Sirens

Odysseus returned to Circe’s island once more, and she advised him that he must pass by the Sirens on his voyage home. The Sirens’ unbearably beautiful singing lured men to their deaths. Following Circe’s advice, Odysseus filled his sailors’ ears with beeswax so that they could not hear the songs. He planned to keep his own ears open though and ordered the men to tie him as tightly as they could to the mast – warning them that on no account should they release him. When they sailed past the Sirens, Odysseus was desperate to be free and gestured to his men to free him. They only tied him tighter. The ship sailed on, and the Sirens, maddened by their failure, hurled themselves into the sea where they drowned.