The allusions to the Odyssey are correct, although the action that takes place after the epic is my own invention, as is the word seekrieger. It’s a combination of two German words that, literally translated, mean “sea warrior,” which is how I thought of Calypso’s band of sirens. The town of Walfang is loosely based on Bridgehampton, New York, where my family has a house and where I have spent every summer since I was fourteen. Although there are many traditional sea chanteys about mermaids, those that appear in this book are my original work. The captain’s log that appears here is intended as an homage to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, in which a similarly terrifying captain’s log makes an appearance.