What are the differences between mermaids and sirens?

Answer 1

A siren has a tail that looks like a crab's claw, and a mermaid has a tail that looks like a long fish's tail fin. Sirens sing - a most seductive song. Sirens are birds with women's faces. Check out the Odysse Ulyseus

Answer 2

Sirens and mermaids are the same things but, sirens are just mermaids who have gone over to the dark side, so to speak. Mermaids are very beautiful, gifted and powerful, but since they are mortal and more human than not, as these qualities can create a a terrible human it can also ruin a mermaid. There are also some mermaids that just choose this lifestyle. It is a lot more complex of course but that basically answers your question.

Originally Sirens didn't have anything to do with the sea. The were birds with women's faces that dwelt in the interior of islands and had beautiful voices. They were involved in trying to lure Odysseus and his men from their ship which is probably where the connection to the sea first started. Later (some disreputable) Mermaids tried the same tactic with sailors and ships and because of the similarity of 'what they were doing' to the sirens the association was further made. "Those mermaids are sirens - trying to lure us to our death." Now-a-days the term is applied to mermaids all the time however they remain separate and distinct creatures.

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Answer 3

no, a siren is a water like woman who sings with a beautiful voice and hypnotizes men into drowning Odysseus said sirens were birds with woman's faces that sang a very seductive song. I don't know how they got confused with merfolk.

Answer 4

Sirens can have wings and the face of a woman.

The true siren, as found in greek mythology, is a bird with the face of a women and an entrancing voice.

Mermaid are half woman half fish.

Answer 5

yes

Actually mermaids and sirens are two different creatures. Mermaids are maidens that have fish tails and live in the sea. Siren are birds with woman-faces that live in the fields on islands in the Aegean Sea.

A curious ability of Sirens is they can lure men with their very elegant voices. When a mermaid behaves in a similar way then they have been referred to as Sirens.

Answer 6

Both are not real and from legends. Mermaids, today, are seen as beautiful sea creatures but in legend they are the killers of sailors. Sirens also kill, but they sing a song that drives the ships into rocks. This is where the term " sirens song" comes from. Both are very similar in nature, but the siren is seen as more evil compared to the mermaid.

Answer 7

Not exactly, they both are mythical beings live and breathe in water, but mermaids have fish tail, water nymphs have legs like humans.