Sirens. They were a sort of sea-goddesses, said by some to be two in number, by others, three, and even four. Homer mentions but two, and describes them as virgins, dwelling upon an island and detaining with them every voyager who was allured thither by their captivating music. They would have decoyed even Ulysses, on his return to Ithaca, but were not permitted. By others they were described as daughters of the river god Achelous, and companions of Proserpine, after whose seizure they were changed into birds, that they might fly in search of her. In an unhappy contest with the Muses in singing they lost their wings as a punishment. Others make them sea-nymphs, with a form similar to that of the Tritons, with the faces of women and the bodies of flying fish. Their fabled residence was placed by some on an island near Cape Pelorus in Sicily: by others, on the islands or rocks called Sirennusae, not far from the promontory of Surrentum on the coast of Italy. Various explanations of the fable of the Sirens have been given. It is commonly considered as signifying the dangers of indulgence in pleasure.
