Panel of ornament with two sirens engraved by Lucas van Leyden, 1528. In Greek mythology the Sirens were dangerous and beautiful creatures, portrayed as femme fatales who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. They were formerly handmaidens of the goddess Persephone. When the girl was secretly abducted by Hades, Demeter gave them the bodies of birds, and sent to assist in the search. They eventually gave up and settled on the flowery island of Anthemoessa. The Sirens were later encountered by the Argonauts who passed by unharmed with the help of Orpheus, the poet drowning out their music with his song. Odysseus also sailed by, bound tightly to the mast, his men blocking their ears with wax. The Sirens were so distressed to see a man hear their song and yet escape, that they threw themselves into the sea and drowned. The Sirens were depicted as birds with either the heads, or the entire upper bodies, of women.