Siren (Once Upon a Time)

"Siren: 'What's your name? Would you like to know mine? Because I can be anyone you want me to be.""Prince Charming: 'Stop. I know what you are. You're a Siren. Your deceitful words are a spell meant to lure me to my death.""-Prince Charming and the Siren,'What Happened to Frederick'" The Siren is a character from the television series Once Upon a Time. She appears in the thirteenth episode "What Happened to Frederick". She is mentioned and given a possible origin in Wendy Toliver's novel Red's Untold Tale. Siren is portrayed by actor Aria Pullman.

Biography
The Siren was the guardian of Lake Nostos. According to legend, the waters of the lake had the power to restore something to its former glory. The Siren kept the waters untouched by outsiders. Many people tried to gather some of the precious water but none have ever returned. The slightest touch of the water summons the Siren from the depths, where she uses her seductive nature to lead travelers astray. Once she has successfully lured the traveler deeper into the water, she drags them down underwater and drowns them. The deceptively tranquil surface of her lake hides the grim graveyard below the surface.

The Siren's origin was revealed in the novel Red's Untold Tale. She was once a fair washerwoman with blonde hair and a sweet singing voice. A jealous queen cursed the girl to spend her life underwater in a spring. The washerwoman, possibly through sorcery, modified the spring into a lake. The washerwoman possibly became the Siren, or is the Siren's ancestor.

Prince Charming's ex-fiancee, Abigail, informs him of Lake Nostos's healing properties. She hoped to used it to restore her petrified love, Frederick to human form but no one has ever survived the "beast" that guards the lake. Prince Charming insists he try and heads to the lake shore alone. The second his hand touches the water, the Siren senses his presence and rises to the surface to welcome him. She attempts to entice Charming but he guesses her true nature and resists her charm. The Siren shows no concern but instead transforms into the thing he loves most, Snow White.

Charming is powerless against the face and voice of his true love and gives in to the Siren's advances. She claims he can have everything with her but Charming pushes her away, declaring he wants reality or nothing. The Siren reveals he is the first to see past her illusion and pushes him underwater. Charming attempts to rise for air but the plants come to life and ensnare him. As the Siren assaults him, Charming uses a discarded knife from a past victim to stab the Siren, delivering a fatal blow. As she bleeds out, her glamour disappears.

Some time later, Charming returns to the lake for water to heal his poisoned mother. He discovers that the lake dried up, dying alongside its Siren. As he and Lancelot search for any remaining drops of water, they stumble upon the Siren's skeleton amongst her many victims, marked by the crystal and dewdrop tiara upon her head.

Personality
At first sight, the Siren appears as an elegant, friendly, flirtatious lady but beneath her gentle facade lay a cold, apathetic heart and a single-minded drive to protect her lake. She greets every trespasser with a smile and approaches without fear, confidant in her abilities. She was playful, enjoying toying with travelers and would even continue to happily and amorously kiss them while they drowned in her grasp. She was a vicious predator who murdered countless travelers without remorse. With no eye witness accounts, her mural on her shrine shows her as a grotesque monster, based on her actions alone.

Appearance
The Siren was a gorgeous young woman of a slim, tall build, pale, shimmering skin, long white-blonde hair and deep dark eyes. She dressed in a flowing gown of pure white with silver detailing. Pearls and beads covered her skirt like dewdrops. Atop her head she wore a crown crafted from glittering crystal, bringing to mind images of crystal clear water and droplets.

Powers and Abilities
Though she lacked a fish tail, the Siren had a mermaid's affinity for water. She could glide with ease through the water, seemingly unhindered by the drag of long hair and fabric. She could also walk upon the lake surface as if it was solid ground.
 * Shapeshifting: By dripping a handful of Lake Nostos's waster over her face, the Siren could take the form of someone familiar to and influential of her victims.She gained the face, form and voice of Charming's true love, despite having never seen or heard Snow White.
 * Plant Manipulation: The Siren can influence the life within her lake, including aquatic flora. Without any visible gestures on her part, the plants on the lake bed came alive and wound themselves around Charming and her other victims, trapping them and aiding the Siren.

Trivia

 * The Siren is very similar to a naiad or more specifically a limnad, a nymph that personifies freshwater lakes. A nymph's life was tied to the natural feature she personified like a tree or stream. If the tree died or the stream dried up, the nymph would die too.

Links

 * https://onceuponatime.fandom.com/wiki/Siren