The Sirens

The Sirens are the daughters of the river god Achelous and the Muse Melpomene — the Muse of tragedy. This lineage explains everything: they possess a supernaturally beautiful voice inherited from their mother, and their song is a tragedy — beauty that leads to death.

Their names evoke enchantment: Thelxiope (the Enchantress), Leucosia (the White), Ligeia (the Melodious), Parthenope (the Maiden-faced). In original Greek mythology, they are depicted not with fish tails but with bird bodies and women's heads — bird-women, symbols of winds and the souls of the dead.

The Sirens were originally companions of Persephone before her abduction by Hades. Demeter, furious that they had not prevented the kidnapping of her daughter, transformed them into bird-women. To make matters worse, they dared to challenge the Muses in a singing contest. The victorious Muses tore off their feathers, depriving them of the ability to fly.

Condemned to remain on jagged rocks near the Strait of Messina, between Sicily and Italy, they spent eternity singing. Their irresistible voices drew ships toward the rocks where they shattered. A prophecy foretold that if sailors resisted their song, the Sirens would die.

Odysseus, warned by Circe, ordered his sailors to plug their ears with wax. He alone wished to hear their song — but had himself tied to the mast. When their voices rose, Odysseus begged to be untied, but his companions tightened the bonds. The ship passed, and the Sirens, defeated for the first time, threw themselves into the sea.

The Argonauts encountered the Sirens on their return voyage with the Golden Fleece. But they had aboard Orpheus, the greatest musician of all time. As soon as the Sirens' voices rose, Orpheus seized his lyre and played a counter-melody of even greater beauty, drowning their voices. The prophecy was fulfilled: the Sirens were turned to stone.

The link between the Sirens and Saint Seiya runs through the figure of Orpheus — the legendary musician who defeated their song. In Saint Seiya, Orpheus is a Silver Knight whose armor bears the Lyre — the instrument with which he defeated the Sirens in myth. His combat technique relies on sound and music, invisible but devastating weapons.

Orpheus's victory over the Sirens demonstrates that beauty can defeat beauty, that musical truth can dissolve enchanting lies. This is a theme Saint Seiya explores repeatedly: inner strength, cosmos, pure emotion as the ultimate weapon against illusions and spells.