Sirin

The Greek siren arrives in Rus by way of Byzantium and changes function on the way: the classical siren sings sailors onto rocks, and the Slavic Sirin sings a hearer into forgetting the world, which is a religious danger rather than a maritime one. The record keeps the distinction. She is entered separately from Alkonost, and not as an alias or a variant of her, because the tradition itself keeps them separate and paints both in the same picture.

Domains

• sorrow
• temptation

Relations

• companion: Alkonost
• companion: Gamayun

Sources

• Reference treatments of Sirin and of the Slavic bird-maidens.