The myth of the sirens’ call has been with us for thousands of years, most recently brought to life in Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster The Odyssey. They’re a supernatural creature whose call is so enticing that it sends men to their doom—but the phrase has become a stand-in for that thing you know you shouldn’t do, but you simply can’t resist.
Odysseus ended up lashing himself to the mast and ordering his crew to plug their ears with wax. When he heard the sirens’ call, though, he screamed to be released and begged his men to let him go. The man who’d spent 10 years outwitting gods didn’t trust himself for 30 seconds within earshot of a sound he knew would destroy him.
