Harpies, meaning Snatchers [1], were Ancient Greek winged demons that plagued people as a curse. Harpies were sent to people to blind Phineus. Phineas was tormented by two harpies sent by Zeus, for abusing his power of prophecy. Jason and his Argonauts arrive to talk to Phineas, who will only help if they stop the harpies from stealing his food. Harpies in Greek Mythology were the sisters of the winged Iris, the female messenger of the gods. Phineas, a king of Thrace, had the gift of prophecy. Zeus, angry that Phineas revealed too much, punished him by blinding him and putting him on an island with a buffet of food which he could never eat. The harpies always arrived and stole the food out of his hands before he could satisfy his hunger, and befouled the remains of his food. This continued until the arrival of Jason and the Argonauts. The Argonauts then captured the Harpies in a net, before trapping them in a wooden box.
Description[]
The harpies in Greek Mythology had the torso of a woman, and the the body of a bird. However, the appearance of Ray Harryhausen's Harpies shared more in common with later depictions of biblical demons, possessing two large bat like wings, and vicious, horned faces.
Gallery[]
![Ray Harryhausen's concept art, circa 1961 [2]](/wiki/File:Harpies_concept_art.jpeg "Harpies concept art.jpeg (105 KB)")
References[]
- ↑ Harpy at Vocabulary.com
- ↑ "Casting the Doctor" at the National Galleries Scotland website