Harpies

Sirens or harpies are a very frequently used motif in Romanesque sculpture. The origin of these fabulous beings lies in Greek mythology. In Homer’s Odyssey they seduce passing mariners by their bewitching song and so lure them to their death.
In Romanesque art in Spain these mythological figures are first found in the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos in Burgos and were later used in many other places. In Christian medieval art harpies or sirens often symbolise the conjuration of evil or temptation through the female sex; in Islamic art, by contrast, they often represent divine souls.
In this capital the birds with female heads are arranged in pairs, symmetrically placed the one facing the other. The fish tails are curled upwards and are tipped at the end with a bestiary head.
The compositional principle of this capital is the same as that of the adjacent capital (W06FL15), though there birds appear instead of sirens; the impost decoration is identical.

haphyria siren