Art

This is how the harpies and sirens were seen in Europe in the Middle Ages

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Aida ISMAYILOVA

Siren motifs
on glazed dishes
(Based on materials of the National Azerbaijan History Museum)

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 Art

This is how the harpies and sirens were seen in ancient Greece. Image on a ceramic vase

T
he National Azerbaijan History Museum (NAHM) is mation about the semantics of the image with a human
rich in archaeological materials belonging to vari- head and a bird’s body.
ous periods of our history, including the 12th-13th First of all, let’s get acquainted with the description
centuries. Based on this material evidence, we can study of the material cultural artifacts we mentioned above:
the artistic and aesthetic image and world outlook of A fragment of a dish was found in the urban area of
the period, as well as its principle of cultural succession. Beylagan in 1963 (1, No 25058). The clay of the glazed
From this point of view, we will be talking about archaeo- fragment was bright orange and well fired. The inter-
logical materials, which belong to the aforesaid period, nal surface is covered with engobing and is glazed with
found in the urban areas of Beylagan and Bandovan and images of birds and plants engraved on it. The outlines
handed over to the NAHM from the Nizami museum. of the image are bright brown. The profile of a bird is
The particularity of these material cultural artifacts is that depicted from the right side. Its head is incomplete and
they depict a mythical creature with a human head and has dark brown hair around it. It is very likely that the bird
a bird’s body. Since we do not encounter such an image had a human head. It has a stripe on the neck. Its trunk
in the archaeological materials of this period en masse is painted dark yellow and brown. Its wing is shaped as
and since it is also original and interesting, we think it a petal and is painted bright green and brown. Its hips
expedient to address this subject. We will try to touch on are green and legs are brown. With its features, the bird
the mythological roots of the aforesaid siren motif and resembles a siren. There are remains of green flowery
at the same time, talk about its place in ancient Turkic images in front of the siren.
mythology. Apart from that, we intend to provide infor- This fragment of a dish was shaped in a potter’s

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This is how the harpies and sirens were seen in ancient Greece. Image on a ceramic vase

wheel, fired, engobed, embossed, painted, decorated and is divided into three parts with arch-shaped stripes.
and glazed. Its circular part is green and its middle is decorated with
The second sample of a dish was found in the urban dotted semi-circular scales. The middle part is painted
area of Bandovan I in 1974 (1, No AF 24192). The glazed dark yellow and decorated with curved lines. The edge of
dish is well fired and its clay is bright orange. Its internal the wing is green and is given with parallel straight lines.
surface is engobed and embossed with an image of a The siren’s trunk is dark yellow. Its tail goes upwards and
bird (siren) with a human head. The outlines of the image is decorated with green semicircles with a brown ring in
are brown. The head of the siren is given against the back- the middle. It slightly resembles a peacock’s tail. Its legs
ground of a brown circle. Its hair is straight and long and are slightly narrow and dark yellow. The lower extremities
falls on the sides of its face. Its throat is surrounded with of the siren have a green flowery image. It was made in a
a green stripe. The extremities are shown on the chest potter’s wheel and through firing, engobing, embossing,
with horizontal curved lines. Its wing is shaped as a petal painting, patterns and glazing.

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Fragment of ceramics depicting a harpy. National Museum of the History of Azerbaijan, Archeology Foundation, № 24192

The third fragment (1, No AF 15596) is a fragment standing back to back, their heads are facing backwards.
of a faience bowl. Both of its surfaces are covered with The heads of both of them are depicted inside the circle.
bright green glaze. The edges of its external surface are Their wings are shown with a black thick and arch-shaped
decorated with dark brown patterns. Two birds (sirens) line. There are dots in the wider part of their wings. The
with a human head are engraved in the black circle in sirens’ tails are slightly long and are decorated with dots
the middle of the internal surface. Although the sirens are and lines from inside. Their legs are curved. This dish was

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Fragment of ceramics depicting

a harpy. National Museum
of the History of Azerbaijan,
Archeology Foundation,
№ 25058

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 Art

A ceramic bowl depicting a harpy. National Museum of the History of Azerbaijan, Archeology Foundation, № 15157

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also made in a potter’s wheel and through firing, engob-

ing, painting, patterns and glazing.
Apart from the three dishes we mentioned above,
we also find an image of a siren inside a faience bowl
belonging to the 13th-14th centuries (1, No AF 15157).
This shows that this legendary creature was depicted
on dishes in subsequent periods as well. Both surfaces
of the thin bowl are bright yellow and embossed. A bird
(siren) with a human head is depicted in the black circle
in the middle of the internal surface. The siren’s head is
depicted inside the circle. There is a stripe covering its
head on the forehead. The wing of the siren, which has
a corpulent body, is slightly small. There is an elongated
pattern in the wider part of the wings. Its legs are bent. It
was made in a potter’s wheel and through firing, engob-
ing, painting, patterns and glazing.
Apart from the aforesaid urban areas, a polychromic
glazed dish with a siren motif on it was also found in the
Shamakhi urban area. Huseyn Jiddi writes that a fragment
of this dish was found in a layer belonging to the 9th-12th
centuries (2, p. 485-459). A fragment of a ceramic bowl depicting a harpy.
We can find the image of the legendary creature with National Museum of the History of Azerbaijan,
a human head and a bird’s body under various names Archeology Foundation, № 15157
– phoenix, harpy or siren – not just in ceramics, but
also among miniatures of Islamic art in China among
Buddhists, Uigurs and Karakhans. This image can also siren motifs made from stone on the Hudabend Hatun
be found among the miniatures of a work known as sepulcher in the Turkish city of Nigde. (9, p. 146-147)
Maqamati Hariri by Arab author Hariri. It is believed that We can find images of sirens in Iranian mythology as
the word “siren” is derived from the word “sirang”, which well. For example, it is mentioned as Saena in the Avesta,
means thirty colors in Persian. (3, p. 7) while the word “siena” means born in Sanskrit. In Avesta,
It must be noted that apart from Azerbaijan, images Saena is known as a healing tree and it is believed that
of sirens can be found on both ceramic and metal items the bird made its nest on this tree. (3, p. 7) In Greek my-
in Central Asia, Iran, Turkey and the South Caucasus. (4, thology, a siren is depicted with a woman’s head and
p. 129; 5, plt. 85B) For example, a sample of toreutics in a bird’s body, and it is believed that it is an angel that
Central Asia can be found on ceramic items made in the takes dead souls to gods. We even find a description of
cities of Kashan and Rey, which were part of the Great sirens in the work “Odysseus” by the ancient Greek author
Seljuk state, as well as in the medieval city of Ani and on Homer. In the 12th song of the work, sirens lure ships sail-
tiles in a palace built in Turkey by Seljuk Sultan Keykubad ing past their island and then destroy them (10, p. 507).
I (1221-1237) (3, p. 5-17; 6, p. 1-121). The image of a siren In Iranian literature, we find a description of a phoenix in
found on a faience dish in the city of Ani stands out be- Ferdowsi’s work “Shahnameh”. There are two phoenixes
cause of three crowns on its head (7, p. 32, cup No 776). there: one represents good and the other - evil. We see
This can also be said about images of sirens on tiles in traces of this legendary creature in Turkish mythology
the Kubadabad Palace built by Keykubad. Images with as well. For example, there is an image of the winged
or without crowns can be found among images of sirens goddess Argimpas holding two cheetahs with her hand
on faience dishes made in the cities of Rey and Kashan, on a mirror found in the Kelermess barrow attributed
which were part of the Great Seljuk state in the 12th-13th to Scythians, who many researchers believe were Turkic
centuries, as well as in Mesopotamia and Syria. (8) An speakers (11, p. 81-83). A goddess called Umay is men-
image of a harpy has also been found on the walls of tioned in inscriptions on the Orkhon-Yenisey monument,
the Akdamar Church in Turkey. Apart from that, there are which is a medieval Turkic written monument (12, p. 134).

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It notes that Umay and holy Earth-Water spirits helped image and artistic thinking. We explain the presence of
Turks. Umay also patronizes children. Mahmud Qashqari such an image in Azerbaijani pottery as a result of the
uses the proverb “if you worship Umay, you will have a influence on cultural and trade relations with cities that
son” (12, p. 38). It is interesting that this goddess is often were part of the then Great Seljuk state and the principle
depicted with wings. Fadlun Afandi linked Umay to the of cultural succession.
goddess of the moon worshipped in Mesopotamia and
Nana (14, p. 60-61). According to Turkish researcher Lale References:
Afsar, the root of this legendary creature Mother goddess
existed in the mythology of different peoples at differ- 1. AMEA Milli Azərbaycan Tarixi Muzeyi, Arxeologiya
ent times. Yasar Coruhlu notes that sirens are the same Fondu (AF)
as Anka birds that were considered “state birds” and are 2. Джидди Г.А. Раскопки Шемахи//Археологические
known in Turkish art (15, p. 132). In medieval Russian art, открытия 1986 года. Москва, Наука. 1988. с. 458-
siren figures are known to be connected with wealth 459
and water. In Slavic mythology, the siren is also known 3. Mehmet Önder. Kubad-abad harpi və simurglar //
as a sea girl. Fragments of glazed dishes have also been Türk etnoqrafiya dergisi, sayı X, 1967. Türk Tarih
found in the 12th-13th century cultural layer of the Kher- Kurumu Basımevi , Ankara 1968
sones urban area. A. Jacobson described sirens as birds 4. Художественная культура Центральной Азии
of paradise and stresses that this motif is widespread in и Азербайджана IX-XV веков. Т. III. Торевтика.
the Caucasus and in the Muslim East, especially in Persia Самарканд-Ташкент, 2012
(now Iran) (16, p. 138-140). 5. Lane Arthur. Early islamic pottery. Faber and faber,
Apart from the aforesaid, we find the phoenix in Azer- London,1947
baijani fairy tales as well. For example, in the Azerbaijani 6. Lale Avşar. Kubadabad çinilerindeki harpi-siren
fairy tale about Malikmammad, Malikmammad gets into fiqürünün izini sürerken. //Akademik Bakış dergisi.
the world of darkness as a result of his brothers’ betrayal Sayı 31, temmuz-ağustos 2012, s. 1-21
but the phoenix takes him to the world of light. Apart 7. Шелковников Б. Поливная керамика из раскопок
from that, in the ballad “Kitabi Dede Gorgud”, which is города Ани. Ереван, 1957
an example of verbal folklore, we see a creature with a 8. Eva Baer. Sphinxts and harpies in medieval islamic
woman’s head and a bird’s body called “peri”, who is pre- art. The oriental society. Jerusalem,1965
sented as the mother of the Cyclops in the ballad. 9. Gönül Öney. Niğde Hüdavent Hatun Türbesi Fiqürlü
Summarizing the aforesaid, we can draw the conclu- Kabartmaları. //cilt XXXI, Nisan 1967, sayı: 122.
sion that harpies and sirens have a special place in the S.146-147
mythology of various peoples. As can be seen, they are 10. Homer. İliada, Odisseya. Bakı, Yazıçı. 1986
mostly known as good creatures, help people and bring 11. Бессенова C.C. Религиозные представления
them good luck. There is no doubt that this image did скифов. Киев, 1983
not appear out of nowhere. Its roots go a long time back 12. Jena-Paul Roux. Eski türk mitolojisi. Ankara, 2012
and can be linked with people seeing natural forces as 13. Abdülkadir İnan. Tarihte ve bugün şamanizm. Ma-
something extraordinary. In this sense, we believe that teryallar ve araştırmalar. Ankara,2013
images of sirens depicted women with wings and as 14. Эфенди. Ф. Художественные символы культуры
defenders. Of course, this image totally changed over турецких народов и древнего Азербайджана,
the course of time and was depicted according to the Алтай-Шумер-Гобустан. Баку, 2002
artistic notions of the time. It can be seen that religion 15. Yaşar Çoruhlu. Türk Mitolojisinin Anahatları.
had little influence and failed to seriously infiltrate into İstanbul, 2000
the realistic world outlook of artists of the time. Apart 16. Якобсон А.Л. Керамика и керамическое
from that, potters could not place such an image on производство средневековой Таврики.
glazed dishes so suddenly. This means that this motif Ленинград, Наука. 1979
existed in their mind and they reflected it in this way. The
samples of material culture we mentioned above make
it possible to create a certain idea about Azerbaijani pot-
tery in the 12th-13th centuries, its artistic and aesthetic

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Two harpies on a ceramic dish. National Museum of the History of Azerbaijan, Archeology Foundation, № 15596

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