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<   No. 1953   2008-06-01   >

Comic #1953

1 [sound]: SLUUUURP!! SLUUUURP!! {Adam and Jamie drink}
2 Jamie: I... I remember everything!
2 Adam: The Lethe erases memories: Confirmed!
3 Jamie: The Mnemosyne restores memories: Confirmed!
3 Adam: Sirens lure sailors to their deaths: Confirmed!
4 Jamie: We haven't tested that one...
4 Adam: I know! And yet, I still know it's true now!

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Since they're discussing myths from Greek mythology, I figured the next logical thing would be something along similar lines. The Sirens are mythical half-woman-half-bird creatures which inhabit seaside rocks and sing such seductive songs that they lure any sailors who hear them to draw ever nearer, ultimately dashing their ships and themselves to destruction on the rocks.


2019-04-14 Rerun commentary: There's an interesting layering of truth levels going on here.

Sirens lure sailors to their deaths. True or false?

True in the sense that Greek mythology does tell us that this is indeed what sirens do. It's more true than, for example, "Sirens eat mangoes and play air hockey." And even more true than "Sirens exist in reality," which is close to if not the most untrue statement we can make about Sirens.

But Greek mythology applies to a certain historical period. Perhaps it's even more true to cast it in the past tense and say "Thousands of years ago, Sirens lured sailors to their deaths".

On the other hand of course, Sirens don't exist and never have, so in that sense the statement that "Sirens lure sailors to their deaths" is patently false. So (where the word "Siren" refers to a half-woman-half-bird creature, not a modern device for making loud noises)):

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