god
the Sirens
also: Sirenum, the Sirens, Sirens
The Sirens of Greek myth, sea-creatures whose song lured sailors to their deaths, encountered by Odysseus in the Odyssey. In De Finibus 5.49 Cicero argues that Homer made them promise knowledge rather than mere sweet song, to show the natural human desire to learn.
Reading notes
- On the Ends of Good and Evil §5.49 the song of the Sirens
The Sirens of the Odyssey lured sailors to death with their song. Cicero notes that Homer made them promise knowledge, not mere melody, to dramatize the natural human craving to learn.