Odysseus and the Sirens

Illustration

by Trustees of the British Museum
published on 29 December 2012

Odysseus and the Sirens — An Attic red-figure stamnos, depicting the myth of Odysseus tied to his ship's mast in order to resist the enchanting song of the Sirens. The episode occurs during the hero's long voyage home to Ithaka following the end of the Trojan War. Interestingly, the vase shows one Siren descending into the sea which possibly references the legend that the Sirens would die if any sailors ever successfully escaped their clutches. From Vulci c. 480-450 BCE.

The British Museum, London.

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© Trustees of the British Museum. Republished under the British Museum Standard Terms of Use for non-profit educational purposes. Original image by Trustees of the British Museum. Uploaded by Mark Cartwright, published on 29 December 2012. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Copyright. You cannot use, copy, distribute, or modify this item without explicit permission from the author. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.

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APA Style

Museum, T. o. t. B. (2012, December 29). Odysseus and the Sirens. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/998/odysseus-and-the-sirens/

Chicago Style

Museum, Trustees of the British. "Odysseus and the Sirens." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified December 29, 2012. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/998/odysseus-and-the-sirens/.

MLA Style

Museum, Trustees of the British. "Odysseus and the Sirens." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 29 Dec 2012. Web. 21 Feb 2025.