Sirens are humans with incredible powers that serve an important role in the universe of the Borderlands series. Borderlands 3 gave additional details about these strange and mystical individuals that shed light on many questions, but also brought up bigger questions.
Some fans will be aware of certain details regarding these individuals, but there are a lot of weird facts that even dedicated fans may not be aware of. Whether it’s the nature of their tattoos, the number of sirens in the universe, or their unique ability to imprint memories, here are the strange things you may not know about Sirens.
10 Sirens Have Been Around For Millions Of Years
Nyriad, the author of the various Eridian writings found in Borderlands 3, is the first Siren in existence and used her powers to seal the Great Vault by draining the life force of the Eridians. Considering this happened millions of years ago this means that Sirens have been present in the galaxy that entire time.
This suggests that millions of individuals have been Sirens throughout the galaxy’s history which is odd considering how little people know about them at the time of Borderlands. Some fans suggest that maybe the powers were sealed away in Vaults and opening the first one released some of these powers into the universe, especially considering this is how the Calypso twins received their powers.
9 Tattoos
The tattoos on a Siren’s body are a manifestation of their powers. These tattoos will only appear on one half of the body from head to toe and will often glow when the Siren’s powers are being utilized.
It’s also possible that the tattoos are how the Siren channels their abilities as each Siren uses their tattooed hand when tapping into their powers. Though it’s unknown if it’s a method of harnessing the powers or simply a side effect from having them.
8 A Dying Siren Can Choose Their Successor
Nyriad mentions that when a Siren dies they can pass on their powers to someone of their choosing. This hasn’t been demonstrated in the Borderlands series, but there’s little reason to doubt the validity of Nyriad’s statements.
Many fans are curious if Lilith did this just before her death upon sealing the Great Vault, assuming she is in fact dead, and who might have received her powers. Some fans suspect Tiny Tina might be the recipient, though this is entirely speculation.
7 The Powers Can Enter Anyone
More commonly the powers enter an individual at random. What’s interesting is that there seems to be no rhyme or reason to who the powers choose and why. Patricia Tannis received her powers as an adult woman after Angel died, Maya received hers as an infant, and Ava received hers as a young girl when Maya died.
It may be possible the Sirens are chosen based on their likelihood of becoming involved in matters involving Vaults, though it’s just as likely due to the nature of being a Siren these women are fated to be intertwined with Vaults and Eridian technology.
6 Sirens Are Keys
In fact, Sirens largely seem to be a critical component of opening and closing Vaults. Multiple Vaults were opened using Siren powers and the Great Vault was sealed by Nyriad and later Lilith.
It’s also possible they were meant to be another layer of security for Vaults. Perhaps the Eridians made it so that the more important Vaults could only be opened by one of the few Sirens in the galaxy as a way to prevent them from being opened at all, or at the very least delay their opening.
5 Sirens Were Created Just Before The Eridians Died
The first Siren, Nyriad, came into being shortly before the Eridians died. She used her leech powers to drain the life force of every Eridian to seal The Destroyer inside the Great Vault before it could unleash itself upon this dimension.
It’s unknown what the role of the other Sirens and their powers were for, but some fans think they may be tied to the creation, closing, or opening of specific Vaults. Such as Lilith using her powers to seal the Great Vault once again.
4 No One Knows How They Came To Be
One weird fact is that no one knows how they came to be or where their powers came from. Some fans speculate that they were created by the Eridians given that they are used to open and close the Vaults, they have a connection with the substance Eridium, and they came into being during the Eridian's imminent destruction.
Others speculate they were a byproduct of The Destroyer entering this dimension. Some think the Sirens were spawned by the universe to counter the destructive powers of The Destroyer to ensure there was a proper balance. But honestly no one knows.
3 Troy Is The First Male, Ever
Sirens are exclusively females, with the one exception being Troy who possess leeching abilities similar to his sister Tyreen. In fact he’s considered to be the first male Siren, ever.
One possible explanation for this inconsistency is that he’s not in fact a true Siren, but a hollow copy of his sister. This is evidenced by the fact that he was originally her parasitic twin, he cannot survive without siphoning her powers, and his powers are a weaker version of hers. In fact some fans consider him not to be a male siren, but more of an extension of Tyreen herself and the powers he obtained were a side effect.
2 Sirens Can Imprint Their Memories Onto Objects
Sirens have the interesting ability to imprint their memories onto physical objects. Nyriad’s writings are an example of this as her voice can be heard once the glyphs are translated.
The mission Childhood’s End in Borderlands 3 is another example where Angel’s voice can be heard emanating from various objects that were imprinted with her memories during traumatic events. It’s unclear if this is an intentional manifestation of their powers or an unintentional side effect when they experience strong emotions.
1 There Are Seven Sirens
For a long time it was believed that there were only six Sirens in the entire universe. This was due to a statement by Handsome Jack in Borderlands 2 and the fact that no more than a handful have ever been seen at once. But Eridian writings in Borderlands 3 states that there are in fact seven, not six. The first Siren Nyriad, warns that there are seven Sirens in total and that the seventh Siren must never be found under any circumstances.
This suggests that the seventh Siren in Nyriad’s time is alive somehow and is likely imprisoned somewhere. This is especially terrifying when you consider that Nyriad was able to use her powers to slaughter an entire race of people and even she is afraid of the seventh Siren's powers.