Harpy

Menagerie of Myths

Oct 31

Artwork by Benedetta Fiore. ArtStation | Instagram

Origin: Greek mythology

Depending on which poet you ask, the harpy might be a beautiful winged maiden who flies as fast as the wind blows (Hesiod); an ugly winged creature with a crone’s face (Aeschylus); a taloned, haggard-looking bird with a young girl’s face (Virgil); or a hulking bird with a cock’s head, claws, and human arms and breasts (Hyginus).

“Harpy” means “snatchers” or “swift robbers,” and were known to steal food from the tables of their victims. As the “hounds of Zeus,” they would also carry wicked people to the vengeful Greek goddesses, the Erinyes—so if someone were to disappear mysteriously, it was assumed they were taken by harpies. As if that weren’t enough, the harpies would also torture their captive on their way to Tartarus.

In the story of King Phineus of Thrace, the harpies played a vital role in carrying out Zeus’s wrath. Apollo taught King Phineus the art of prophecy, and Phineus abused this gift. He told mankind too much information about the future, and put the secrets of the gods at risk. For overstepping, Zeus blinded Phineus and bound him to an island. He laid out food for the king, but instructed the harpies to steal his food while he tried to eat.

Jason and the Argonauts came to Phineus’s rescue—on the condition that he would tell them how to pass the Symplegades. The Boreads—sons of Boreas, the North Wind—drove off his tormentors, leaving only two harpies alive.