Title: Seduction and the Secret Power of Women: The Lure of Sirens and Mermaids Author: Meri Lao Publisher: Park Street Press Publish Date: 2007 Pages: 222 Genres:: Women's Studies, Literature, Non-Fiction Reviewer: Chris R. Morgan

Rating:

Would any woman ever appreciate being referred to as a "siren?" I always thought no, mainly because the original sirens of mythology, as I recall it, were linked with disaster as well as seduction. Though they've been elevated somewhat in the hands of post-classical writers as symbols of hotness, allure, among other things related to sexiness. Originally published nine years earlier as Sirens: Symbols of Seduction, Meri Lao examines the symbolic significance of all things half-chick/half-animal of some kind and its effects on the male imagination.

The entire introduction is dedicated to the roots of the siren, most famously mentioned in Homer's The Odyssey, but not physically described. Typically, the mythical version of these creatures were women with the body of a bird and incandescent musical abilities for which to lure men into complete control. More often than not, they were seen with some kind of lyre for emphasis of this form of hypnosis. Another common attribute, a darker one at that, was that they would commit suicide upon encountering a man who resisted their seduction for whatever reason, which Ulysses ended up doing himself.  

From there, Lao explores this mythical creature's evolution through various other pagan religions and post-pagan religions, though the text is not done in a linear fashion per se. She devotes some text to the musically inclined bird women and shifts into the more common fish-siren, better known as a mermaid. Mermaids, who are not as gifted with song as their airborne versions, came out of the Anglo-Saxon culture of the ninth century and have since been associated with Celtic myth and hints of them go as far back as Alexander the Great who supposedly made a contract of some kind with creatures of a similar appearance. Also discussed in the book are sirens in relation to science (who knew the manatee would ever be linked to something do damn hot?) and contemporary culture. Not much is dedicated to the modern period. Lao notes that they have been useful as endorsers of various nautical-related products in order to call significant attention from consumers. And, of course, let's not forget its acquirement into the Disney mythology and the Barbie series.

Lao's book is eloquently expressed while not detracting from the academic approach. There is a great deal of focus on the classical and pre-Renaissance incarnations of the sirens, but those who are interested in the subject will likely be more than comfortable with that. It would have served the book better, however, if she'd expanded on the last two chapters on science and the modern siren. But her analysis is executed very well, formulating this mythological creature as having a power to take men out of their sensibilities with a song of, as she puts it, the subversive and dream-like. It's interesting to see how those in the before times dealt with their sexual hang-ups.