a lost and weary traveler

can seek refuge here

Come this way, stay your ship, so that you can listen to our singing

For no one else has sailed past this place in his black ship

Until he has listened to the honey-sweet voice that issues from our lips

He then goes on, well pleased, knowing more than ever he did

For we know everything through the gods' despite;

Over the generous earth we know all.

Welcome, dear sailor. I'm sure you are tired and eager for a rest. Why don't you come and listen to our song? You have much to gain, for the wisdom of our hymns is limitless. We know all, dear one, so why don't you stay and rest?

of ocean waves and rocky shore

history of the sirens

In Greek mythology, the Sirens were a group of birdlike women who inhabited an enchanted island. The island is surrounded by perilous cliffs and rocks, deadly for unexperienced steersmen. The sirens wait on their island, luring seamen with their irrisistably sweet song. They promise of knowledge and peace, but the men who anchor at the island are met only with a horrific death.

The Sirens are three sisters equal in cunning, vocal skill, and lack of beauty. According to legend, the foul creatures were born out of greed, hatred, and spite in the deepest pit of the ocean. Even the blackest of waters would not accept the hideous creatures, so gruesome were their bodies and wicked hearts. The three were spat onto an island away from all other civilization, an act the gods deemed necessary to save the humans from such horrors.

In their shame of such abominations, the gods cursed the sisters to remain on the island forever and stripped them of their ability to weave magical illusions, confident that the beasts had been sufficiently disposed of. But the Sirens found another way to lure their prey to its death: an even more efficient method of killing and devouring the souls they craved. While unable to magically entice stray sailors, the sisters managed to lure them away with the pure power of their voice, the only truly beautiful thing about them.

where broken sailors anchor ship

the island

The island that the three sisters inhabit is a lonely place located several miles off the northeastern coast of Lutari Island. At first glance, it is a place of peace and paradise. When sailors catch their first glimpse of the island, they see only what their mind chooses to; they are able to see a beautiful world of exotic creatures, abundant resources, and pure pleasure. However, when crewsmen land on the island, they find that it has a much different story to tell.

In actuality, the island is barren and void of any form of life whatsoever besides the Sirens. It is a truly worthless piece of land, offering no protection from the unbearable heat that presses against it constantly. The shores give no harbor for a ship to take refuge, with only jagged cliffs and wicked reefs to welcome the sailors to their death.

salty sea breezes

artwork

By the lovely Lucy.