Erinyes
Erinyes EuropeLiteral meaning: ‘the angry ones’. They were the avenging deities of Greek mythology, the Furies who pursued the outragers of custom. These three chthonic goddesses, born of the blood of mutilated Ouranos in Gaia'ss womb, were imagined as ugly women, with serpents entwined in their hair, carrying torches and whips. They were pitiless, both in life and death; but, unlike Satan or other West Asian spirits of evil, the Erinyes were never wantonly malignant. Their names were Alecto, ‘the never ending’; Tisiphone, ‘voice of revenge’; and Megaira, ‘envious anger’.
The Erinyes tracked down those who wrongly shed blood, and especially the blood of the mother. Thus they pursued Orestes because, despite the fact that he had acted in compliance with the direct command of Apollo, he had committed matricide. Sent abroad by his mother Clytemnestra while his father Agamemnon was away at the siege of Troy, so that she might enjoy her...
[The entire page is 268 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
