Power Of The Sirens In Homer's Odyssey

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Imagine a sound so beautiful that upon hearing it, you could not bear to resist moving closer to the source. A hypnotizing song, where each note pulls you deeper into the trance, calling you. Odysseus and his men encountered a sound that mystifying along their journey home to Ithaca. That kind of song is the crippling power of the Sirens, the “creatures that spellbind any man alive, whoever comes their way” (12. 45-46). Since all who draw too near to the sirens are entrapped, Odysseus accomplished a great feat by getting past them; however, he did not do it merely by his own strength. Odysseus and his crew received guidance from a goddess, named Circe, whom had excellent foresight. With Circe’s help, Odysseus was able to learn a valuable lesson …show more content…
This episode is important because this is where he gained the valuable skill of trust that he would need when he finally arrived home and had to beware who he revealed himself to. When faced with the temptation of the Sirens’ song, Odysseus knew that he had to fight it, just as Circe had instructed. However, Odysseus could not have resisted the Sirens alone, first he had to trust the goddess’ advice, then he had to trust in his men. As Odysseus listened to their song he said, “I signaled the crew with frowns to set me free- they rowed on harder…Perimedes and Eurylochus springing up at once to bind me faster with rope on chafing rope” (12.210-213). What a terrible fate that would have awaited all the men had Odysseus not trusted them to keep him from falling into the Sirens’ trap or if he could not have trusted them to keep the beeswax in their ears so that they themselves would not be tempted with the music. Without this episode, Odysseus would not be as trusting of the gods and other men that are potentially weaker than he. This episode enhances the theme that it pays to listen. Odysseus had to listen to his heart and what he knew to be true to resist the Sirens, he had to listen to the goddess, Circe, concerning the course of action needed to survive and he had to listen to the part of himself that was willing to blindly trust his
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