“Sirens of the Sand,” that’s what I call them. The jellyfish are like modern day bad girls.

As they shimmer in the morning sun on an early beach walk, they remind me of how Circe warned Odysseus about the Sirens, “You will come first of all to the Sirens, who are enchanters of all mankind and whoever comes their way; and that man who unsuspecting approaches them, and listens to the Sirens singing, has no prospect of coming home and delighting his wife and little children as they stand about him in greeting, but the Sirens by the melody of their singing enchant him.”

For me and my family, we find the shimmering jellyfish to be enchanting. Their iridescent nature flashes in the sunlight. Although they don’t sing, they draw you in, and you want so badly to touch them. However, you know that with one piece of their silken skin, you will be stung. They are stunningly beautiful and you marvel at how something so simplistic could be so captivating.

I again think of Circe’s story, “They sit in their meadow, but the beach before it is piled with boneheaps of men now rotted away, and the skins shrivel upon them. “ It may sound a bit gruesome but the truth is that you have to yield their call to draw you in closely.

The jellyfish, like aliens, just want to find a home. Their allure and prickly nature are best observed from a far. Just like Circe described, “If you yourself are wanting to hear them, then have them tie you hand and foot on the fast ship, standing upright against the mast with the ropes' ends lashed around it,
so that you can have joy in hearing the song of the Sirens.”

For me, I will stand back, close my eyes, and imagine, that they are singing. I walk by gingerly and appreciate their beauty from a far like a modern day Circe. I sort of like the idea of being the goddess of magic. What’s not to love about that?