Just a Theory - The Call of Proverbs

Odysseus and the Sirens,
eponymous vase of the Siren Painter,
ca. 480-470 BC, (British Museum)

Ok, so I have no formal study on the matter, so in no way is this meant as authoritative (see previous post). I have a theory regarding the call of wisdom and the call of folly in Proverbs. Solomon spends a fair bit of time in the first few chapters doing his characteristic flip flop between opposites, but the emphasis here is between either wisdom and the prostitute or wisdom and folly. He starts by telling his son to listen to his father and mother, then waxes even more eloquent in his personification of wisdom in the following chapters.

I would be interested in hearing from historians as to how much the Israelites would have known about Greek mythology. The sirens called out over the waters, luring sailers to their death. The calls of the prostitute and of all other sorts of folly inevitably lead to destruction. Solomon gives the life giving alternative of following wisdom. Would there have been a play on the call of the sirens?

At any rate, Solomon masterfully places his son (and all of us) squarely between two choices. We can answer the call of our own stupidity and temptations or we can run to the safety of wisdom's embrace. The question of primary importance remains, "Whose call will you answer?" In no way do I want to negate that. The siren thing is just a curiosity item.