Siren lore: The Supernatural creatures and the real Greek mythology

Sirens were introduced in Supernatural in Season 4. Here’s a look at the real Greek siren lore and the version the show used.

Did anyone see the siren turning out to be male in Supernatural Season 4, Episode 14? Really, it was a sign that the siren can transform into whatever it needs to be for its victims, but I don’t think any really expected it to become a male to force the Winchesters to fall for it. It was a complete twist on the real siren lore from Greek mythology.

And that’s where the siren lore comes from. There are dozens of tales from the past of sailors going to their deaths because of the lure of a siren.

Even real lore and stories have adapted over the years. When you think of sirens, you likely think of mermaids. But what if I told you they were bird-women first? Here’s a look at the Supernatural lore used and the real Greek mythology.

Supernatural sirens lure people to commit dastardly acts

More from Supernatural

• Jensen Ackles and The Winchesters cast kick off #SaveTheWinchesters campaign
• Will The Winchesters be saved? (Can Supernatural fans save the prequel?)
• Did The Winchesters get renewed? (Is The Winchesters season 2 happening?)
• Is a new episode of The Winchesters on tonight? (March 14, 2023)
• The Winchesters Season1 finale explained: Did it connect to Supernatural?

In the series, the sirens didn’t actually lure its victims to their deaths. Instead, the siren would encourage the victim to carry out murder of a loved one. Most of the time, this was men who lured by the promise of love as long as they killed their loved one.

For Sam and Dean, that allure was slightly different. They weren’t looking for love but the perfect brother. The siren transformed into a man to bring that perfect brother.

The siren call is completely different to the lore. Instead of being a song to lure people in, it’s a poison transferred through saliva. Once a victim is poisoned, they fall completely under the siren’s spell.

A siren can only be killed by a bronze dagger dipped in the blood of its most recent victim. That will also release the victim from the spell.

Real siren lore throughout history

The lore of a siren has changed considerably over the years. As mentioned, many will likely think of the mermaid-like creatures. Even Freeform’s Siren uses mermaids as the siren. But that’s not the original form of the creature.

According to Mythology.net, the sirens are part woman, part bird. This links to the story of when the sirens were tricked into challenging the muses to a singing contest and lost. The muses plucked out the sirens’ feathers to wear as a crown.

Either way, there is one thing consistent with all lore: the siren song. The sirens would lure sailors to their doom and then use the bones to make a nest for themselves. Sirens would only die if their victims survived their song.

What’s important in the tale is that they were never evil to begin with. Abused in their earlier life, they were banished to an island and that turned them against the world. It’s also possible that they sang to share their grief, which was too painful for mere mortals to hear.

Another theory is that the men died from starvation on the island. They were lured in by the sirens, who just wanted to be loved. This lore connects slightly to Supernatural, in that the siren enjoyed being loved and watching people kill for him.

What do you know of real siren lore? Are you surprised by the mixture of legends? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Follow SPN Hunters on Twitter for more Supernatural lore straight to your feed.