Why I use the word siren, when maybe I wanted to use the word mermaid. Ulysses and the Sirens by HJ Draper, 1909 I was surprised when a few readers asked me why I titled my latest novel, Coney Island Siren. The question behind the question is the need for an explanation of why I use the word siren when maybe I wanted to use the word mermaid. That would have made the title Coney Island Mermaid. The images of mermaids are of beautiful enchanted creatures with the bodies of wome