Mermaids are often confused with sirens. Part of the reason for this is the spontaneous origin of these creatures, as well as their love of luring sailors and the desire to destroy people by drowning them. However, in reality, these creatures are very different from each other.
Who are mermaids and sirens
Mermaids are a broad image that includes many features. Some peoples portrayed them as half-women, half-fish, half of whose body was covered with scales, while others speak of mermaids as ordinary-looking girls. However, in any case, these creatures are always directly connected with water and often it is in it that they live.
Even these aquatic creatures can be on land for a long time. For example, midday - daytime mermaids - walk for a long time in the fields.
As a rule, mermaids are portrayed as very beautiful girls with long flowing hair. The last element of the image is especially important because it creates a contrast with ordinary girls weaving braids or hiding their hair under a scarf or other headdress. For sirens, this contrast does not matter, so it is not emphasized.
Sirens are creatures from Greek mythology. They are depicted as half-fish or half-birds, moreover, in the first case, they may have a tail instead of legs. Sirens have impeccable voices and a special power that allows them to lure people and kill them.
What are the differences between sirens and mermaids
One of the biggest differences between sirens and mermaids is where they come from. Both are lower spirits. However, the sirens are of divine origin, since they are the daughters of the sea god and the muse, while mermaids are young drowned women or girls who died unbaptized.
There are widespread myths according to which mermaids have no soul at all and dream of finding it by luring and killing people. They are also often credited with vindictiveness, a desire to repay the suffering of living people.
The second difference between these creatures is their way of luring. Mermaids are usually extraordinarily beautiful. Seeing such a "girl" combing her long hair, men lost their heads from passion and eventually died, swimming too far. Sirens, on the other hand, might not have had an attractive appearance. They inherited magical voices from their mother muse. Hearing their sweet singing, the sailors lost their minds and sent the ship straight to the rocks and eventually died after the shipwreck. Also, some myths say that sirens lull men to sleep with voices, after which they kill them, tear them apart and eat them.
Finally, mermaids can look like ordinary girls (especially when it comes to creatures from Russian mythology or German undines), while sirens necessarily have either a fish tail or bird wings.
