Harpies

(Swift Robbers) Greek The storm winds; daughters of Electra (3), a sea Nymph, and an ancient sea god, Thaumus; sisters of the goddess of rainbows, Iris. In early stories, the Harpies were shown as beautiful winged women. They were said to appear suddenly and snatch up people and objects and were blamed for sudden disappearances. The Harpies served the great god Zeus, who wielded thunder and lightning as his weapons, and sent them along with storms to do his bidding. The poet Hesiod wrote that there were two Harpies and that their names were Aello and Ocypete. Homer names a third Harpy, Pordage, and says she was married to the western wind Zephyrus, and gave birth to the two great horses of Achilles. In later mythology, particularly the stories of Jason and the Argonauts, authors described the Harpies as vicious bird-like creatures with sharp talons that carried off food and precious treasures and gave off a terrible stench. In Roman mythology, Harpies attack Aeneas and his Trojan crew in Virgil's Aeneid. This poet names a yet another Harpy, Celaeno.