In Greek and Roman mythology, a harpy is a hybrid creature, half human and half bird, often understood as a personification of storm winds. Harpies feature in the Homeric poems, and later Greek and Roman writers developed them into winged women who snatch food and torment their victims. The creature's dual nature, human above and bird below, places it among this atlas's broader family of part-human, part-animal hybrids.
Facts
Iconography
SymbolSourced to the subject's own accountA harpy is a half human, half bird creature, conventionally a bird's body and wings joined to a woman's head and face. 1 Connections
Associated With
Zeus, Deities In Greek mythology the Harpies act as agents of the gods, most famously sent to torment the seer Phineus by fouling his food.
Belongs to Tradition
Related To
Sources
1. Harpy (Wikipedia)
IntroductionQuote, Introduction
a half-human and half-bird mythical creature
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.