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English summary: It was only with the help of Circe, the goddess of magic, that Odysseus did not fall victim to the sirens: tied to the mast he sailed past their island and heard only the start of their song. The true source of the myth was the dangerous maritime routes to the Black Sea and the south of Italy. Based on this story, the legend of the Lorelei emerged in the 19th century. Yet the poet does not convey what the sirens in the Odyssey looked like. In Greek art, Sirens were bird-like creatures with human heads and bird's bodies or women with bird's feet and wings. The disparity between human and animal body parts provided a challenge to artisans and artists for many centuries. Winged creatures from Egypt and Mesopotamia provided the model for the birds with human heads. Over the centuries they became naked and clothed bird women, among the Etruscans and in modern times they had turned into clothed and naked women or had been given fish tails and become mermaids. This type of playing around with forms continues to this day and is complemented by the alarm sirens with their rotating transducers. In modern times, the ancient demonic and divine character has developed into the idea of the erotic female threat, the femme fatale, the symbol of seduction and passionate love, the counterpart to the bourgeois wife. German description: Odysseus wurde nur mit Hilfe der zauberkundigen Gottin Kirke nicht zum Opfer der Sirenen: Am Mast festgebunden fuhr er, dank der schnellen Ruderschlage seiner Gefahrten, an ihrer Insel vorbei und horte nur die Ankundigung ihres Lieds, das ihm schmeichelte und vom Trojanischen Krieg erzahlen wollte. Obgleich er selbst vor Troja gekampft hatte, war er so fasziniert, dass er sich losreissen wollte, um mehr zu horen. Realer Hintergrund des Mythos waren gefahrliche Seewege ins Schwarze Meer und nach Suditalien. Nach diesem Vorbild entstand im 19. Jahrhundert die Sage von der Loreley. Wie die Sirenen aussahen, schreibt der Ody