Sirens is the latest Netflix drama taking social media by storm. It’s got everything audiences love: beautiful imagery, a brilliant cast and, of course, a juicy plot twist.
Audiences drawn to the series have clocked countless references to sirens — and I’m not just talking about the ones found on emergency vehicles. I’m talking about the old school hot, scary creatures from Greek Mythology.
According to the showrunner and series creator, Mollie Smith Metzler, the siren references run deep, giving us a fascinating insight into the characters, their intentions and our own initial assumptions.
Before we get into it, please note that there will be spoilers in this article.
What are sirens?
Before we get into the show’s lore, let’s start with the mythology. In Greek Mythology, sirens are enchanting half-bird and half-woman creatures said to be the daughters of the river god Achelous and a Muse (a goddess of inspiration).
However, through time, siren imagery has shifted to be more mermaid-like.
As the legend has it, sirens would reside on the rocks on European islands and sing sweet songs that would captivate the sailors travelling past the islands. The mythology says the songs sung by the Sirens were so enchanting that sailors would either throw themselves into the water or steer their vessels far too close to the rocks, resulting in their impending deaths.
Generally speaking, sirens and the myths surrounding them evoke themes of desire, temptation, and following the pursuit of things you wish for that aren’t always obtainable.
What do the creators have to say about their mythical inspirations?
Obviously, there are stark references to the mythology in the series. The Kell estate is positioned on a cliff, overlooking dangerous rocks which travellers have to take a two-hour ferry to visit. Michaela (Julianne Moore) is painted as the magnetic leader of her social circle, who achieved that status by having an affair and later marrying billionaire Peter Kell (Kevin Bacon). In other words, luring Peter away from his marriage.
Michaela is even portrayed as a lover and protector of birds — remember, the whole half-woman, half-bird thing?
Then, there’s Ethan (Glenn Howerton), who literally falls onto the rocks after his break-up with Simone. Or even Devon’s two love interests — Rob (Josh Segarra) and Captain Morgan (Trevor Salter) — who literally follow her like lost dogs across the beach, with Rob even attempting to take his own life after they have a fight.
Even Devon and Simone’s ageing, forgetful father Bruce (Bill Camp) blames the girls’ mother for his own demise.
It all paints a pretty clear comparison to the original myth of the sirens, doesn’t it?
Well, according got Smith-Meltzer, the mythical tales of sirens only share half of the story. In the Netflix adaptation of her 2011 play Elemeno Pea, her goal was to show the true motivations behind the women perceived to be these beautiful yet awful, treacherous creatures.
“Women — especially women like Michaela, Simone, and Devon — are villainised, or cast as seductresses, or they’re beautiful, or they’re cast as monsters, but who’s to say they’re the sirens? What is a monster?” she told Netflix Tudum.
“In Greek mythology, the sirens are only described by the sailors. We don’t ever know the sirens’ point of view.”
At the end of the series, we’re reminded that no matter what the three beautiful, powerful women at the helm of the show do, they’re beholden to the powers of the men around them.
“We call these women monsters in the myth, but for all we know, they’re just singing for help,” Smith Metzler continued.
“In the original myth, they’re there because they’re being punished. They’re trapped. They’re unhappy. It’s a cry for help. All these sailors crash their own stupid ship.
“And then they’re like, ‘It’s because of these beautiful maidens’.”
You can watch Sirens on Netflix.
The post Netflix’s ‘Sirens’ Is Packed With Greek Mythology — Here’s What It All Means appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
