The Lures
The Sirens and The Lotus Eaters
Women of the Sea
The Sirens were creatures of the sea. They looked like naturally beautiful women; they lured the men in, but they were not women at all. The Sirens were evil creatures that had the intent of killing every sailor that passed by them. Their process was very simple, first, lure the men in with their charms, which worked very easily; second, sing to them a melody that would enchant them unwillingly; third, take them off to a small island and leave them to rot in a large pile of all the past men. There was a mass pile of bones where all the past men had been. None of the men knew of these deadly creatures and were not warned of how to protect themselves against their singing. This led to their demise.
Citations: 2 & 3
Odysseus and the Battle of the Sirens
Odysseus had been warned prior to entering the land of the Sirens. He was told that if they heard the singing his crew and himself would end up in the pile of bodies. Odysseus blocked the ears of everyone in his crew with wax and told them to not pay attention to the Sirens, at all costs, avoid hearing the singing. The men were to just keep rowing through it all while Odysseus would distract the Sirens to just himself. He did this by tying himself to the mast of the ship and listen to the Sirens. He would not be taken away because he was tied to the mast of the ship. The legend was told that when someone passed the Sirens successfully they would die. After Odysseus and his crew passed the Sirens, they were never seen again. They had killed off the evil Sirens.
Citations: 4
Land of the Lotus Eaters
In the coarse of his journey, Odysseus came across a beautiful land. Odysseus was so overwhelmed by the beauty of the place that he decided it would be a good place for his crew and him to rest for the night. Before spending the night, Odysseus sent a few of his men out to check to see how the natives of the island were. The men sent out on their Journey. After a long period of time the men had not yet returned. Odysseus wondered what had become of them.
Citations: 1
Lotus Hypnosis
Odysseus set off to go find the men of his crew. He finally stumbled upon them in the middle of the island along with the natives. They were all craving over the lotus plants, digesting them. The lotus plant had made them forget of their homelands and live apathetic, uncaring lives. Odysseus's crew did not want to go back with him but he forced it upon them. The lotus plant had made them very tired and they were about to fall into a deep sleep. To keep them from falling into a deep sleep and as a punishment for their actions, Odysseus made them row as hard as they could until they remembered who they were. The crew then voyaged on.
Citations: 1
Work Cited
1. McMahon, Mary. "Who Were the Lotus Eaters." Wise Geek. N.p., 28 Sept. 2014. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
2. Parada, Carlos. "SIRENS - Greek Mythology Link." SIRENS - Greek Mythology Link. American Philological Association, 2004. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.
3. Evslin, Bernard. The Sirens. New York: Chelsea House, 1988. Print.
4. Homer: Odyssey Book XII, the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis (ca. 750 BCE)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.