Sirena (Philippine mythology)

Infobox Philippine mythology


title = Sirena
description = Philippine mermaid
gender = Female
region = PhilippinesThe Sirena is a creature of Philippine mythology that said to be living under the sea. They were the Philippine version of mermaids. "Sirena" is a mythological aquatic creature with the head and torso of human female and the tail of a fish. [cite web | last =Waterhouse| first = John William| title = Mermaid| url=http://folknation.wordpress.com/2007/12/17/ | accessdate = 2008-08-09 ] The male version of a "Sirena" is called a "Sireno" sometimes they were also paired with "Siyokoy". "Sirena" was an "engkanto" which was classified as one of the "Bantay Tubig" or the guardians of water. Except for the "Sirena", there were other examples of "Bantay Tubig" like "Sireno", "Siyokoy", "Kataw" and "Ugkoy". "Bantay Tubig" were the partly fish, partly human water-dwelling "engkantos" which were the Filipino counterpart of the English merfolk. [cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= mella, aLfie vera|coauthors= |title=Mga Engkanto: A Bestiary of Filipino Fairies|year=2003 |publisher= eLf ideas Publication|location=Philippines |isbn= |pages = ]

It was also said that "Sirena" have a very beautiful and enchanting voice that can attract and hypnotize male, especially the fishermen. Sirena would sometimes sing to sailors and enchant them, distracting them from their work and causing them to walk off the deck or cause shipwrecks. They would sing with enchanting voices while hiding on the rocks by the shore, and when the men hear the song they will be hypnotized and the "Sirena" will abduct them. According to old folks, they believed that the "Sirena" will carry their victims under the sea and they offer them to their water deities. Other stories would have them squeeze the life out of drowning men while trying to rescue them. They are also said to take them down to their underwater kingdoms.

Malevolent "Sirena" have the penchant to tease and attract human males with their spellbinding songs; but reports of "Sirena" grabbing the seemingly hypnotized humans and drowning them or taking them under water may only be isolated cases. It was either that the tempted human had tried to chase the "Sirena" deep into the water until he drowned or that he had a heart attack upon seeing such an "engkanto" then plunged literally breathless into the water to his death. [cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= mella, aLfie vera|coauthors= |title=Mga Engkanto: A Bestiary of Filipino Fairies|year=2003 |publisher= eLf ideas Publication|location=Philippines |isbn= |pages = ]

Dugongs, sea turtles, and small cetaceans such as dolphins usually accompany "Sirena". [cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= mella, aLfie vera|coauthors= |title=Mga Engkanto: A Bestiary of Filipino Fairies|year=2003 |publisher= eLf ideas Publication|location=Philippines |isbn= |pages = ]

References