Art history is everywhere, really. Just ask Starbucks. With one of the most iconic and successful logos and branding in the 21st century, we're all curious to know where the infamous siren really comes from, and we got the deets here. According to the Starbucks' website, the 16th century Norse siren was discovered in an old marine book and soon after the twin tailed mermaid became history as the trademark logo for one of the greatest corporate coffee chains in the world, but wait- there's more.
According to Dániel Kalman, before the 16th century twin tailed Norse siren was a whole other evolution of artistic sculptures from earlier centuries that eventually lead to the famous trademark. Originally found in Greece dating back to 4th century BCE was the snake-legged goddess (six legs), and then there was Mixoparthenos, the split-legged (yes, the legs are still snakes) unlucky sister, and finally, the Mother of the Scythians, a naked woman divided just below the navel into two coiled serpents. The famous Mother of the Scythians eventually became the image commonly recognized as a siren, which by fate, has since become on of the most famous faces in modern branding. Go coffee. Go art.
[via Riowang]
