Also called Harpyiai, Aello, Ocypete, Celaeno.
Their story
The Harpies are daughters of Thaumas and Electra and sisters of Iris, with lovely hair and wings as swift as the winds. In the Odyssey they snatch people away so that they are never seen again. In the Argonautica they plagued the blind prophet Phineus by stealing and fouling his food, until the winged sons of Boreas drove them off.
Best times to give to them
- When something is suddenly lost
- None traditional
What they like being given
- None are traditional; a meal shared generously is the opposite of what they do
- A candle lit while reading or retelling the story
How to honour them
- When something vanishes suddenly, name the loss rather than pretending it did not happen.
- Share food freely, remembering Phineus, whose meals they stole.
How they can help you
- Understanding sudden loss
- The ancient way of explaining disappearances
Symbols
- bird body
- woman's face
- talons
- wind
Early sources describe them as beautiful winged women; the ugly bird-women are a later image.
Sources
- Hesiod, Theogony 265-269
- Homer, Odyssey 20.61-78
- Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica 2.178-300
More Greek spirits
- The Anemoi The four winds
- The Muses The nine daughters of Memory
- The Moirai Spinners of the thread of life
- The Charites The Graces of joy and charm
- The Horae Keepers of the seasons and order
- The Erinyes Avengers of blood and broken oaths
- The Gorgons The three sisters of the terrible gaze
- The Centaurs The wild horse-men of the hills