Dove Mother as a Development of the Siren Figure

This presentation will examine the evolution of a mythological-religious figure found in Greek texts, tracing its journey from classical antiquity to the modern era. Our starting point is a Salentine Greek dialect fairy tale, recorded in the late 19th century. The tale narrates the story of a poor young boy adopted and raised by the mysterious female figure of 'Mamma Colomba' (Dove Mother), who resides in a luxurious underground palace connected to the city of Naples. Despite this link to Italian geography, the 'Dove Mother' shares deep roots with both the Greek and Italian folk traditions. We will focus on two core shared elements: 1) The motif of bird's milk (or specifically dove's milk), which functions as a potent symbol of abundance, an idea traceable to antiquity and still present in contemporary Greek popular culture. 2) The role of a maternal, chthonic creature originating from the 'other world,' whose appearance combines anthropomorphic and zoomorphic features. This latter element strongly recalls the ancient demonic figures of the Sirens, well-known in Greek and Roman antiquity. Their depictions (bird wings and claws), their secluded natural habitat, and their dual nature as either aggressive destroyers or benevolent saviors of humans—are crucial. Furthermore, this character archetype was not confined to paganism; it permeated Christian "demonology" in the form of the Sirin Bird, particularly characteristic of the Greek and East Slavic Orthodox traditions. Drawing on available sources from the Greek, Roman, and Slavic traditions, we will attempt to reconstruct the evolution of this compelling character and its local development in Southern Italy.