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.
One who is rapacious or ravenous; an extortioner.
A large and powerful, double-crested, short-winged American eagle (Thrasaëtus harpyia). It ranges from Texas to Brazil.
a mythical beast having the head of a woman and the body, wings, and talons of an eagle: supposed to act as an agent of vengeance. (The Tempest)
A ghost-like creature with the wings of a bird and the face of a woman, believed by the ancient Greeks to be a wind spirit that could interfere with the affairs of men if nor regularly appeased.
A woman with the bottom portion and wings of a vulture. These creatures were originally sent by the Greek Gods to torment the evil doer. To the Greek the Harpy repersented justice. Later on in the middle ages they came to symbolize greed and the devil.
The Harpies ("snatchers"), daughters of Thaumas and Electra, were originally conceived of as winds, but eventually came to be depicted as bird-like women who tormented mortals. The Argonauts rescued Phineus, the blind king and prophet of Salmydessus, whose food was "snatched" away by these ravenous monsters. Today when we call someone a harpy we evoke images of these vile, foul-smelling, predatory creatures; or harpy simply means a shrew.
From the Greek word for snatcher. A female monster that carries souls to Hell; often represented with a woman’s head and body and a bird’s wings, legs, claws, and tail. She occasionally appears as a more benign spirit that carries souls to another world.
a malicious fierce-tempered woman
(Greek mythology) vicious winged monster; often depicted as a bird with the head of a woman
large black-and-white crested eagle of tropical America
a creature from mythology
a creature that has the head of a woman and the body of a bird
a monster with a woman's face and a bird's wings and claws
Vulture-like bird with the head and breasts of a woman
A spirit of the wind, sometimes evil, part bird, part woman.
In Greek mythology, the Harpies (snatchersThe unelided form arepuia is inscribed on a black-figured vessel in Berlin illustrated in Jane Ellen Harrison, Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion, 1903, fig.18. The major painted decor of the vase is the slaying of the Gorgon. ) were mainly winged death-spirits (Harrison 1903, p 176ff), best known for constantly stealing all food from Phineas. The literal meaning of the word seems to be "whirlwinds".
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the harpy is a monstrous monstrous humanoid creature with the lower body, legs, and wings of a reptilian creature.