Siren's Lament

Origins of Sirens' voice.
A tale by sirens luring sailors to death by beauty and song.
This is how the siren came to sing...

Summary

The sirens of olde could not sing till the selkie lass and William, tiefling sailor, came to be. Their love, blind devotion, and foolishness lead to the sirens we now know!

— old sailor regaling the Siren's Lament

The tale of two lovers separated by wave and fleeting glee. It speaks of only their ending, the sailor by tempest and the lass by the siren. Through brutal and mysterious means, the sirens gain the lass's voice in using it to lure sailors for their feasting.
The song had spread far before the sirens taking the lass's voice. Many a traveler recording the song and spreading the legend of a woman luring sirens to shore. The song is forbidden on ships, for it is said all one needs is a voice, ocean and the song to lure a siren's death.

Historical Basis

Truth is best sung, but the tale holds all. The song has been repeatedly recorded and sung though some words changed. Their place of birth is Ebon Harbor aka Blackwall. An old wooden pier set beside rocks, appearing at low tide, is the Siren's Perch.
There is where the selkie lass died and her sailor left all those years ago. The sirens return on the selkie's death and watch her ghost sing then dive into an ocean that she never reaches. It is an event that travelers come to watch. Attempts to prevent the sirens from being there has only lead to death and the anger of Nimesaaler, the Tempest.

In Literature

A tiefling sailor and a selkie lass fall in love. They would travel the sea and land for all the lass could, together. However, the journey to death was not in a warm lovers embrace, but into the cold depths of the sea.
They were to travel by sea, but this trip she would not embark telling 'William, when you go I fear you'll ne'er return again.' Without a coat the sailor would be if not for the lass's pelt, upon the lass's insistence, the sailor promises to return and she to the sea.
Lass of the sea returned to the pier, there she would sing hoping her voice would be carried by wave and wind. The sirens hearing her sorrowful yet foolishly hopeful song lured them to rest upon the rocks beside the pier. Patiently for song's end, they waited to give her the offer of a soul for a song.
Their raspy voices offering to carry her to the sailor for her song, but she sings ' There is nothing can console me but my jolly sailor bold.' Every visit; she sung, they offered, and in kind she refused. Growing older upon the land weakened the selkie lass, her visits less and less, till one moon it was her last.
The sirens had waited for her upon the rocks, once her song was finished, and they offered once more. She refused sealing her fate with the sirens. Throwing her pelt across her, they laughed while she wailed in grief then feasted before she could escape to the sea.
Now, they sing her song...

In Art

The song is traditionally sung by a feminine voice without accompaniment. If accompanied, it is with more voices and/or a small number of instruments. However, singing of the song takes place inside buildings and away from the shoreline for the fear of luring sirens to the shore.
Lyrics Added after WE...
My Jolly Sailor Bold - Danny Spooner*

Listen

Lyrical Variations

From mouth to mouth, the words can change but the story it tells is the same. Common variations are the sailor's name, sailor's eye color, lass's city and name. The sailor's eyes are described 'black as coal' in the original song as the stone found at Ebon Harbor was first believed to be coal. Two common variation of the sailor's eyes are 'black as sloe' and 'black as gold' refering to the Sloe plant's berries and the sailor's greed, respectfully.

Related Locations

• Ebon Harbor