What is "harpy"

Harpy \Har"py\ (h[aum]r"p[y^]), n.; pl. Harpies (-p[i^]z). [F. harpie, L. harpyia, Gr. "a`rpyia, from the root of "arpa`zein to snatch, to seize. Cf. Rapacious.]

1. (Gr. Myth.) A fabulous winged monster, ravenous and filthy, having the face of a woman and the body of a vulture, with long claws, and the face pale with hunger. Some writers mention two, others three.

   Both table and provisions vanished quite. With sound of harpies' wings and talons heard.
   --Milton.

2. One who is rapacious or ravenous; an extortioner.

   The harpies about all pocket the pool.
   --Goldsmith.

3. (Zo["o]l.)

   1. The European moor buzzard or marsh harrier ( Circus [ae]ruginosus).

   2. A large and powerful, double-crested, short-winged American eagle ( Thrasa["e]tus harpyia). It ranges from Texas to Brazil. Harpy bat (Zo["o]l.)

      1. An East Indian fruit bat of the genus Harpyia (esp. Harpyia cephalotes), having prominent, tubular nostrils.

      2. A small, insectivorous Indian bat ( Harpiocephalus harpia).

         Harpy fly (Zo["o]l.), the house fly.

late 14c., from Old French harpie (14c.), from Greek Harpyia (plural), literally "snatchers," probably related to harpazein "to snatch" (see rapid). Metaphoric extension to "greedy person" is c.1400.\n\nIn Homer they are merely personified storm winds, who were believed to have carried off any person that had suddenly disappeared. In Hesiod they are fair-haired and winged maidens who surpass the winds in swiftness, and are called Aello and Ocypete; but in later writers they are represented as disgusting monsters, with heads like maidens, faces pale with hunger, and claws like those of birds. The harpies ministered to the gods as the executors of vengeance.

["American Cyclopædia," 1874]

n. 1 A fabulous winged monster, ravenous and filthy, having the face of a woman and the body of a vulture. 2 A shrewish woman.

1. n. a malicious fierce-tempered woman [syn: vixen, hellcat]

2. (Greek mythology) vicious winged monster; often depicted as a bird with the head of a woman

3. any of various fruit bats of the genus Nyctimene distinguished by nostrils drawn out into diverging tubes [syn: harpy bat, tube-nosed bat, tube-nosed fruit bat]

4. large black-and-white crested eagle of tropical America [syn: harpy eagle, Harpia harpyja]

In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, a harpy (plural harpies, , harpyia, ; ) was a female monster in the form of a bird with a human face. They steal food from their victims while they are eating and carry evildoers (especially those who have killed their family) to the Erinyes. They seem originally to have been wind spirits. Their name means "snatchers".

Homer wrote that a harpy was the mother of the two horses of Achilles sired by the West Wind Zephyrus.

Hesiod calls them two "lovely-haired" creatures, the daughters of Thaumas and Electra (not to be confused with Electra, daughter of King Agamemnon), who were sisters of Iris. Pottery art depicting the harpies featured beautiful women with wings. Roman and Byzantine writers detailed their ugliness.

1. Redirect Harpy (disambiguation)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the harpy is a monstrous humanoid creature with the lower body, legs, and wings of a bird.

A harpy is a death-spirit in Greek mythology.

Harpy may also refer to:

• Harpy eagle, a species of eagle
• Harpy Valentine, a minor character from Saint Seiya
• IAI Harpy, an unmanned aerial vehicle
• The Harpy, an American film
• Harpy, a character in the video game Puyo Puyo
• Harpuia, one of the Four Guardians in the Mega Man Zero games
• In Marvel Comics, it may refer to:
  • Betty Ross, the first Harpy
  • Marlo Chandler, the second Harpy
• Fountain of the Harpies (Madrid)