Siren
Sirens are as beautiful and dangerous as the sea. Some of the fair-folk, they be. They spend their days singing on the rocks to lure sailors to their doom.That is how a typical sailor would describe them. They wouldn't be entirely wrong except for a few glaring mistakes: The first mistake would be to assume sirens are counted among the fae simply because they're magical. As fae cannot stand salt, this couldn't be more wrong. Rather, they are counted in a lesser-known category scholars have named Myth-folk. The second mistake is in thinking that sirens have nothing better to do than to sit on rocks all day drowning sailors and combing their hair.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Sirens have two basic states of being: the "human" or land form, and the water form.
A siren's land form is basically of the same appearance of a human's, although their eyes can often be strange colours compared to humans' dependant on which sea spirit they originated from.
A siren in their water form is actually often mistaken for mermaids. Key physical differences include a much longer and more whip-like tail, distinctly human ears and facial features, and mammalian breasts.
Differences between males and females can be more or less obvious dependent on when a particular siren chooses to become a specific sex. Sirens can choose to become male, female, or intersex, or choose to remain sexless. It is worth noting that while some sirens may choose one sex for the purposes of having children but still identify and appear nonbinary.
A siren in their water form has gills which grow along the ribcage, right over the lungs. When diving into deeper waters, their bodies secrete a mucus into the inside of their lungs - much like a whale does - to prevent the tissue from sticking together until they're needed again. When shifting between forms, the gills are among the first physical traits to appear and always the first to disappear.
The tail, dependent on the type of siren, is essentially an extension of the spine and replaces the legs and hips while underwater. In water form, all organs save for the lungs and heart move to fill the tail area which starts at about the waist. When shifting into their land form, the organs all fit inside the human-like body as they would in a normal human. A small swim bladder replaces the appendix to aid in maintaining buoyancy at desired depths.
Genetics and Reproduction
Reproduction for a siren will depend on several factors. As a species, they are highly adaptable, and the children born to them are no different.
If the mother siren spends most of her time on land, especially during the pregnancy, then the child will most likely be born live and have a gestation time of approximately nine months (assuming the father is mammalian). If a majority of the mother's time is spent swimming in her water form, then the gestation typically lasts 2-3 months, after which point an egg is laid and allowed to incubate until the total time has reached 9 months. Appearance of the egg will vary depending on the species of the siren/s.
A siren mother has a ~75% chance of producing a fully siren child (higher if the pregnancy takes place in the water, though exact percentages will depend on the species of the father), with a ~20% chance of the child being fully of the father's species and ~5% chance of the child being a hybrid.
Any pregnancy in which a siren is the father will progress in the same manner as is typical for the mother's species with a ~20% chance of the child being a siren, ~75% chance of the child being the mother's species, and ~5% chance of the child being a hybrid.
It is theorized that the numbers for males and females are inverted because all development is done in the mother's womb, and thus a child of the same species is more likely to be compatible
Growth Rate & Stages
Sirens born in the water are born sexless. After reaching puberty, a siren can choose to become male, female, intersex, or remain nonbinary. It isn't uncommon for sirens to choose to change from one sex to another later on in life.
All sirens will grow at the same rate as humans until they reach adulthood. Their aging then slows to as little as 1/10th the rate of humans in the case of predominantly ocean-bound sirens, or as much as 1/2 for land-bound sirens.
Ecology and Habitats
Siren's can be found all over the world, on land or in the sea, but are most often found in the waters belonging to their sea spirit ancestor, as their bodies are best suited for those environments. Sirens born in the shallows are ill-fitted for swimming in deeper waters or even crossing vast open waters, and likewise a siren born in the dark depths would find the light closer to the surface too bright in the daytime without proper acclimation and will rarely venture onto land.
On land, sirens are unlikely to live anywhere without an easy water source and are severely uncomfortable existing at extremely high altitudes. While salt water is preferable, sirens can adapt to swimming in fresh water with time, though shifting between land and water forms must be intentional unless the siren was gestated and born in fresh water to begin with. A siren born in fresh water will be almost unable to exist in salt water for very long, though they can train a tolerance in brackish waters.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Sirens can eat nearly anything humans can, while also being able to consume almost any raw seafood. A siren can survive on a mostly meat-based diet, but at least some vegetation is required for most varieties to maintain proper nutritional balance and optimal health.
Sirens cannot become fully vegetarian without serious health risks.
Biological Cycle
Sirens born in climates that experience winter will begin to develop layers of fat as the weather gets colder. Some may begin to hibernate at such a time, while others might continue hunting throughout the season. For sirens living in such conditions, late autumn is a common mating season and expecting sirens can slow or delay development of their eggs until spring, making good use of their winter insulation.
Sirens in tropical waters tend not to go through any cycles after their puberty ceases. Their lives are more leisurely and routine is often merely dictated by the life cycles of their prey and the changing weather.
While all sirens can live many times longer than an average human, those who spend a majority of their time in the water tend to enjoy more of an extended lifespan than those who choose to spend their time on land, with those from the tropical shallows tending to possess the longest lifespan.
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Siren scales, tears, and blood are both highly useful in several forms of alchemy, and their hair can carry enchantments very well. As such, they are highly coveted in the magical community. In some areas, there is a black market for live sirens which appeals to both the eccentric, morally bankrupt rich and less scrupulous mages.
It is common for sirens to create jewelry and ornaments from the shiny things they find on the seabed, and not uncommon for some to sell such handcrafts.
Average Intelligence
Sirens possess equal intelligence to humans, with a particular knack for learning spoken language.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
A siren's vocal range and hearing both far exceed normal human limits. In addition to being able to hear and sing far above a human's natural range, they can weave magic into their voices, often unintentionally, to make their songs able to manipulate anything from the weather to the unconscious minds of the mundane folk.
A siren's eyes are specialized to see both above and below the water with near perfect clarity, however only those born from the depths of the oceans will be able to see very well in darkness, and even that will have its limits.
In the air, a siren's senses of smell and taste equate those of a human, but are more acute underwater to help them locate prey.
Civilization and Culture
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Sirens all share a single language with the other mythfolk of the seas. Often colloquially called Merrow Speech , it's something akin to the sounds of whale song and a dolphin's clicking. Most of it falls outside the human range of hearing. Sirens of the surface and sirens of the deep have diverging dialects, in some cases being almost unrecognizable as the same language.
History
The first sirens were born from the sea spirits. Using sailors' blood that had been spilled in their waters, they created mortal children to explore and wonder at all within their territories. Eventually, the spirits also used these children to bring news of things happening on the land that might affect the seas.
They have done their fair share of shaping what history in regards to the open waters. One of the original sirens was responsible for the creation of the death spirit of the oceans, Davy Jones, by way of a powerful curse. A few sirens with the taste for human flesh together started the well-known myth that all sirens exist to trick men into crashing their ships and drowning themselves (and many young sirens still learning to control the hypnotic magics in their voices have accidentally kept that myth relevant and popular).
From the time the first siren set foot on land, their history has intertwined with that of the land folk. It was through the cooperation of both sirens and humans that the century-long war between all the sea spirits was finally settled and definitive territories for each spirit laid out, the boundaries of most still existing in the same places today.
The majority of sirens born now are the children of other sirens, though a few sea spirits have been known to create new sirens as boons to sailors they hold in high favour.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Mythus Aqae Arcanus Meloda Sapien
Lifespan
140-640 years
Average Physique
Most sirens in ideal conditions have lithe bodies made of compact muscle and enough fat for them to live comfortably in the waters they were born in.
Sirens of the extreme north and south, and some variants from the depths, tend to be rounder with more layers of fat to keep them warm in the colder waters, particularly in winter.
Related Myths
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