The Sounds of Sirens; Odyssey 12. 184-91

The Siren episode in the Odyssey provides an excellent example of its hero's famous polytropia. "The Sounds of Sirens" draws upon the work of ancient and modern commentators to address the episode as a liminal experience. The importance of music in Greek civilization is a given, as is its importance in the Greco-Roman system of education. However, the particular appeal of the Sirens' song lies in its ability to transcend the earthly and lift the human spirit to a higher plane. To the mortal Odysseus, the bewitching song of the Sirens is a passageway through which he can attain, however imperfectly, a sense of union with the divine.