Siren

Origin and tradition

Greek mythology describes Sirens as dangerous singers whose voices lure sailors toward wreckage and death.

Illustration in this atlas

A woman's head joins a feathered bird's body, wings, and feet above a rocky coast. The plate follows the bird-bodied Siren familiar from ancient Greek art; later mermaid imagery is a different artistic development.

References and further reading

1. britannica.com — Siren-Greek-mythology
2. britishmuseum.org — G 1842-0728-844
3. theoi.com — Seirenes.html

These references offer further reading. Accounts and depictions vary; the atlas illustration is interpretive artwork, rather than historical or scientific evidence.