Siren

"There are few melodies more beautiful and charming than a siren's song, yet lucky are those who manage to hear it and survive to tell the tale."

- Common Sailor's Proverb.

Sirens are dreaded creatures, more well-known by sailors and pirates and depicted as seductive beings with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a fish. They are fabled for their mesmerizing beauty, usually possessing long, flowing hair that mimics the appearance of seaweed drifting in the ocean currents. Their eyes, luminous and alluring, reflect an ageless wisdom that hints at an intimate connection with the depths of the sea. Yet, their primary allure lies in their enchanting voice, a haunting melody that carries over the waves, captivating seamen and drawing them perilously close to the rocky shores where the creatures dwell. However, beneath this surface charm lies a dangerous trap, as the siren's song only leads sailors to their demise, luring ships to treacherous waters and causing shipwrecks, in which sirens then attack and devour the tripulants. 

And so, these creatures represent the very nature of the sea—a captivating beauty that conceals a perilous and deadly undercurrent.

Myth 

Amongst riverfolk and fishermen, sirens came several thousand years in the past: Supposedly, once, there was an ancient fishing village wherein lived a young maiden named Menope (may vary between Mena, Menopi, Menela). A warm and kind woman, she lived her life cheerfully, always supportive of her community, dutiful to her responsibilities and kind and respectful of her parents. Young men would always court and admire her beauty, often described to be just like the sea's: her dark, wavy hair would flutter with the wind, just like seaweed with the waves; her eyes, a deep mixture of blue and green, in which one could become lost forever, enthralled by it's beauty. Yet, despite her alluring appearance, her greatest charm was her voice, sweet and harmonious, more beautiful than any bird's song or musician's instrument, she would sing and hum melodies while carrying out her duties, brightening the mood of all those who'd happen to hear her tune. Despite the attempts of the men from the village, she would remain pure and zealous. However, the village seemed cursed by the gods, as harvests grew ever poorer and fishing boats would often return to land devoid of catch, and soon, the dreadful visage of famine hung darkly over the village.

Yet, it all changed when, one day, a ship appeared at the horizon and docked by the village. It's captain, a handsome and cunning man, stepped out of the vessel and gazed around the hungry faces. He was entirely adorned with gold, silver and gems; his clothes, made out of the finest silks from faraway lands; his boots, dark and polished, made of high quality leather. Seeing how rich he was, the villagers were quick to beg him for food, yet no amount of gold or riches would make him agree. That is, until he heard the melody of Menope's voice and landed his eyes upon her - he had found his treasure. He adressed the peasants and fishermen, saying he would yield all the food and riches his ship had if, in exchange, he could have Menope to himself. Half-starved and desperate, not only her parents but the entire village agreed to the trade, and soon, Menope had found herself in the hands of the great captain. At first, he treated her as a queen, not only of his heart, but of the entire sea, taking his ship wherever she wanted and without delay. 

Slowly, Menope was seduced and she too yielded her heart to the captain, dedicating her undying love to him, along with her maindenhood. Days turned to weeks and months and, slowly, the captain grew bored of Menope. Her voice, at first so charming, now seemed annoying and uninteresting to him, he grew weary and tired of the girl. One day, desperate to have the lust of another woman, the captain had his ship dock by a tiny, rocky island, where he urged Menope to stay and wait, as he feared for her life over a supposed danger he'd soon face. Naive and passionate, she agreed without question, sitting over a rock with her feet in the water: there she waited, she sang, and waited, yet her love never came back. She sang, and cried, but the captain wouldn't return. 

She grew hungry, famished, yet she managed to survive on the fish she could catch, forced to eat them raw, so much her insides hurt of hunger. A long time had passed when Menope spotted a vessel in the horizon, it was the Captain's ship, yet aboard it was another woman, another innocent he had deceived. Menope was shook with anger, with sadness and utter misery. With a leap, she jumped at the sea and started swimming towards the boat. She swam with unhuman speed, so much was her anger, her legs and feet had grown scales and became joined, given how long she had remained drenched in seawater; her teeth had turned sharp, to better bite at the fish she caught. 

And so, Menope rushed to the ship, but couldn't climb up because to her fish-tail. She then swam back to her island, and there she started to swing her most beautiful melody, as loud as she could. By then, the captain had retreated to his cabin with new love and another sailor remained at the wheel. He heard Menope's enthralling voice and started to steer the ship towards her island, failing to avoid the reefs and sharp rocks around it. As the vessel crashed and shipwrecked, men started to jump into the water and swim towards the beautiful voice they could hear, and Menope, in turn, also swam towards them, but instead of saving, she devoured them all, including her beloved Captain. 

Finally, moved by the pain and suffering of Menope, the Goddess of the Seas, Hava, cast a curse upon mankind, for their deceiving and manipulative ways. Not only she turned Menope undying, but also granted her the power to bless other suffering women into her kind - unaging, beautiful and ravenous for manflesh. 

 

Origin/Ancestry

Cursed/Sapient One (Debatable Origin)