Who are the harpies? These are mythological creatures invented by the ancient Greeks. They found their continuation in ancient Roman mythology. People imagined them as wild and cruel monsters with female faces and bodies, wings and paws crowned with long sharp claws. These monsters stole children and human souls. Initially they were considered wind spirits. They attacked suddenly and quickly disappeared, bringing grief, fear and despair.

Where did they come from on earth? According to one version, they were the daughters of the underwater giant Thaumant and his wife the nymph Electra. This couple gave birth to two harpies - Aello and Okipeta.

According to another version, they are considered the daughters of the powerful giant Typhon. He was the personification of the fiery forces of the earth. From this terrible creature came not only harpies, but also many other mythological monsters: the two-headed dog Orph, the three-headed dog Cerberus, the Lernaean Hydra, the Colchis dragon, etc.

Creepy female monsters were also considered daughters of Boreas. This is a stormy north wind. He was depicted as a winged, long-haired, bearded deity. According to mythology, he was a relative of the Athenians, and his abode was in Thrace.

Usually ugly creatures in female form were depicted as three sisters. Their names were Aellope, Okipeta and Kelaino. Their place of residence was the Strophadian Islands in the Aegean Sea. But Virgil (a poet of Ancient Rome) claimed that terrible monsters lived in the kingdom of the dead or Hades.

Mythology

Zeus gave the king of Thrace, Phineus, the gift of prophecy. But he began to tell people their future. For this, the angry god blinded the king and sent him to a desert island, providing him with plenty of food. But as soon as the king sat down to eat, the harpies appeared. These beasts grabbed the food and trashed what was left on the table. Therefore, the poor fellow could not eat, and was hungry all the time.

This continued until the Argonauts (navigators) Zet ​​and Kalaid appeared on the island. They fought with disgusting creatures, but did not kill them, but only scared them and drove them away. After this, the poor king was satisfied, and in gratitude he told the astronauts how to overcome the Symplegades. These are floating rocks. When a ship appeared near them, they collided and destroyed the ship.

Female monsters were extremely vicious and cruel. Their task was to punish people who had offended the formidable gods. The unfortunates were kidnapped and dragged to Tartarus. This is an eerie abyss located under the kingdom of Hades. Kronos, the Titans, and the Cyclopes were imprisoned in it.

The ancient Romans used harpies in their myths, and then the creepy creatures migrated to the Middle Ages. Dante placed them in the seventh circle of Hell. In it, female monsters mocked suicides. They were depicted as fat birds with feminine faces and wide wings. They sat in the trees and made sad cries.

In the Middle Ages, effeminate monsters were used in heraldry. And one of Shakespeare's heroes in the work "Much Ado About Nothing" called Beatrice so sharp-tongued. These days, the term is often used in a figurative sense. It is customary to call unpleasant and grumpy women.

Valery Krapivin

In ancient mythology, a harpy is a creature with the body of a bird and the head of an old woman. It was the personification of vicious passions. The harpy is a bird that got its name because of the cruelty with which it eats its prey. Being a fairly large carnivore, the harpy is an excellent hunter with a proud, even majestic appearance.

The harpy bird settles in Central and South America. You can recognize it by its characteristic plumage. The feathers of the wings are black and white, the head and chest are white, on the back of the head there is thick plumage, which stands on end at the moment of excitement. At such a moment, it seems that the bird has a wreath of feathers on its head. The South American harpy still terrifies local residents. Firstly, because of its size. The body length of the female reaches 100-110 cm, while the bird can weigh up to 9 kg. Secondly, because of the terrible strong beak and powerful developed paws with pointed claws. Moreover, the harpy frightens observers: the bird (photo below) brutally deals with its victim. According to experts, what the predator likes most is tormenting monkeys.

The harpy is a bird that can soar over its territory for hours, looking for flocks of monkeys, after which it selects a victim and grabs it. The torture begins with the harpy pecking out the victim's eyes, then tearing out the throat, and then tearing it into pieces. Scientists cannot unravel the phenomenon of this hatred. After all, the predator destroys any other prey instantly. The harpy often preys on smaller birds, parrots, possums, ground squirrels and domestic sheep and pigs, but it is the monkeys that it causes torment and suffering. During the hunt, she uses her colossal vision, and at night, her heightened hearing. Falling like a stone from a height, this predator leaves no chance for its prey. A harpy even drags livestock. The bird remains, however, inviolable, as it is sacred to the Aboriginal Indians.

Despite this circumstance, the bird population is declining sharply. The reason is also the environmental damage caused by humans. In addition, after mating, only one egg appears in the clutch; the mating season occurs once every two years. This low fertility is explained by the large size of the harpy. A couple formed during puberty does not break up until the end of life. Each family has a clearly defined territory. At the highest point of the rock there is a huge nest in diameter - up to 2 meters! A couple can live in it all their lives if they are not disturbed. After the chick appears, the father protects the nest from strangers and hunts. The female is caring. Unfortunately, this is very rarely observed in captivity. There is only one known case when a zoo managed to get offspring from a harpy, and that chick soon died.

After birth, the chick remains in the nest for a long time. Parents react sensitively to any encroachment and may even attack the person. This care continues until the chick flies out of the nest. This happens at the age of 1 year, although already at 10 months the bird can fly confidently. Puberty occurs no earlier than after 4 years. So far, the harpy population numbers about 2 thousand individuals. This figure is negligible, for this reason the harpy is a bird listed in the International Red Book.

Flapping their dirty, foul-smelling wings, the harpies flew closer. They're really dirty! Greasy chickens with women's heads and breasts. But not a drop of charm: faces like witches, ugly breasts. And the voices are hoarse, hoarse! There are huge rough claws on the paws.

Piers Anthony, "Rugna Castle"

Black and white morality is long outdated. We know that the world is characterized by halftones and shades. However, there are such creatures in the description of which not a single positive line can be found. Harpies are one of them. These half-women, half-birds collected a whole bunch of unflattering epithets addressed to them. Harpies are called vicious, smelly, grumpy, disgusting creatures. And it's not a matter of physical deformity. A woman's head and torso, bird wings and clawed paws are not the most common appearance, but there are even worse combinations. Harpies owe their negative reputation not to their appearance, but to their behavior. But still, maybe we misunderstand them? And if you look closely unbiased, it turns out that the harpies are “terrible on the face, but kind on the inside”?

Their dubious origins

There are no monsters more vile than them, and more terrible

Plagues, curses of the gods, the Stygians were not born from the waters.

Birds with a girlish face, hooked toes;

They defile everything with vile eruptions from their wombs,

Their cheeks are always pale from hunger.

Virgil, "Aeneid"

Harpy, Monstrorum Historia, 1642.

Gone by the storm.

They were the first to scold... that is, excuse me, the ancient authors described the harpies. As usual, the ancient Greeks came up with an intricate genealogy for the harpies, and more than one. If there is one thing you can be sure of when examining the ancient roots of any character, it is that everyone is related to someone. Whether for gods or heroes, nepotism is guaranteed. The ancients had a small world; everyone they met would certainly turn out to be a relative of an acquaintance or an acquaintance of a relative - even if he was a monster.

So, according to different versions, the sea deity Taumant, the terrible giant Typhon and the god of the harsh north wind Boreas claim the paternity of the harpies. Their probable mothers are called the oceanid Electra or Ozomena. Different authors indicate different numbers of harpy sisters - two, three, five... Their names or nicknames: Keleno (Kelaino) - “gloomy”, Aello - “whirlwind”, “wind”, Aellopoda - “wind-footed”, Okipeta - “ fast-flying", Podarga - "swift-footed". All epithets indicate a connection with a whirlwind, wind, storm, gale. Harpies were originally storm deities, swift and menacing.

Harpies suddenly swoop in like a hurricane squall and disappear just as suddenly, but not just like that, but with their prey. They steal children, steal human souls. Probably, the word “harpy” () comes from the Greek (“to grab”, “to kidnap”) and means “kidnapper”.

Oddly enough, the fierce, ugly bird-women turned out to have a kindly, beautiful sister - Iris, the goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. This, of course, if we accept the version that the parents of the harpies were Thaumant and Electra. Iris saved the sisters from the massacre of the Argonauts after the story of Phineas, king of Salmidess.

Red-figure pottery "Phineas and the Harpies".

The story in brief is this. As soon as King Phineus and his children, household members and guests sat down at the table, harpies flew out of nowhere and caused disgrace. They snatched up the food, soiled the table with feces and left such a stench that no one could eat anything. This is how Virgil described their table manners: “To our horror, suddenly / Harpies fly from the mountains, filling the air around with the flapping of their wings. / Attacking with a vile cry, the monsters steal the food, / Stinking terribly, they desecrate the tables with an unclean touch.”. The king suffered, lost weight and was preparing to die, but the Argonauts who came to visit him blew copper trumpets, began to wave their swords and drove away the harpies. True, in revenge, the harpy Keleno prophesied bad things for them.

Yes, the harpies behaved badly. But they have an excuse. Phineus’s punishment was assigned not by anyone, but by the Olympian gods, and arguing with the gods is more expensive for oneself.

Their odious reputation

- Damn them! - he said out loud. - Damn those harpies! Bloodthirsty creatures!

He couldn't take his eyes off the strangers. There was something sinister in their appearance. Long hooked noses resembled bird beaks, and extremely similar faces were absolutely motionless. Loose-fitting capes fluttered in the wind like the wings of huge birds.

Agatha Christie, "Birds of Stymphalian"

Carrying out the will of the gods, the harpies took revenge on the mortals who angered the Olympians. Terrible creatures dived at the sinner, tore his body into pieces, ate and desecrated the remains. In the role of avengers, they became like the insane Erinyes, goddesses of revenge (the Roman version is the evil furies). The name of one of the Eriny sisters, Megaera, remains to this day a common noun for a grumpy woman, as well as the words “fury” and “harpy”.

Gustave Dore, "Harpies in the Forest of Suicides"
1861

Julia Bell, "Dance"

This is interesting: According to one version, the terrible Stymphalian birds with copper feathers and claws, defeated by Hercules as the third labor, were also not simple birds, but bird-maidens, daughters of Lake Stymphalus and the nymph Ornitha. Near the temple of Artemis of Stymphalia there were statues of girls with bird legs.

By the Middle Ages, the reputation of the harpies had become worse than ever. They have become a symbol of greed, gluttony, uncleanliness, grumpiness, greed, anger, revenge, envy and many other sins. Dante Alighieri placed them in the seventh circle of hell, in a monstrous forest, where the souls of suicides turn into thorny bushes and trees and harpies feed on their leaves, causing pain to the sufferers. At the same time, they themselves are also tormented and tormented, which makes us recall medieval moralizing works, where harpies personify repentant murderers.

An attempt to find the bright side in the image of harpies was unexpectedly made in heraldry. John Guillim in the 16th century distinguishes two heraldic varieties of harpies - some have a female face and body, wings and powerful claws of a bird of prey, others - all the same, only the bird is not a bird of prey. The interpretation of the symbol is victory over a base enemy. The bearer of the harpy crest is "fierce when provoked." This at least leaves an opening - maybe if the harpy is not provoked, it will not attack?

Their monstrous appearance

The wings folded behind the back stooped the figure, making the creature seem even shorter. The chest and stomach, paying tribute to morality, were covered by a corset with a laced bodice. The shapes that the bodice partly hid, and partly - and what part! - presented to the audience in an open neckline... Oh, these marvelous forms! And if you raise your eyes from the delightful bust and look at the “creature” in the face - everything has arrived, wings, not wings, claws, not claws, even a peacock’s tail, I’ll get married, and that’s it! The face of the statue is carved from ivory. Dark, wet agate eyes. Mouth - scarlet bow, flower arrows. Thin line of the nose, predatory flutter of the nostrils. Look, brother, don't lower your gaze. Otherwise, you will see how the guest, impeccably dexterous in the sky, hobbles along the road on bird legs, short and powerful. The paws ended in eerie-looking claws that left deep furrows in the ground. The creature seemed to have no hands. Instead of arms there are wings with glossy feathers painted in thick indigo.

Henry Lyon Oldie, "Harpy"

Bird of Tomorrow's Happiness
Arrived with ringing wings...

In the physical appearance of a harpy, the main thing, oddly enough, is not a luxurious female bust or deadly eagle claws. The main thing is the hands. Whether they exist or not, that is the question!

“Only without hands!”

If there are no arms, but only wings - this is how ancient authors draw harpies - then you will not envy the poor girls. Eating without using your hands is quite a challenge. And harpies need to eat a lot, like any birds, because flying burns a lot of calories. It immediately becomes clear why the unfortunate people in Virgil’s description were pale from hunger, why they rushed to eat food and why they behaved disgustingly at the table. Really, it’s worth pitying them.

Apparently, the first generation of harpies really did not have arms. Then individuals with hands began to appear, and to this day this trait has become established as stable. Alas, the bad character of the harpies also became dominant. Well, at least now it’s clear where he came from.

V.M. Vasnetsov, “Sirin and Alkonost. Songs of joy and sorrow", 1896.

And yet, in fantasy you can find quite clean and charming representatives of this winged breed. Kelena Strophada from the novel “Harpy” by G.L. Oldie, Gloha from Piers Anthony's The Time of the Harpy are very attractive people, although many still consider them monsters.

But there are creatures that match the appearance of harpies, and their reputation from the very beginning was extremely positive. These are the birds of paradise of Russian legends and popular prints. Where did they come from?

Their approximate relatives

To scare off rice
what a bird, come
elk shoot from a gun
shek - otherwise I’ll hear-
You eat and don’t wake up.

Alkonost is clearly not a bird of prey or a wild bird, but a very civilized one.

The Alkonost bird owes its birth to a copyist's mistake. In the 13th century list of “Shestodnev” by John of Bulgaria, instead of “alkuon is a bird of the sea,” the merged “alkuonest” appeared, from which the forms “alkonost” and “alkonos” were later derived. So the kingfisher bird (“alkyon”, Greek) turned into the mysterious Alkonost. But this story is even more confusing, because before becoming a kingfisher, the daughter of the wind god Aeolus Alcyone was a woman. Ovid in “Metamorphoses” retells a dramatic story - Alcyone’s husband died in a stormy sea, and she threw herself off a cliff, but the gods turned her into a kingfisher seabird, then Alcyone revived her husband, and he also became a kingfisher. When Alcyone hatches her eggs and hatches her chicks on the seashore, Aeolus holds back the winds for two weeks, and the sea is calm. So Alkonost calms the sea in the same way, only the explanation about the caring grandfather Aeolus was lost.

Alkonost is usually depicted as a bird maiden with large wings, bright plumage, bird legs without particularly noticeable claws, a woman’s head and upper body. More often Alkonost is depicted with hands, although sometimes without. The bird woman's head is crowned, and in her hands she holds paradise flowers and a book or scroll.

The second of the mythical birds of paradise is Sirin. It was already mentioned on the pages of our Red Book, when we were talking about sirens. It is from the Greek sirens that the mythical sweet-voiced bird Sirin with a human face comes from. Both Alkonost and especially Sirin sing so wonderfully that you can listen to them, fall unconscious and die.

V.M. Vasnetsov, “Gamayun, the prophetic bird,” 1895.

Have you tried combing with your claws?

The talking bird... that is, excuse me, Gamayun, is not famous for its songs. Gamayun is a prophetic bird, a messenger of the gods and a herald of the future. Her cry brings happiness. If Gamayun blows his wings on someone’s head, he will be a king, and if a bird falls to the ground, there will be great troubles and death for the rulers. When Gamayun flies from the east, a terrible storm arises. The prophetic bird Gamayun looks about the same as her companions Sirin and Alkonost. And even more precisely, all three look like ordinary harpies, only combed and washed.

And Sirin, and Alkonost, and Gamayun are proper names. So, maybe these beautiful creatures are not just related to the harpies? Maybe they themselves are harpies? The most convincing analogy is seen in the bird Gamayun - the messenger of the gods, associated with the storm... just like the daughters of Thaumant and Electra! But no one, mind you, calls the birds of paradise monsters, quite the opposite. Well, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” right?

This is interesting: The Portuguese brought stuffed bright tropical birds to Europe from the islands of the southern seas. The stuffed animals were legless, and even scientists until the 18th century believed that living birds of paradise, called birds of paradise, had no legs. The famous naturalist Carl Linnaeus included the legless bird of paradise (Paradisea apoda) in his classification. It was believed that these birds rest by clinging to a branch with their tail, and spend most of their lives in flight. The bird of paradise Gamayun was also sometimes depicted as legless, as an eternal inhabitant of the skies.

Their serious problems

— We find suitors among the neighbors. I have to. Otherwise, the harpy race would indeed face death. The first harpy was born in ancient times from the connection of a man with a griffin. People and griffins are the ones who could help us. But everything is much more complicated. Neither human men nor griffins are generally inclined to marry harpies. And we do not always manage to attract them to the source of love. And from mixed marriages, alas, only female harpies are born. A harpy can only be born from a harpy. For now, we're just a bunch of ugly chickens.

Piers Anthony, "Rugna Castle"

Harpy in World of Warcraft.

A young male harpy. Gloomy, uncommunicative, dissatisfied with life.

Initially, harpies were female, and that’s all. There has been no talk about men since antiquity. Even among the sea people, the siren-mermaids, there are fish-tailed gentlemen, newts and mermen, but what about the harpies? Throughout the entire space of civilization there are only rumors about a single Indian Garuda, and even he, it seems, is still quite an eagle.

Therefore, mermaids can still afford to lure human men with songs and inviting poses, but harpies cannot afford such luxury. A critical situation for the survival of the species! There is no time for sentimentality here - grab anyone and drag them to multiply. This is exactly what the harpies of Xanth and their companions do in World of Warcraft.

In the World of Warcraft, harpies are former night elves who betrayed their queen Azara, were cursed for their betrayal, and were given the traits of a bird of prey as punishment. At least that's what the legend says. The legs of the former elven maidens end in bird paws with huge claws, and instead of hands they have large wings. The harpies spread throughout Kalimdor, starting from the Stonetalon Mountains. They attack travelers, pollute springs and guard their territory. Old harpies have elemental storm magic. They are a monstrously unclean race, their nests stink intolerably and their bodies are covered in dirt and excrement.

This is interesting: but in Tamriel (The Elder Scrolls), Daedra-worshipping women turned into harpies after being tricked into eating their leader. Harpies nest in the Illiac Bay area, preferring abandoned ruins. The Tamriel harpies also resemble the “winged twilight” of Oblivion, but these creatures are even more dangerous.

According to rumors, harpies catch males of any breed for breeding, but prefer elves, orcs and humans as more suitable in size. Men who are too big or too small are mercilessly eaten by harpies. However, those males who have fulfilled their role are also eaten. If it is not possible to catch a suitable male in time, harpies lay unfertilized eggs, from which copies of predatory mothers hatch. Parthenogenesis in action! According to other rumors, males are still born to harpies - but very, very rarely. This does not solve the problem as a whole.

This is interesting: In the Harry Potter series, the harpy is the mascot of the only all-female Quidditch team, the Holyhead Harpies. Ginny Weasley, after graduating from Hogwarts, becomes an outstanding player on this team.

Their bad manners

- In a quagmire, is that what you mean? - Garkusha croaked. - But I’ll say it differently - in shit! What did they teach you? Understand, girl, you are not a nasty elf who can sit under his elm tree and knit verbal lace. The harpy's main weapon is the word - and this word must be loud, menacing and dirty.

Piers Anthony, "The Time of the Harpy"

The harpy turned out to be very popular as a monster. This is exactly the case when an odious reputation, a monstrous appearance and bad manners only benefited the creature. The standard evil and invariably predatory harpies are found in many games. It’s somewhat monotonous, it’s true... but you always know what to expect from such an opponent.

Wow blue bird!

DnD - fight between harpies and evil eye.

Harpies appeared in the worlds of the Dungeons and Dragons universe back in 1975. The description of the creature was simple: the lower body was that of an eagle, the upper body was that of a human woman. In the first edition of the Book of Monsters, the definition was expanded: harpies are birds of prey with the face and body of a woman, who make such pleasant sounds that their call cannot be resisted. Having lured the prey, the harpy tears it apart with its claws and devours it.

In version 3.5 (2003), a harpy archer also appeared. It is worth noting the undoubted relationship of the DnD harpies with the sirens (sirens), calling songs are their method. Sometimes the non-human part of the harpies is depicted as avian, sometimes as reptilian. In other words, you can find a harpy with leathery wings, or you can find feathered wings. In any case, this meeting will not be pleasant. The harpies' repertoire is dominated by Songs of Despair, Songs of Nightmares, Songs of Weakness, Songs of Stone, and so on, right up to Songs of Death.

In the turn-based strategy series Heroes of Might and Magic, harpies were very valuable fighters due to their special properties. When attacking, they flew up to the enemy, attacked and returned to their original place. And if the enemy could still reward an ordinary harpy in HoMM III with a retaliatory strike, then the fast harpy hag (an improved version of the flying fighters of the Dungeon castle) ran away with impunity. The enemy did not respond to the attack of the harpies in HoMM IV. True, if the idea arose to block enemy shooters with harpies, it was necessary to leave the winged creatures under the enemy’s nose, sacrificing the benefits of their special properties. But something and someone will still have to be sacrificed, in war as in war. Harpies are not particularly strong and not very protected, they die in large numbers, but for a good commander, a detachment of harpies in HoMM is a useful combat unit.

Games always need monsters that you can put in packs without a shadow of regret. For unsympathetic harpies, this role suits them perfectly. For example, in Lineage II, in various tasks the player is required to shake out either twenty feathers or thirty eggs from the harpies. Well, what harpy would part with its offspring without a fight? We have to arrange a complete harpicide.

The harpies of the role-playing game Drakensang and the Gothic series are also good. I mean, good for killing. In Gothic, these monsters with a female torso, bird wings and paws live in abandoned castles and fill the surrounding area with loud, disgusting screams.

Their mysterious nature

- There is so much joy associated with wings! Even when I was a girl and my wings were very small and lined with feathers, like a bird’s, I dreamed of flying every day and kept jumping from trees, peeling myself hundreds of times and roaring. And then I became an adult, and my wings developed in full force, I began to learn to fly. No, this is incomparable to anything when you soar and the air rocks you as if in a cradle, or when, folding your wings, you dive down like a stone and a tight cool wind whistles in your ears.

Georgy Gurevich, “Wings of the Harpy”

Born to fly.

Beauty from "Allods". Are you ready to fall in love or hit her one more time just to be sure?

And yet you can charm a harpy. For example, in the role-playing game "Allods Online" there is a task to make not one, but ten harpies fall in love with you using a love spell ring. Alas, in order to get closer to the harpy and touch her with the ring, you will first have to beat her half to death. Only when the clawed beauty has 10-15% of her vitality left will she allow her boyfriend to approach her. Well, she’ll fall in love, where can she go?

How else can you gain the harpy's favor? The already mentioned ferocious creatures of the world of Warcraft, oddly enough, are quite smart and are fond of riddles and puzzles. True, a traveler who begins to entertain a harpy with intellectual games risks being dragged into the nest as a breeding partner. Do you need it?

It's hardly worth giving flowers to a pretty harpy. Better than jewelry. Although for some reason it is not mentioned anywhere whether harpies have a special passion for jewelry and whether they drag trinkets from everywhere into their nest, like dragons carry gold. In theory, they could, because both birds and women are often partial to bright beads. Most likely, wild harpies simply have few opportunities to decorate themselves. Only the cultivated birds Alkonost, Sirin and Gamayun are hung with jewelry. Perhaps the young harpy will be delighted to receive a gift in the form of a manicure set, but the claw clippers need more powerful ones.

But, given the eternal hunger of the harpies, perhaps the most they will appreciate is an offering in the form of a piece of meat. Big. Very big! Forks and knives may not be offered. The main thing is to try so that the girl does not confuse you and the meat.

And then, looking at the well-fed, contented, washed, combed and dressed up harpy, everyone will say - yes, this is a bird of paradise!

Claws matching the feathers are fashionable!

- (Harpiae, Αρπναί). Thief goddesses; they were depicted as monsters, half birds, half women. Homer attributes to them the kidnapping of missing people (Source: “A Concise Dictionary of Mythology and Antiquities.” M. Korsh. St. ... ... Encyclopedia of Mythology

HARPIES, in Greek mythology, the goddess of the whirlwind, disgusting winged creatures (half-woman, half-bird), kidnappers of children and human souls... Modern encyclopedia

In Greek mythology, the goddess of the whirlwind, winged creatures (half-woman, half-bird) of a hideous appearance. A figuratively evil woman... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

In the myths of the ancient Greeks, half-women were half-birds of a disgusting appearance who stole children and human souls; archaic pre-Olympic deities... Historical Dictionary

A group of genera of large birds of the family. hawks. There is a crest on the head. The paws are strong. 4 genera, 5 species, in the tropics of America, the Philippines and New. Guinea. A characteristic representative of the harpy group (Harpia harpyja), living in the tropics. forests from Mexico to Central... ... Biological encyclopedic dictionary

- (Greek ArpuaV, lat. Rapae) goddess of the whirlwind. In the Iliad, the harpy Gout (swift-footed) appears, who gave birth to the Achilles horses Xanth and Balios from Zephyr. In the Odyssey, the harpies are credited with abducting missing people. Hesiod calls them winged... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

Harpies- In the most ancient legends, harpies are spirits, ghosts. In Homer, they appear only to transport the souls of the dead to another world. In later legends, harpies appear as winged monsters, kidnappers of people or human food. In his poem... ... Ancient world. Dictionary-reference book.

HARPIES Dictionary-reference book on Ancient Greece and Rome, on mythology

HARPIES- In ancient legends, harpies are spirits, ghosts. In Homer, they appear only to transport the souls of the dead to another world. In later legends, harpies appear as winged monsters, kidnappers of people or human food. In his poem... ... List of Ancient Greek names

HARPIES- fictional supernatural creatures, one of the personifications of the cosmic forces of evil. The name comes from the Greek verb “to kidnap,” since in Greek mythology harpies were the abductors of human souls and children. Depicted as... Symbols, signs, emblems. Encyclopedia

Books

• Flight of the Harpy, Khaetskaya Elena Vladimirovna. The harpy is a very beautiful and very scary caterpillar. Can such a creature make friends with kids, with ordinary fourth-graders? And if so, how will their lives change? And how will it change...
• Harpies, Joanna Khmelevskaya. Once again Mrs. Joanna pleased us with a wonderful detective story. As you know, in detective stories by Ioanna Khmelevskaya, not only the purely criminal side is valued - the crime and its investigation.…

The Complete Encyclopedia of Mythological Creatures. Story. Origin. Magical properties of Conway Dinna

Harpies

Among the many fabulous animals of Greece were the terrible harpies. Their total number has never been precisely known. The name "harpy" probably comes from the Greek "harpyiai", meaning "grabbers" or "snatchers". These were huge birds of prey that had the bodies of griffins, the heads and faces of women, and the claws of eagles. According to some sources, their wings were made of metal and made a terrible clanging sound during flight.

Usually the gods sent harpies to Earth with a special mission - to punish or torture violators of spiritual laws. They usually pounced on the victim and either carried that person away or tortured and tore him apart. They also snatched food from the table, leaving behind dirt and stench that caused illness and starvation.

Harpies, these creatures of wind, storm, thunder and lightning, were described as ugly animals, but sometimes as winged women of unearthly beauty. Mythology calls them the daughters of the sea deity Thaumant and the oceanid Electra. Homer calls one of them Podarga (Swift-footed), and Hesiod speaks of Aello (Whirlwind) and Ocypete (Swift-winged). Other ancient authors also mention Keleno (Darkness).

The victim of the harpies felt the approach of danger only at the last minute, hearing their sharp inhuman cries, the thunder of their gigantic wings and feeling the stench of their feathers. It was impossible to hide from the harpies carrying out the punishment of the gods.

According to some Mediterranean legends, one of the harpies was drowned in a river in the Peloponnese. Another tried to fly to the Echinada Islands, where, turning around, she fell ashore and died. Subsequently, these islands were called Strophadian (from the Greek word “to turn”).

In German heraldry there is a creature that looks like a harpy - Frauenadler or Jungfrauadler. This creature looks like a woman from the waist up, but has the body, wings, tail and limbs of an eagle. In English heraldry, a harpy was depicted on the coat of arms of a person who committed a murder, but this did not apply to Frauenadler.

Psychological characteristics: One who takes pleasure in intentionally harming others or breaking them in some way, not only on a physical level, but also on a spiritual, mental or emotional level.

Magic properties: dynamic but negative harmonies of cosmic energies. Punishment of those who violate spiritual laws. Wind, storms, thunder and lightning.

Harpies

From the book Encyclopedic Dictionary (G-D) author Brockhaus F.A.

Harpies Harpies (Greek: ArpuaV, Latin: Rapae) are the goddesses of the whirlwind. In the Iliad, the harpy Gout (swift-footed) appears, who gave birth to the Achilles horses Xanth and Balios from Zephyr. In the Odyssey, the harpies are credited with kidnapping missing people. Hesiod calls them winged, beautiful-haired

From the book Exotic Zoology author Nepomnyashchiy Nikolai Nikolaevich

HARPIES In a modern English song about a harpy, she appears before us as a cheerful singing creature who finds charm in noisy parties: I came with a harp to the harpy, And we began to sing and play, No one can strum the harp so nicely like the harpy. This song doesn't

From the book Great Soviet Encyclopedia (GA) by the author TSB

From the book The Newest Book of Facts. Volume 2 [Mythology. Religion] author Kondrashov Anatoly Pavlovich

From the book Mythological Dictionary by Archer Vadim

Harpies (Greek) - daughters of the sea god Thaumant and the oceanid Electra. The number of G. varies among different authors (from 2 to 5); they are named: Podarga (“swift-footed”), Okipeta (“swift”), Kelaino (“gloomy”), Aello (“stormy”) and Aellopa (“whirlwind”) "). G. were depicted as winged

From the book Fantastic Bestiary author Bulychev Kir

***Harpies*** I'm not sure these creatures have a place in our book. But, judging by what is known about them, about their manners, habits, way of life, they are still animals, not people. Harpies appear, obviously, in ancient Cretan mythology, back in pre-Greek times, as deities

From the book Encyclopedia of Classical Greco-Roman Mythology author Obnorsky V.

From the book The Complete Encyclopedia of Mythological Creatures. Story. Origin. Magic properties by Conway Deanna

Harpies Among the many fabulous animals of Greece were the terrible harpies. Their total number has never been precisely known. The name "harpy" probably comes from the Greek "harpyiai", meaning "grabbers" or "snatchers". These were huge birds of prey that had bodies