Meet the Siren

a Further to Fly origin story

You’ve probably noticed the “mascot” I chose for Further to Fly. You may or may not know what it is and why I chose it. It’s called a Siren. Originating in Greek mythology, the Sirens were a group of female and partly human creatures that lured mariners to destruction by their alluring singing. I’m not sure I would have chosen her if that was the only existing explanation or story. But it’s not.

This half-woman, half-bird is directly based on the later folklore about sirens. In Russian 17th-18th century folklore, the story of Siren changed, and she started to symbolize world harmony (based on the idea that she lived near paradise). Back then, people believed only happy people could hear a Siren. Only a lucky few could see one because she is as fast and challenging to catch as human happiness. To the Russians, she symbolized eternal joy and heavenly happiness.

Sergey Solomko, 1867 – 1928: Russian Imperial painter, watercolorist, illustrator

It is said that Siren sang beautiful songs to the saints, foretelling future bliss. Siren is also a metaphor for God's word entering your soul.

One of the quotes I found for this post is from Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie.

The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply because they have perfect faith,
for to have faith is to have wings.

I began searching for a connection between the quote and flying. In the 1904 story, Peter’s ability to fly is tied to the idea of faith, imagination, and belief. Flying is a physical manifestation of belief and imagination. Peter Pan, who embodies the spirit of eternal childhood and imagination, shows Wendy and the other children that flight is possible when one truly believes. This idea connects with Barrie’s quote by suggesting that faith leads to opportunity—like wings that allow you to transcend the ordinary and soar to the extraordinary.

One of artist Arthur Rackham's original drawings for the 1st edition of Peter Pan

The quote is the central theme in Peter Pan, where the boundary between the possible and the impossible is crossed through the power of belief. To have faith, as Barrie suggests, is to gain the freedom and ability to fly, like the birds, Peter Pan, the Siren, and you.

The title for my Substack came about after frequent listening to Paul Simon’s song Further to Fly and Tom Petty’s Learning to Fly. While their words may have meant something else to those songwriters, they became a resounding anthem for me. I thought, “hell yeah, even at my age, I still have further to fly,” and I continue to learn how and practice every day.

That’s what I want for you. Believe. Use your wings. See where they will take you.

Quotes of the Week (because one is never enough)

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.
C. S. Lewis

You can fly when you decide you can.
Og Mandino

(S)he who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying.
Friedrich Nietzsche

Friends are angels who lift our feet when our own wings have trouble remembering how to fly.
Pravs J