This painting, by the German artist Hans Thoma (c. 1839-1924), was inspired by the Sirens of ancient Greek myth. These mythological creatures were characterized in the ancient tales as formidable monsters who were known to use beautiful singing to lure seafarers to their deaths. Homer, the great Greek poet who flourished around 700 BCE, described the danger of the Sirens in a speech that he wrote for the character, Circe. She told Odysseus:
“There is no homecoming for the man who draws near them unawares and hears the Sirens’ voices; no welcome from his wife, no little children brightening at their father’s return. For with their high clear song the Sirens bewitch him, as they sit there in a meadow piled high with the mouldering skeletons of men, whose withered skin still hangs upon their bones” (Homer, The Odyssey, book 12, approximately lines 40-50).
Traditionally, ancient Greek Sirens were said to have been monsters with the curious form of a woman’s head (and sometimes torso) fused onto the body of a bird. Later artists, including Hans Thoma, opted to abandon the avian qualities of the Sirens in their artworks, instead taking the more aesthetically pleasing route of depicting the creatures as nymph-like humanoid figures lounging on the shore. Nevertheless, hints to the Sirens’ deadly nature remain in Thoma’s painting, as a skull can be seen half buried in the sand at the forefront of the artwork.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Sources:
- The Odyssey by Homer, translated by E. V. Rieu and edited by D. C. H. Rieu. New York: Penguin Classics, 2009.
- https://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Seirenes.html
- https://cyfrowe.mnw.art.pl/en/catalog/443008
