Sirena is a spirit of Philippine tradition.
Her song lures fishermen and swimmers into the water.
The Sirena is the Philippine mermaid who lures fishermen and swimmers into the water with her song. Unlike European mermaids, she also lives in lakes and rivers. She combines Spanish-colonial ideas with the figure of Magindara.
Type: Mermaid, water spirit with song motif
Origin: Spanish-colonial, indigenous
Texts: Ramos
Period: colonial to present
Appearance: female upper body, fish tail
Spanish-colonial in shape from the 16th century onward, on an indigenous foundation, still alive today.
Throughout the Philippines, especially the Ilokano regions, the Visayas and Bicol; also away from the coast, in lakes and rivers.
Means: Ramos’s standard work treats the sea beings within the framework of Philippine mythology.
Spanish/Philippine: Sirena, a Spanish loanword for mermaid from the colonial period; regionally Magindara in Bicol/Visayas, Kataw in the Visayas, and male Sireno or, more commonly, Siyokoy.
Appearance
A beautiful woman down to the hips, below which is a scaled fish body.
Effect
A hypnotic voice draws fishermen in, ranging from distraction to shipwreck; the Magindara is man-eating, others merely seductive.
The key aspects at a glance.
A Spanish-colonial term, merged with Magindara and Kataw.
Fishermen and swimmers near her song; even boats can be endangered.
Female upper body, scaled fish tail, hair adorned with pearls.
Seduction by song leading to being pulled down into the water; the Magindara is considered man-eating.
The anting-anting amulet is the best documented, alongside the sign of the cross, prayer and salt.
The Siyokoy is her male counterpart; what sets her apart from the Naga (Bicol) is her pure mermaid type.
Sirena is a Spanish loanword that merged with the pre-colonial, flesh-eating Magindara. Unlike European mermaids, she also lives in lakes and rivers; her male counterpart is the Sireno, or more commonly the scaled, gilled Siyokoy.
The Sirena is a well-known figure in Philippine popular culture, present in films, the Dyesebel series and children’s folklore. From a religious-studies perspective, an example of colonial syncretism: Catholic iconography overlaid on indigenous water spirits.
Best documented is the anting-anting, a Philippine amulet bearing Christian iconography. Widespread but more general are the sign of the cross, prayer, salt and holy water.
The Sirena belongs to the Philippine Aswang pantheon, with the Siyokoy as her counterpart, distinguished from the Naga (Bicol); she descends from the European sirens, and is related to Mami Wata.
Is the Sirena purely Spanish?
No, only the name and parts of the iconography; underlying it are older beings such as Magindara and Kataw.
What distinguishes her from the Siyokoy?
Sirena is female, the Siyokoy male and scaled.
Recommended internal links:
More in the bibliography.
Known as the Sirena of the Philippines, she remains the Philippine mermaid whose song is feared, with the Magindara as her most dangerous form.
Against its influence, cross-cultural tradition names these protective means:
Compare in the Protection Compass →Recommended protective means
The simplest protective means in this collection: 41 layers of fine gold 999, platinum, silver and silicon, manufactured in Ruhla, Thuringia. It requires no activation, is bound to no person, and is effective within a radius of around 50 meters, even without being worn.
Nyenchen Tanglha, the mountain god of Central Tibet and consort of Lake Namtso. Origin, the nyen ...
Atar, the sacred fire and its deity in Zoroastrianism. Origin, the eternal fire of the fire templ...
Dalgyal-gwishin, the faceless egg ghost of Korea. Origin, the egg-shaped form, the deadly sight a...
Eloko, the malevolent forest dwarf of the Mongo-Nkundo in the Congo. Origin, the luring bell, the...
Apo Angin, the lord of wind of the Ilocano. Origin, the late modern compilation and the religious...
Baba Yaga, the witch of the chicken-legged hut, is an ambivalent primordial figure of Slavic folk...
