Are Sirens Real and Do They Exist?
When we talk about mythical sea creatures, we often lump sirens together with them because the modern definition of a siren has become synonymous with a mermaid. But while sirens have indeed become interchangeable with mermaids as their true identity has become lost over time, they are entirely unique creatures. As unique as sirens are, are these creatures actually real?
Sirens are not real and do not exist. There is no definite evidence that would suggest that sirens exist, nor is there any proof that they have ever existed in the past. On top of that, it is scientifically impossible for humans to be half birds and capable of flight because of our biological makeup.
Even though sirens are actually unique creatures that are far from mermaids, the one thing that they are similar to mermaids (aside from being half women) is that they are not real. Just like their mermaid counterparts, sirens have never been proven to exist as there are no fossil records or even clear accounts of their existence. They are just creatures of myths and legends born from the imagination of one man.
Are Sirens Real?
The world is full of different myths and legends that have captivated our imaginations through stories and other different types of literature. Creatures such as dragons, mermaids, werewolves, and other fantastic creatures have always been a part of the different stories that we tell from one generation to another through books, movies, and even video games.
However, one such creature that is often mistaken for another is the siren. When we talk about the siren, it is not rare for us to consider it as a sea creature that is just the same or, at the very least, similar to a mermaid. In today’s world, we often interchange sirens and mermaids, and that has been quite acceptable. But the truth is that sirens are entirely different creatures.
A siren is not half woman and half fish. It is not even a sea creature in the first place. Instead, a siren is a half woman and half winged creature. Sirens are actually women that have certain parts that belong to a bird, such as wings or even talons.
Originally, sirens were bird-women that had ties to the Greek underworld. They are not fish-women who have fish tails and are just evil versions of mermaids. This means that sirens are actually unique creatures. But does that mean that they are also real?
Aside from the fact that they are both women, the only other thing that is common between a siren and a mermaid is that they both are not real. That is right. Sirens are not real creatures and are just mythical beings that were born out of the imagination of one storyteller.
There has never been any clear evidence that suggests that sirens are real. And there has not been any evidence that is remotely close to suggesting the possibility that sirens do exist in the world today.
Of course, aside from having no evidence that they exist, science also points out to the fact that it is impossible for a creature to be both human and bird because we are talking about two entirely different creatures that belong to different animal classifications.
In fact, birds are more closely related to dinosaurs than they are to humans, and that tells a lot because dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years, but birds are still genetically closer to them than they are to humans.
In a way, it is impossible for two different creatures that are far off genetically to be in one body. A human simply cannot have bird traits due to the genetic differences between them and birds. That alone is enough for us to say that sirens cannot be real and do not exist in the world we live in today.
Did Sirens Ever Exist in the Past?
Even though we said that sirens do not exist in our present world, what about the past? Did sirens ever exist at one point in the history of this world?
Similar to how mermaids have never existed at any period in our history, sirens have never existed as well. It simply is just impossible for sirens to exist because of the genetic differences that humans and birds have.
On top of that, we have been unearthing fossils of different creatures that existed in the world millions of years ago. If sirens did exist at one point in our history, we should have already unearthed fossil records that would suggest that they could have been real hundreds or even thousands of years ago. However, no such evidence has ever been found.
But if sirens are not real, why do they exist in stories and legends? Were the people just simply imagining sirens when they started talking about them?
Unlike mermaids that could have easily been sea creatures such as manatees and dolphins that were reimagined by sailors, sirens were hardly ever mentioned in the accounts of different people throughout history.
The truth is that there is only one real story about sirens, and that came from Homer’s Odyssey, which tells the story of King Odysseus on his way home from the Trojan War. Odyssey recounts the many different trials that the king had to endure when he was making his way home. One such problem that he had to face was sirens.
In the story, sirens are depicted as creatures living on an island near Scylla and Charybdis (more on them later). These creatures are said to have lured men to their doom using their beauty and their singing voice. They were said to drown men to their deaths after luring them.
It was only after Homer’s Odyssey that sirens began appearing in other stories, but most stories have always been works of fiction. So, given the fact that sirens were merely creatures that came from the imagination of Homer, they were never real at all. If sirens were real, then the possibility that other Greek creatures such as the Titans and Cerberus were actually real at one point in the past.
Are There Some Actual Siren Sightings?
Unlike mermaids, which have different accounts coming from different sailors who said that they actually witnessed these creatures, there has never been an account where people actually saw sirens. There could have been such stories thousands of years ago, but there has never been a real-life story of a siren in recent years. Of course, the stories about sirens were actually inspired by something real.
In Homer’s Odyssey, he described that sirens lived on an island close to Charybdis and Scylla, which are both sea monsters that swallowed ships and doomed sailors. But the interesting part here is that Charybdis and Scylla are actually historically true but not to the point that these monsters actually existed.
Charybdis and Scylla were believed to be real-life locations that sailors avoided because of how sailing in these locations could easily cause shipwrecks. Charybdis is said to be an actual whirlpool, while Scylla is said to be a narrow part of the sea with a lot of rocks that can easily destroy ships.
So, from there, Homer simply used the real-life locations of Charybdis and Scylla and reimagined them as monsters in his story to make it more fantastic. But where do sirens come in when it comes to that story?
As mentioned, sirens were depicted in Homer’s Odyssey as creatures that doomed sailors to their death by attracting them to their island using their beauty and voice. After that, they would drown the sailors in the sea.
Given that Charybdis and Scylla are real sea hazards that sailors wanted to avoid, Homer depicted his story of sirens as creatures that lived on an island close to both Charybdis and Scylla. And the reason why he did so is that he needed to tell a story of why sailors that sailed close to the monstrous creatures of Charybdis and Scylla were almost never seen again.
As such, Homer simply depicted the story of sirens as creatures that lived on an island close to Charybdis and Scylla to make a fantastic tale of how and why sailors were never seen again when they ventured too close to those locations.
This could also mean that the island where sirens lived could have existed as well. But, then again, the reason why Homer imagined the story of sirens is that the island could have also been a hazardous place for sailors.
Of course, the reason why sailors sailed close to that island was not that sirens called them but because it was always a practice for sailors to sail by sight along the coasts of Italy without even knowing whether or not the coasts were rocky. The rocky coasts of the real-life island of the sirens could have contributed to the stories of how sailors were drowning to their deaths when they sailed close to that island.
So, all that said, there has never really been a sighting of a siren in history. The story of Homer’s sirens is simply a fantastic way for him to make sense of what was happening to the sailors out at sea so that he could make a great story about the mythical beings and creatures that lived in those parts. Aside from that, there has never been any real account regarding sirens and their possible existence.
Can Humans Be Sirens?
Humans cannot be sirens because of certain biological limitations. Aside from the fact that humans are so genetically different from birds and other winged creatures, what you should know is that it is impossible for humans to be capable of flight, even when given large bird wings. The sheer weight and bone density of the human body cannot be handled by bird wings.
How Does a Siren Sound Like?
There is no certain way of knowing what sirens sound like because these are merely mythical creatures. However, according to Homer, sirens used their voice to lure men to their island. That means that sirens could have had amazing singing voices that were good enough to be able to attract people.
