Harpies
Profile
The Harpies are the last gals you'll ever want to have over for a BBQ. These awful creatures, with the heads of women and bodies of birds, have a nasty habit of swooping down from the sky, snatching whatever food they see, and then pooping on the remains. (Um... gross.) Back in the day, they were thought of as the spirits of sudden gusts and whirlwinds, and they were blamed whenever somebody or something suddenly disappeared.
These ugly bird-ladies are sometimes called "the hounds of Zeus," because the king of the gods often sent them to punish mortals by snatching things precious to them or by snatching the offending mortals themselves. "Harpy" actually translates to something like "snatchers," so it seems like they were pretty aptly named. Just remember, if you want to keep your burgers in your buns, stay away from the Harpies.
Basic Information
Name The Harpies: Okypete, Aello, Celaeno (Podarge)
Nickname Okypete: the Swiftwing
Aello: the Stormswift
Celaeno: the DarkSex Females
Current city The Strophades Islands
Work & Education
Occupation Spirits of sudden gusts and whirlwinds
Professional torturersEducation The Furies' Torture Academy
Beliefs
Political views Pro-Zeus
Family & Friends (& Enemies)
Parents Thaumas (Dad)
Elektra (Mom)Siblings Children Aello might've been the mother of Xanthos and Podarkes, some super-fast immortal horses.
Friends Iris (who saved us from the Boreads)
Enemies Aeneas
Phineus
Jason
BoreadsRelationships
Relationship status Single
Interested in All-you-can-eat buffets
Favorites
TV Shows Storm Chasers
Paula's Best Dishes
Around the World in 80 PlatesQuotations "Birds of a feather flock together."
– Proverb
"They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind."
– Bible, Hosea 8:7
"A forest bird never wants a cage."
– Henrik Ibsen
"They hear a voice in every wind
and snatch a fearful joy"
– Thomas Gray
"I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation
You're living in the past it's a new generation
A girl can do what she wants to do and that's
What I'm gonna do
An' I don't give a damn ' bout my bad reputation"
– Joan JettBooks Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Angels in America by Tony Kushner (The angel in his play is no joke.)
"The Cask of the Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe (We just love a good story about torment.)
"The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe
"Leda and the Swan" by William Butler Yeats
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee (Martha is a Harpy at heart.)
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (No-name the Harpy is our heroine.)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
"The Eagle" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
"Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll (We happen to be good friends with the Jabberwocky.)Music Wild Ones by Flo Rida
Littlest Birds by The Be Good Tonyas
Bad Reputation by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Myth by Beach House
Rock you Like a Hurricane by Scorpions
The Wind Beneath my Wings by Bette Midler
Bird Song by Florence and the Machine
Blackbird by the BeatlesMovies The Birds
Winged Migration
Up
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Eat Pray Love (We mostly get into the "Eat" part.)
She-Devil
Fried Green Tomatoes
Misery
Saw
The Wizard of Oz
Twister
The Perfect StormActivities & Interests
Likes Skydiving
Bird sanctuaries
Torture chambers
All-you-can-eat buffets
Angry BirdsInterests Ornithology
MeteorologyGroups Monster Human Alliance
Bird Ladies of the MediterraneanSpotter's Guide
Why would you want to hang out with the Harpies? They are seriously nasty creatures, whose favorite thing to do is snatch food off of people's tables and then poop on the scraps left behind. If you're really determined to meet them, all you have to do is go to the Strophades Islands near Greece and lay out a picnic. They'll be the stinky bird-creatures with the heads of ugly women that come and steal everything. We seriously recommend you avoid this whole situation. You'll be better off never having met them.
Sex: Females
Age: It's kind of hard to tell
Build: Plump
Complexion: Pale
Hair Color: Brown, Black
Facial Hair: Chin hairs
Scars/marks/tattoos: Lots of warts
Jewelry and accessories: Feathers, wings
Clothing: None
Armor: None
Type of Weapon: Razor sharp talons and beaksTypical Companions:
Other Harpies
Known Hangouts:
The Sky
Big Bill's Country BuffetSightings
Jan 1, 1970 - Jan 1, 1970
Theogony by Hesiod
Hesiod gives you the lowdown on the birth of the Harpies and their sister Iris in this ancient epic poem.
Jan 1, 1970 - Jan 1, 1970
The Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius
The Boreads duke it out with the Harpies in this ancient poem, which tells the story of the Quest for the Golden Fleece.
Jan 1, 1970 - Dec 20, 2019
The Argonautica by Valerius Flaccus
The Harpies also pop up in this other version of the Quest for the Golden Fleece by the author often recognized for having the most ridiculous name ever.
Dec 20, 2019 - Dec 20, 2019
The Aeneid by Virgil
Aeneas and his men get into some serious trouble with the Harpies when the heroes mistakenly eat some of the bird-ladies' cattle in Virgil's epic.
Dec 20, 2019
The Metamorphoses by Ovid
In this epic collection of poems, Ovid sings the praises of the Boreads for chasing the Harpies away from Phineus. (For the record, the Harpies hate Ovid.)
Dec 20, 2019 - Dec 20, 2019
The Inferno by Dante Alighieri
Dante's version of Hell sounds like Heaven to the Harpies, because they spend their days in the Seventh Circle, torturing those who have committed suicide.
Dec 20, 2019 - Dec 20, 2019
The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Ariel appears to the traitorous Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian in the form of a Harpy in this magical play. (It's not exactly the most flattering disguise the world has seen.)
Dec 20, 2019
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
No-name the Harpy turns from enemy to ally for Lyra and Will in the final novel of Philip Pullman's amazing His Dark Materials trilogy.
Dec 20, 2019
God of War
If you like hacking up Harpies, then you ought to play this game, in which Kratos slices and dices whole flocks of the ugly bird-ladies.
Dec 20, 2019
The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
Ella the Harpy turns out to be an ally to Percy Jackson in this novel for young adults. (A nice Harpy? Say what?)