Harpies are rather interesting creatures. Sometimes, they are depicted as being very beautiful, and sometimes they are depicted as ugly creatures with warped wings and bodies. Regardless of their physical makeup, one thing can be agreed upon; they are female monsters in the form of a bird with a human face.
Harpies were originally wind spirits, though they took on tangible forms when Zeus needed their help to punish King Phineus. This king was a great ruler of Thrace, so Zeus gave him the gift of prophecy. However, King Phineus started giving away the secrets of the gods, so Zeus punished him by blinding him and putting him on an island with a buffet of food that he could never eat. The harpies were then called upon by Zeus to continually steal the food from the island. Though the food would replenish itself, the harpies would always return, and King Phineus was forced to starve for eternity.
The harpies were eventually driven away by the son of the North Wind, who believe the king’s punishment had gone on for long enough. The harpies were not injured, but they were forced to retreat to a cave on an island known as Strophades. Now, it’s important to take note of something at this point; there are only three harpies. They are sisters, and they are known as Aello (storm swift), Ocypete (the swift wing), and Celaeno (the dark).
Since the harpies are related, they all look very similar. They were first depicted as women with perfect bodies, though they had the feet of a bird. They were known to have very sharp talons that could be used to attack people. They had wings that consisted of beautifully colored feathers, and many of these feathers lined the rest of her body. The most important feather of a harpy was her face, since it changed depending on her mood. When trying to be deceptive, a harpy had the face of a beautiful women. When angry, her face became twisted and, though still beautiful, dangerously scary. A harpy’s gaze could stop someone in their tracks! Later on, the grotesque look of an angry harpy’s face became the standard for the rest of her body. They became more bird like, and their feather were of black or brown color. Feathers usually ran down their neck, and their tails resembled that of a raven. Their claws were much larger, and their teeth much sharper. In this depiction, they look more frightening than they do seductive.
Once the harpies no longer had a duty to Zeus, they decided to become agents of punishment. They abducted people who were cruel and violent, and then tortured them on the way to Tartarus. Tartarus was a deep abyss that was used as a dungeon of suffering for the wicked. It was also used as a prison for the Titans, so you can only imagine how bad it must have been.
Harpies are scary, and I would never go near one if they existed. However, I probably wouldn’t need to worry about them if they did. Harpies are rarely seen by humans, and they only bother those who they believe deserve to be punished. Hopefully, neither you nor I would be in their line of sight.