According to the Roman poets Virgil ( Aeneid , 5.864) and Ovid, the Sirenum scopuli were three small rocky islands where the sirens of Greek mythology lived and lured sailors to their deaths. "The Sirenum Scopuli are sharp rocks that stand about a stone's throw from the south side of the island" of Capri, was Joseph Addison's confident identification. [1]
Diverse locations were assigned to the isles of the sirens by various authorities. According to Homer's Odyssey , they were between Aeaea and the rock of Scylla. Often they have been placed in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of south-western Italy near Paestum or between Sorrento and Capri: "three small islands on the southwest coast of Campania, now Licosa, St. Pietro and La Galetta" reported George Richard Crooks, Christian Frederik Ingersley, on the basis of Alexander Jacob Schem, A New Latin-English School-Lexicon, (Philadelphia), 1861 s.v. "Siren".
Similarly, Anthemoessa (or Anthemusa) was the island home of the sirens in other versions of the myth. [2] Although the name no longer exists, varying accounts attribute Anthemoessa to the island of Ischia or Capri in the Gulf of Naples.
Further traditions place the sirens on Capo Peloro or the Sirenuse islands near Paestum.
All locations were described to be surrounded by cliffs and rocks.
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Jason was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He was also the great-grandson of the messenger god Hermes, through his mother's side.
The Tyrrhenian Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy.
Campania is an administrative region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula, but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the island of Capri. The capital of the Campania region is Naples. As of 2018, the region had a population of around 5,820,000 people, making it Italy's third most populous region, and, with an area of 13,590 km2 (5,247 sq mi), its most densely populated region. Based on its GDP, Campania is also the most economically productive region in southern Italy and the 7th most productive in the whole country. Naples' urban area, which is in Campania, is the seventh most populous in the European Union. The region is home to 10 of the 58 UNESCO sites in Italy, including Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Royal Palace of Caserta, the Amalfi Coast and the Historic Centre of Naples. In addition, Campania's Mount Vesuvius is part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
In Greek mythology, the sirens were dangerous creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and singing voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. It is also said that they can even charm the winds. Roman poets placed them on some small islands called Sirenum scopuli. In some later, rationalized traditions, the literal geography of the "flowery" island of Anthemoessa, or Anthemusa, is fixed: sometimes on Cape Pelorum and at others in the islands known as the Sirenuse, near Paestum, or in Capreae. All such locations were surrounded by cliffs and rocks.
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