Which creatures lured sailors to their deaths with beautiful singing?

The story behind the answer

Sirens lured sailors to shipwreck with irresistibly beautiful singing, promising secret knowledge and glory. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus survived their trap by stopping his crew’s ears with beeswax and having himself tied to the mast so he could hear the song without steering the ship toward the rocks.

Originally depicted as women with bird bodies (not fish tails), Sirens were later confused with mermaids. The phrase “siren song” now means a tempting but dangerous appeal. By contrast, nymphs are benign nature spirits, and the Furies punish wrongdoers. Memory tip: Think “alarm siren”—a sound that grabs attention and can lead to disaster if you follow it. Or recall Orpheus, who saved the Argonauts by singing louder than the Sirens.