Sirens 
 
The Sirens were bird-women, who lured sailors to their island with their songs. There were said to be either two or three Sirens. The song of the Sirens would cause to sailors to forget whom they were and where they were going, often causing them to wreck their ships on reef. The Sirens were said to live on the island of Anthemoessa. Those who jumped overboard and swam to the island - would be killed and devoured by the Sirens, or they just simply waste away listening to their songs.

There has been lost of speculation about what they sang, that would lure the sailors to their death. Some think that the songs were different for each sailor, other say that it was not the words, but it was their magical qualities of their voices that lure sailors.

The Argonauts managed to escape the song, because the great musician, Orpheus. Orpheus played his lyre so beautifully, that it drowned out the songs from the Sirens. Only one Argonaut could not resist the song, probably because his hearing was better than the other Argonauts. Butes, the son of Teleon or Poseidon and Zeuxippe, jumped overboard, swimming towards his death. Aphrodite took pity on Butes, spirited the hero away to Lilybaeum, in Sicily, where he became the goddess' lover.

In the Odyssey, Circe warned Odysseus about the Sirens' seductive song, telling the hero the measure he must take to protect his crew. It was simply plugging their ears with bee-wax. Circe knew that Odysseus was curious about the song. Circe suggested that her lover should have himself tied to the ship mast until they pass the island.