Harpy
The word harpy carries the weight of uncertain history. R. S. P. Beekes suggests a Pre-Greek origin for this term in his 2009 work, The Etymological Dictionary of Greek. Ancient writers described these creatures as half-human and half-bird entities that personified storm winds. Homer placed them within his Odyssey poems around the 8th century BCE. Hesiod imagined them as fair-locked maidens who flew with the speed of the wind itself. Aeschylus later depicted them as ugly creatures with wings during the time of ancient Athens. Roman and Byzantine writers detailed their ugliness to emphasize their monstrous nature. Ovid described them as human-vultures in his Metamorphoses written in the early 1st century CE. Their name means snatchers or swift robbers according to Adrian Room's Who's Who in Classical Mythology from 1973. They were said to steal food from victims while they ate it. These beings carried evildoers especially those who killed family members to the Erinyes. When a person suddenly disappeared from Earth it was believed they had been taken by harpies.
Pottery art depicting the harpies featured beautiful women with wings during early Greek periods. Virgil wrote about their ugliness in his Aeneid published around 19 BCE. Tzetzes added details about their appearance in his commentary on Lycophron dated to the 12th century CE. Hyginus listed them among monstrosities including Centaurs and Scylla in his Fabulae from the 1st century CE. The Pythian priestess of Apollo compared the appearance of the Erinyes to those of harpies in The Eumenides play. Later writers carried notions of the harpies so far as to represent them as most disgusting monsters. Their abode was described either as the islands called Strofades or a cave in Crete. Apollonius Rhodius placed them at the entrance of Orcus in his Argonautica written around 250 BCE. Valerius Flaccus called them the hounds of mighty Zeus in his Argonauticon composed in the 1st century CE. They were depicted as vicious cruel and violent throughout ancient literature. Ovid described them as human-vultures in Metamorphoses Book 7 verse 4.
King Phineus of Thrace received the gift of prophecy from Zeus before losing it through punishment. Zeus blinded him and placed him on an island with a buffet of food he could never eat. Harpies always arrived to steal the food out of his hands before he could satisfy hunger. Later writers added that they devoured the food themselves or dirtied it by dropping stinking substance upon it. Jason and the Argonauts arrived to help Phineus escape this torment. The Boreads sons of Boreas the North Wind succeeded in driving off the harpies. An ancient oracle stated the harpies would perish by the hands of the Boreades. The Boreades died if they failed to overtake the harpies during their pursuit. One harpy fell into the river Tigris which was hence called Harpys according to Apollodorus. Another reached the Echinades islands where she never returned so the islands became known as Strophades. Iris or Hermes appeared commanding the conquerors to set them free when they were about to kill the creatures. Phineus promised not to be bothered by the harpies again after their release. He told the Argonauts how to pass the Symplegades rocks as thanks for their help.
Dante Alighieri envisaged tortured wood infested with harpies in Canto XIII of his Inferno written around 1320 CE. Suicides received punishment in the seventh ring of Hell within Dante's poetic vision. Ludovico Ariosto had Christian Ethiopian Emperor Senapo afflicted with harpies under circumstances nearly identical to those in the myth of Phineus. Senapo was blinded by God himself and the harpies contaminated every meal he attempted to eat. Astolfo a paladin from the court of Charlemagne delivered Senapo from this torment in Orlando Furioso published in 1532. William Blake created The Wood of the Self-Murderers: The Harpies and the Suicides using pencil ink and watercolour for the Tate Gallery in London. Shakespeare included harpies in The Tempest where spirit Ariel tortured antagonists Antonio Sebastian and Alonso. A banquet scene similar to that in the Aeneid appeared in Shakespeare's play during the early 17th century. Benedick called Beatrice a harpy in Much Ado About Nothing when she approached him speaking sharply.
The city of Nuremberg used the harpy as an early device in its coat-of-arms starting in 1243 CE. East Frisia featured the harpy particularly on coats-of-arms of Rietberg Liechtenstein and the Cirksena families. German heraldry referred to it as Arthur Fox-Davies or maiden eagle though it may not have been modeled after original Greek mythology. The harpy appears in British heraldry although it remains a peculiarly German device according to Fox-Davies' Complete Guide to Heraldry from 1909. The term is often used metaphorically to refer to a nasty or annoying woman in modern language. The harpy eagle is a real bird named after the mythological animal discovered by naturalists in South America. Sharp-tongued women received this name in literary contexts throughout European history. The creature became popular charge in heraldry during the Middle Ages across German territories.
Common questions
What is the origin of the word harpy according to R. S. P. Beekes?
R. S. P. Beekes suggests a Pre-Greek origin for this term in his 2009 work The Etymological Dictionary of Greek.
Where did ancient writers say the harpies lived?
Their abode was described either as the islands called Strofades or a cave in Crete.
How were the harpies depicted in Homer's Odyssey compared to later Roman writers?
Homer placed them within his Odyssey poems around the 8th century BCE while Ovid described them as human-vultures in his Metamorphoses written in the early 1st century CE.
Who defeated the harpies during the journey of Jason and the Argonauts?
The Boreads sons of Boreas the North Wind succeeded in driving off the harpies.
When did Dante Alighieri include harpies in his Inferno?
Dante Alighieri envisaged tortured wood infested with harpies in Canto XIII of his Inferno written around 1320 CE.
Which city used the harpy as an early device in its coat-of-arms starting in 1243 CE?
The city of Nuremberg used the harpy as an early device in its coat-of-arms starting in 1243 CE.