A dumb stupid question about the english language...

yes, basically the same thing.

From Dictionary.com

Siren: One of a group of sea nymphs who by their sweet singing lured mariners to destruction on the rocks surrounding their island.

siren A woman regarded as seductive and beautiful.

When Odysseus had his men tie him to the mast, it was so he could hear the siren's song.

This explains it better than I can... Note that a mermaid is one of the definitions (from Shakespeare).

"Siren," while also an alarm sound, is not what is implied by the album's title.

A siren was a female mythological figure that lured sailors to their doom with their beautiful songs. We see these figures in Homer's Odyssey, though Odysseus saves himself from temptation by tying himself to the mast of his ship and putting sealing wax in his ears to block out the sound.

Mermaids have long been associated with luring sailors to their doom as well, though we now know that animals such as manatees were sometimes mistaken by undersexed sailors for females (how, I have no idea). Mermaids can be either associated with sirens in this way, or can be given only a positive association (by drowning sailors innocently due to falling in love with them but not realizing that they cnnot breathe underwater), much in the way that sirens are also generally associated with being aquatic creatures. However, siren always connotes a seductive song, so beautiful women (especially if they have a lovely voice) are sometimes described as sirens if they seem to pose a threat to men.

Well put, Pope. However, technical note: Odysseus had his men tie him to the mast so he could hear the siren's song, but would be prevented from going to his doom. He had his men seal their ears with wax so they could not hear the sirens's song while they sailed near their island.

I think depthcharge's avatar would make a better cover for Sirens.

bLuE oRdEr wrote: Well put, Pope. However, technical note: Odysseus had his men tie him to the mast so he could hear the siren's song, but would be prevented from going to his doom. He had his men seal their ears with wax so they could not hear the sirens's song while they sailed near their island.

Ah, thanks for the correction. It's been years since I've boned up on the "classics."

At least you've been boning up on something lately, no? :D

I'm not the kind to kiss and tell...but listen to this: [Content deleted by executive decree]

Deleted Content?

GEEK ALERT

To confuse matters, the Sirenia are the order of marine mammals that include Manatees and Dugongs. I'm sure neither of these resemble the sirens Barney alludes to, but apparently these critters are believed to be responsible for sightings of mermaids from early (possibly very drunk) seafarers....

CTB "Bringing history alive"

Nothing like a "sea cow".

The very same....unless you were referring to me.....

CTB wrote: GEEK ALERT

To confuse matters, the Sirenia are the order of marine mammals that include Manatees and Dugongs. I'm sure neither of these resemble the sirens Barney alludes to, but apparently these critters are believed to be responsible for sightings of mermaids from early (possibly very drunk) seafarers....

CTB "Bringing history alive"

Supposedly when they surfaced to sit on the rocks, often their heads would be covered in seaweed giving the impression of long flowing hair.

I think the whiskers would be a turn-off though...

I dunno Blue. After you've been at sea for months on end, you might look past the squid breath, whiskers and tusks, part that seaweed and have a bit of a crack. Hard to fight those seaman urges.

Give her a name ... Lucia, or something exotic.

:\pimp3:

depthcharge wrote: I dunno Blue. After you've been at sea for months on end, you might look past the squid breath, whiskas and tusks, part that seaweed and have a bit of a crack. Hard to fight those seaman urges.

Give her a name ... Lucia, or something exotic.

:\pimp3:

Or Joe?

Gnarf - you said seaman.

Do any other countries refer to their brave seagoing heroes as "skates" or is it just a British thing? The genitalia of a female skate (ie the fish) is undistinguishable from that of a human.

I would imagine.

Does it smell of fish?

:\pimp3:

I would imagine so given that it is, err, a fish...

You people disgust me

:D

In case anyone remembers the original question - this is worth a read...

Sirens

I'm sure that Sirens are quite different to mermaids. Mermaids have no use for nylon stockings, for example.

Medusa was the one with the snakes in her hair, wasn't she? Didn't she sing songs that made sailors want to slam themselves into the rocks and die?

Negative; in order to view Medusa, you must first acquire a reflective device. Any direct viewing of snake hair resulted in immediate death.

Mermaids do not 'entice sailors via song', they 'swim around enticing sailors via beauty alone'. Has no-one seen Splash?

Thanks H. I knew Medusa was a tricky bird. I have seen Splash, and once had a flithy dream about Hannah, despite not being overly impressed with her during the waking hours.

Nah mate, Medusa was a Gorgon. She tried to out-babe Athena and was punished by having her beatiful hair turned into serpents. As a result, anyone who looked at her turned to stone.

*edit* - I obviously type too slow...

Mermaid, in folklore, sea-dwelling creature commonly represented as having the head and body of a woman and a fishtail instead of legs. Belief in mermaids, and in their counterpart, mermen, has existed since earliest times. They are often described as having great beauty and charm, which they use to lure sailors to their deaths (see Siren). In some legends they assumed human shape and married mortals (see Mélusine). The origin of the mermaid is thought by some to be the dugong (see sirenian).

Siren (si'r?n) , in Greek mythology, one of three sea nymphs, usually represented with the head of a woman and the body of a bird. Daughters of Phorcus or of Achelous, the Sirens inhabited an island surrounded by dangerous rocks. They sang so enchantingly that all who heard were drawn near and shipwrecked. Jason and the Argonauts were saved from them by the music of Orpheus, whose songs were lovelier. Odysseus escaped them by having himself tied securely to a mast and by stopping the ears of his men.

Of course the above is from a Thesaurus.

More applicable may be:

Mermaid: lone bike rider, capable of up to 70mph with the wind. Part of the plankton family evolving approx. 6,000 form a winkle. Consumes mainly toffees and dismissed coke tins. Can be found in regular bunches of six or more off the coast of Finland, usually chasing speed boats.

Most interesting fact; can hold breath under water for up to 3 minutes.

Siren: exotic sea mammal with highly developed foghorn system. Unofficially tagged with a rare species of crab called the fiddlers. Mainly eats cockles and mussels but can survive on hamburgers if stranded on dry land. Various irregular sightings in sea water as far ranging as The Cape of Good Fruit and The Cape of Good Stew.

Most interesting fact; able to leap 2,300 ft. above sea level without any jet propulsion.

More sails, perhaps.