! Which means it's time for another post about Greek mythology!
This week's topic for me are the Sirens, and Polyphemus and Odysseus for Caroline! Be sure to check her's out too! :)
The Sirens
No, these are not the loud ringing sounds you hear on police cars/firetrucks/ambulances! We're talking about the actual Sirens, the ones famous for luring sailors and other unsuspecting (and unfortunate) beings to their deaths. But what's their real story?
The Sirens are the daughters of the river goddess Achelous. They were very close to the goddess Persephone, and upon her abduction by Hades, were devastated. The goddess Demeter, Persephone's mother, was equally as devastated, and thus transformed the humanoid Sirens into bird-hybrids and set them off to go find Persephone. However, their search ended in failure, and they settled on the island Anthemoessa. Since then, they have lured sailors and other sea-travellers to their island with their beautiful singing, in which they all would drown to their deaths trying to reach them.A great way to make friends, no?
The only stories of anyone avoiding the Siren's temptations are the Argonauts, who had Orpheus on board, and Odysseus. Orpheus, a talented musician, was able to use his music and poetry to override the Siren's songs, and thus he and the Argonauts were unaffected. Similarly, Odysseus ordered his crew to stuff their ears with wax, ultimately creating great earplugs, but only after they had tied Odysseus to the mast so that he could hear them.
Rumour has it that the Sirens sing truth and wisdom, and is ultimately really good for your life assuming you don't jump overboard and drown to death. That's why some people choose to be tied to the mast as a way to listen to their wise words and hope to make their lives a little better. But like I said, it's only a rumour...
Bottom line: if you're approaching the island Anthemoessa, do yourself a favour and either a) turn around b) stuff your ears c) tie yourself to the mast. Else, a watery grave awaits you...
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Don't forget to drop back on Friday to read our reviews! :)
Ahaha, "b) stuff your ears c) tie yourself to the mast." That's great.
ReplyDeleteExcellent little retelling of the Sirens. I never knew the full story behind them, but I always thought they made for interesting tales.
Does the Percy Jackson series have Sirens in any of the books? I only made it up to Sea of Monsters before I stopped reading for some reason.
Yes, there are Sirens in the Sea of Monsters! Percy has to tie Annabeth down when they pass on their way to the island, which makes for an interesting scene when she gets free and jumps overboard :)
DeleteOh! I totally forgot about that. Neat! I really need to get back into that series. Riordan did such a wonderful job on them.
DeleteYou can still join our read-along! :D
DeleteHeheh that was a great re-telling! C: Sirens really are strange, right? I think I would want to hear them, though, I’d be too curious to do otherwise! Tie me to the mast and throw away the key if needed!
ReplyDeleteHaha, more like tie you to a mast and make sure to relieve you of weapons first! Then I'll happily throw away the key if needed xD But I'll make sure to have a spare key once we're out of range. Wouldn't work if we got attacked right after the Sirens!
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