Sirens in Mermaid costumes were possibly the most dangerous women that sailors could ever face while out at sea. They were similar in that they were both said to use song to draw sailors to them, but while sirens would generally have them crash their boats against rocks near shore, mermaids would take them from their ships. In some cultures though, the word for fish and bird are the same. So a mermaid (half fish, half woman) and a siren (half bird, half woman) could have originated from the same creature in folklore. In Greek mythology, sirens are sometimes completely water-dwelling creatures and have mermaid-like qualities. Though many insist they are two completely different things. Regardless, they are two sets of partial-women that you really did not want to mess with.

mermaid

Sirens were known for their song. They were beautiful, yes, but it was not their beauty that attracted the sailors; it was only the song. A song which called out to their very souls and was practically impossible to resist. Though if you did not resist it, you would either end up on a sinking ship or -possibly worse- on land with them. Their main dwelling was a field of flowers, and according to Circe they would lay around in that field with the corpses of all the men that followed them there and could not bring themselves to leave.

Mermaids also sang and distracted sailors so that they might accidentally run their ships aground. They would also sometimes take the men into the sea to visit their kingdom, sometimes purposefully killing them, and other times simply forgetting that men could not breathe underwater. The first mermaid stories date back as early as 1000 BC. When they were spotted it was generally a bad omen that either something bad was going to happen, or they were going to make something bad happen. Though in Japan it was said that if you could catch a mermaid and eat her flesh, it would grant you immortality. In Finnish myths they are able to reverse illnesses, and grant wishes. They are said to be vain, but innocent in that they will often fall in love with men and attempt to prove this love by any means.

Overall though, the risks of interacting with mermaids, or sirens greatly outweigh the benefits. Remember this the next time you’re out at sea. Oh, and bring earplugs.

May we reconvene under the blood red moon,
-Black Widow

Mermaid

Sirens and mermaids were beautiful creatures that would cause the death of sailors In various ways. Sirens (who were half bird, half woman) lived in fields of flowers and would sit themselves on the coasts or cliff sides that faced the oceans. Their songs would draw in sailors and keep them there basically until they died of thirst or hunger. Once they had heard the song, it was like their very souls had been penetrated, and they simply could not find the will in them to leave. It wasn’t that the sirens forcibly kept them there, it was the strength of the song that was so great. In contrast, mermaids were half woman, half fish and though they also sang, it wasn’t so much their songs as it was their beauty that lured sailors to their deaths. They were also said to either be a bad omen, a notification that bad luck would befall a shop. Or sometimes that they themselves were the bringers of this misfortune. Some mermaids were vengeful creatures that would purposefully drag men down to their watery deaths, while others were more innocent and would simply wish to show these men their kingdom out of love; unfortunately despite the motives, it almost always ended with men being drown.

This Halloween why not be in one of theseabsinthe fairy costumes? The costumes are mainly left up to interpretation so long as two key descriptors are included; the mermaid must have a fish tail, and the siren must have bird like qualities, whether it be wings, or talons or something that distinguishes her as a Siren and not an angel or a harpy. Once that important part of the costume is out of the way, the rest is left up to you. If you chose to be a mermaid you could make a sea-shell bra to wear, or just get a flesh colored shirt and style your hair so that it drapes down over your chest. For a siren costume you could include flowers in your hair or outfit. Have fun with it, and be creative! I’m sure that your costume will be a smash hit this Halloween.