About

The Sirens Scene or What Odysseus Actually Heard During The Siren Song is a series of memes and skits based on a scene from the 2026 fantasy film The Odyssey where Odysseus, played by actor Matt Damon, is tied to the mast of the ship by his crew so that he doesn't jump into the sea and swim to his doom where the sirens are singing to try and attract him.

The scene first inspired the Matt Damon Yelling meme on July 20th, 2026. Memes specifically about the sirens and their song, including memes that interpret the music as a well-known modern song, were popularized around the same time.

Origin

The original scene from Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey in which the meme comes from takes place during Odysseus and his crew's journey home while traveling at sea. During the moment, Odysseus (Matt Damon) is bound with rope to his boat's mast in an attempt to stop him from diving into the water and swimming toward an island as the sirens call out to him, shouting in anguish due to their temptations.

The Odyssey was released theatrically on July 17th, 2026. One of the earliest known posts about the sirens scene was posted the same day as the movie's release by X^[1] / Twitter user @Luharchowdary, which featured the song from the moment on the soundtrack, and gained over 6,300 likes in two weeks.

Memes replacing the soundtrack in the film's scene began appearing online shortly after, with one of the earliest known edits being shared by Instagram^[5] user @garymeinecke on July 19th that dubbed over the music with the Du Bist Gut Genug meme song. The edit garnered over 185 likes in 10 days.

Spread

On July 20th, 2026, TikToker^[2] @misteropulent posted a video captioned, "What was actually playing during the sirens scene," with the song replaced by a cover of "Janice STFU" by Social Repose, garnering over 117,000 views in nine days.

On July 26th, TikToker^[3] @beaachy posted a video referencing the scene captioned, "When the sirens start singing and tell me they can bring back Vine, 2016 YouTube, $5 footlongs, 2008 house prices, and 24-hour open Walmarts," garnering over 206,000 views in three days.

On July 28th, 2026, Instagram^[4] user g0ldilock posted a version of the meme where the sirens' song is presented as "Throw Away" by Future, garnering over 13,700 likes in a day.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References