▲ Leans unlucky (a warning) Traditionally a warning — read it as pointing to what to watch, not as doom
Singers who lure sailors: beware sweet words and temptation.
Category: World mythology (how to read this category)
Psychology
A being who lures with song to ruin shows temptation and caution arriving together — a too-good offer, a habit you cannot quit. Whether you listened or covered your ears shows which way you lean.
Folklore and history
The Sirens were first shown as birds with women's faces, later as mermaid-like. Odysseus plugged his crew's ears with wax and had himself tied to the mast to hear them safely. The modern warning "siren" takes its name from them.
An encyclopedia of modern strange tales from around the world — a reference for our overseas kaidan and urban-legend articles.
Encyclopedia of Modern World Strange Phenomena (Itsuki Asazato / Kasama Shoin)
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This site's view
In this site's view, Odysseus's trick is the answer: he did not refuse to listen, he built a safeguard first. If you were bound or held back, you already have protection; if you drifted toward the song alone, it is time to set up your own mast.
Going deeper: our reading
Greek myth also tells how the musician Orpheus, aboard ship, played music more beautiful than the Sirens' song and so protected his companions. Rather than blocking the temptation with earplugs, he overwrote it with something more compelling. In this site's reading, those who dream of Sirens are drawn to something but lack anything to replace it. You may want to leave a habit or relationship but have not yet found what will fill the gap. Covering your ears suggests you are holding on through sheer endurance. Singing a different song with companions suggests you are finding other joys and support to take its place. This is our speculation, but hearing the words of the Siren's song may mean your heart is beginning to name what truly draws you. Growing another pleasure tends to last longer than willpower alone.
What to do on waking
Check for any too-good offers lately, and promise yourself to consult someone you trust before deciding.
In this scene
- ◎Good Praying or visiting: wanting to settle your heart; a wish may be heard (good)
- Receiving words from a god: the strongest kind of oracle — keep the words
- ▲Warn The god is angry or turns away: your conscience asking for a review (warning)
- It felt good: the lucky reading gets stronger
- ▲Warn It felt frightening or painful: the warning reading gets stronger — rest first
- The same dream again and again: something your mind has not settled yet
Turning a bad dream
In Japan, people once tried to turn a worrying dream for the better: a baku charm under the pillow, telling the dream to a nandina bush, or reciting an old dream-turning poem. Read the column on dream trading and dream-turning
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FAQ
Q. Is dreaming of a Siren a good or bad sign?
A. Traditionally a warning — read it as pointing to what to watch, not as doom. Singers who lure sailors: beware sweet words and temptation.
Q. Why do I keep dreaming of a Siren?
A. A recurring dream usually points to something your mind has not settled yet. Research suggests such dreams tend to stop once the underlying worry is resolved. Keeping a dream diary helps you notice what triggers it.
Q. What should I do after dreaming of a Siren?
A. Check for any too-good offers lately, and promise yourself to consult someone you trust before deciding.
Related dream essays
- True Dreams and Reverse Dreams: Why We Read Dreams Backwards
- Buying Dreams, Turning Dreams: A Japanese History of Dream Trading and Dream Charms
Read this dream with your own scene in the Dream Dictionary →
More dreams in "World mythology"
※ Dream interpretation here is entertainment drawing on psychology and folklore — it is not scientifically proven. "This site's view" is our own interpretation.
