They lured nearby sailors to their deaths using their captivating music and voices. “To succumb to the nostalgic song of the sirens is to rot on their shores” (Course Manual, 40). Odysseus encounters the Sirens on his return journey, but fortunately escapes their trap. Odysseus, who was very curious and wanted to hear what the sirens had to say, ordered his crew to put beeswax in their ears so that they would not be attracted by their voices. His crew also tied Odysseus to the ship's mast, so that he would not fall into their trap. This was important to Odysseus because it would mean that if he were to survive the voices of the sirens and come out alive, he could continue his journey home. The Homeric hymns stated that sirens would die if they failed to capture their prey and that, as no one escaped alive, the sirens continued to live, until they encountered Odysseus. The sirens here were just another obstacle that Odysseus encountered in his truck and had to overcome. Even if he wasn't making his return trip again, it raised the question of whether or not they were going to make it out alive. Odysseus knew very well that being tied to the mast might not work as well if he wanted it to and knew that he had always had the option to escape the trap and face his death, but there had always been a higher power.