#siren lore

[farawayrosewindows]

From 'The Tempest' by William Shakespeare, illustrated by Arthur Rackham, (1867 - 1939).

[dept-of-monster-affairs]

What’s the difference between a harpy and a siren?

I know they are both species of bird monsters, but are there any characteristics or environmental differences that distinguishes the two?

Are there any male harpies or sirens?

(I love the worldbuilding of this blog, it’s fantastic!)

Thank you for contacting the Department of Monster Affairs.

Harpies and sirens are the same monster, at DOMA we call them harpies to avoid the connections that sirens have with merfolk. The pre-Incursion idea that sirens were merfolk or otherwise different than harpies is a misremembrance due to the Division. This misremembering in myths is perhaps due to the behavioral differences seen in harpies of various regions and due to confusion with merfolk. It is difficult to pin down the exact cause as the Division caused much of our true history to be muddled into exaggerated myths.

However, we can point to a few of possibilities for the mythic distinction. First, harpies have a wide natural range from mountains to tall forests to coastal cliffs. While harpies generally have plumage resembling egales or hawks the coloration and patterning does vary based on their habitat - this may have given the idea that they are difference species.

Second, coastal harpies tend to sing much more than mountain or forest harpies. Harpies, like many birds, sing to attract mates and define their territory. Coastal harpies also seem to sing to communicate with nearby merfolk when large shoals of fish are nearby allowing them to work together to get food. It is likely that human fishermen learned to follow this song to find fish as well but due to infringing on harpy territory were attacked thus giving the myth that "sirens" lured men to their doom with song.

Finally, harpies are known to steal food from humans or attack and eat them directly when food is scarce. This is more likely to happen among mountain and forest harpies as coastal waters due tend to be more abundant with prey. Again these behavioral differences could be reasons why myths lay out a distinction between harpies and sirens.

Regarding the sex of harpies, yes there are male harpies. For some reason a good number of Greecian myths believed that monsters only came in one sex but that is untrue of any known monster species that reproduces sexually, with the exception of some demons. It is possible that because of the chest plumage found in harpies of both sexes that there was difficultly telling sex, especially from a distance, in the past. Though that does not explain other more obviously sexually dimorphic species like saytrs, centaurs, sphinxes, and lamias (also known as Nagas).

Thank you again for contacting the Department of Monster Affairs if you have any other questions about monsters or magic please contact us again.

[mx-maledictus]

Since I probably won't be posting much art for a bit, here's some lore for sirens in the world of The Moth Crown.

Specifically, this is the entry on sirens from Claudus MacArthur's Monstrorum Liber, a "book of monsters" that exists in the world of The Moth Crown (both the book and the author are fictional, all writing is my own). As such, this will be what the people in the world know about sirens (with some assumptions and judgements made). I will clarify any inaccuracies at the end in the "JJ's notes" section, which would not be included in the Monstrorum Liber.

Sirens

Though many myths ponder the origins and nature of sirens, a few common features are present across versions. One fact on which they can all agree is this: sirens are deadly, bloodthirsty monsters.

Origins -

The birth of a siren is a violent one, a corruption spawned by death. There are a variety of accounts of a man and woman meeting an early, watery demise, only to return twisted and broken, with a taste for blood - a siren. They retain the memories and mimic the personalities of their previous life. It is unclear how this rebirth happens, with theories ranging from old gods to waterborne viruses, though most agree on the involvement of magic.

Appearance -

The body of a siren is that of the deceased host, only corrupted. Their teeth are sharp, nails long and pointed, and skin pale and clammy. Their hair, skin, and clothes hold a permanent dampness and carry the salty odour of the sea. The sirens bear the scars of their birth - the host’s death - with the worst of the wounds being covered or replaced with any manner of oceanic detritus. Deep cuts are covered with fish-like scales or shells, missing eyes replaced with pearls, limbs with coral, etcetera. The whites of their eyes are turned to the dark of the sea, the irises a ring of striking blue. Gills sprout from their necks. Often the blood of their victims still stains their hands or teeth.

The most insidious part of the sirens’ design is the ease with which they can hide their monstrous appearance. An innate magic allows sirens to appear, at a glance, human, though this façade crumbles under any level of scrutiny. If you’re unfortunate enough to get a close look, however, it’s likely too late.

Behavior -

Sirens are killers by nature. They crave blood, hunting their victims near bodies of water and pulling them into the depths to die like the siren did. There have been whispers of some of these victims becoming sirens themselves, though this seems to be rare. There is condemning evidence, however, of the sirens eating their victims’ bodies.

Sirens imitate human behavior to draw in their targets, appearing charming and polite. They’re cunning, charismatic and confident - utterly irresistible, making them all the more dangerous.

Beyond charm and bloodlust, however, sirens can differ in personality as much as you and I.

Immortality -

A siren’s rebirth renders them immune to the inevitability of age, their bodies retaining the youth they possessed at the time of their death. They can live hundreds of years with no visible signs of aging, and will continue to live until killed by man or beast. They seem to have a resilience to illness as well, though this isn’t as well documented. Additionally, they don’t acquire any new scars beyond those from their host’s death. They can be injured, but any wound will heal without a mark, should they survive it.

Summary -

Sirens are among the most dangerous of monsters, for their cruelty is matched only by their cunning. They are born from those who meet violent watery deaths, inhabiting and twisting the bodies of the deceased. They reside near water, most commonly salt water, and hunt humans with unnerving efficiency, often eating their victims after dragging them into the water. Their bodies do not age, and they can only die if directly killed.

Be wary of those you meet, lest their teeth be sharp and their scent of the sea. You would not want to find yourself a siren’s next meal.

JJ's notes:

This was written in a time when there was a lot of prejudice against non-human races. MacArthur's acknowledgement of sirens having personalities would've been considered groundbreaking and controversial at the time of its writing. That being said, his descriptions of sirens are more or less accurate, and sirens' desire for blood is very real, though it is inflicted upon them by the deity that reseurrected them.

After the initial death, it is a deity that resurrects a siren, particularly a sea deity, to get revenge on the land-dwelling mortals that have disrespected the sea for generations. They make deals with the deceased, and the siren is still that person, only with an unending craving for blood.

Also I just really like those two lines at the end :>

Word count in case anyone's curious: 587

Kamryn Carlisle, one of the four main protagonists of The Moth Crown, is a siren, and that fact has a major impact on the story.

Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions, please ask :>

[deep-sea-inc]

I wonder in the is it calling if how much does the ROs and the rest of the crew knows about sirens including how intelligent they are?

So in the crew, there is only 1 character who truly understands the sirens, what they are like, and their intelligence, and that is the enigma himself, Herb. For anyone unfamiliar with Herb, please refer to this post!

Everyone else only knows what has been told in childhood fairytales or bard's tales and songs most of which isnt reliable informathion they do assume a lot about MC and their nature at first based upon that

In these tales sirens are basically reduced to being animalistic hunters who use their hallucinogenic powers to lure people to the depths of the sea they are never described to have emotions or cares or a life beyond their insatiable hunger

[ask-sonata-dusk]

"Sirens…truly are a one in million huh?..."

@ask-coppertop

Here's the pics without the text bubbles:

[indeepertidesif]

Is rune our cousin?

Absolutely not. Pods like the one MC’s mother belonged to are large and made up of hundreds of different families that are constantly growing and changing as sirens move around the world.

Rune’s family has ruled over this pod for the past 89 years. They are close friends with MC’s family, but they are by no means related.

[sablesfables]

Well what about sirens? That's a bit tricky. See, singing magic has always been a thing, and there are some capable of using it to perform great feats. Could there have been instances of song magic used to entice? Yeah. And could there have been instances of it being used to sink ships? Maybe. But these instances are few and far between and are downright gone now. Just some more lore

[krushkreates]

i’m making up siren/mermaid lore bc we have none and canon is a suggestion to me!!!

it’s all over the place but i need to get this all down

—

mermaids

mermaids are the umbrella magical race term for both of them, but sirens get their own seat in the ruling council (much like gavin explained how succubi and incubi get their own seats).

mermaids are NOT shifters, but fall more into the spectrum of the vampire’s relationship with magic.

they mainly live in the water, but there are a couple different kinds that live in more amphibious environments, preferring to sun themselves on rocks instead of floating in a reef. mermaids have a call like sirens, but it’s only to attract mates and prey (most of the time, their calls are used ONLY for mates as they’re great hunters)

taking inspo from h2o, best mermaid show you can be turned, tho the process is tedious and quite painful. many don’t go down this route. empowered people wishing to be turned often lose all of their powers, and if they don’t, it’s a mere fraction of what they used to have. for example; a fire elemental becomes a mermaid and loses most of their magic. however, they can warm the water around them and are immune to any underwater vents or volcanos. if an unempowered person turns, they only gain better eyesight and hearing.

to transport a mermaid is similar to transporting aquatic life. this is why the council has their meetings once a year to discuss mermaid-specific issues.

sirens

sirens are shifters! the turning process is far less painful and lengthy than a mermaids. they align more with a wolf shifter’s relationship with magic. able to learn more and empowered people always keep their magic.

a siren’s call is the most dangerous thing about them. they are known to lure whomever for whatever they want. often times sirens are compared to sex demons, since their calls tend to be more lust driven than anything else.

when an unempowered person is turned, they gain better hearing and eyesight, and exceptional illusory beauty. essentially, when they use their call, a person that answers will see their desired partner or “type” or “dream person”. this is similar to sex demons, but sirens don’t physically change themselves. think of it as a funhouse mirror. you, yourself aren’t changed, but the mirror has been warped to change your appearance. that’s illusory beauty. it’s only on when they use their call, otherwise a siren appears as they are normally.

sirens live on land only, but many live in costal cities, as they are particularly fond of the ocean. a water elemental siren may spend more time in the ocean or take a job involving the beach/water.

can sirens and mermaids intermarry and reproduce?

yes! sirens are mermaids, but mermaids aren’t sirens. however, their DNA is similar enough that many half-siren half-mermaid children have been born over the years.

it’s difficult to be in a relationship with each other, as one is water-only, and the other land-only. research has been done to try and shift a mermaid, but results have been disappointing.

how long do they live?

mermaids and sirens are not immortal, contrary to popular belief.

they have an above average lifespan, with mermaids averaging 200 years and sirens living an extra 10 years (data on sirens has been little).

do these races face discrimination?

yes. sirens in particular are always compared to sex demons, and their reputation for luring in people has only amplified that. most sirens don’t use their call for evil, and puberty is an especially hard time for them. calls from sirens in puberty are random and happen uncontrollably. many sirens have been bullied due to their magical race and are viewed with the same disdain as demons. many go incognito and suppress their auras to avoid any potential problems.