These were
malicious sea nymphs in the
legends of ancient
Greece and
Rome.
Variations on the name are: Sireen, Sirene, or Syrene.
They were the
offspring of
Phorcys.
They appeared as half
bird, half
woman and they
congregated on the rocks of
Sicily where they sung
melodiously to attract and
beguile and sometimes
devour(!) passing
sailors.
Their individual names were: Aglaopheme, Leucosia, Ligia, Parthenope, Pisinoe and Thelxiepia.
Legend has it that
Odysseus was able to pass by their island successfully by filling the ears of his men with
wax and tying himself to the mast of his
ship.
Jason and the Argonauts were said to have caused the
demise of the
sirens when they heard
Orpheus singing more
sweetly than they did.
In the
northwestern Spanish coastal area there is a type of
mermaid called "
La Sirena", which seems to be a
derivative of the Siren.
However this creature is not
malevolent.