Harpies In Ancient Greek Culture

As ancient Greek culture was afraid of the unknown, of what could happen after death, they feared a monster that could lure you in with promises of hope and then drag you into the great unknown. The idea that something so beautiful could end so horribly could horrify people of any century. I hope that these facts of Sirens throughout history will be both horrifying, as they were interesting as they were for me. In many stories Sirens were once beautiful women, and while their parentage can be argued many stories will agree that they were companions of Persephone. When she was taken by Hades they are said to have prayed for wings, and miraculously sprouted them from their backs. They are described as beautiful women, unlike Harpies which have the body of a bird and the head of a woman, they are said to have a beautiful feminine form as well as large wings, and voices to rival the muses. Their more, let 's say, unattractive counterpart, the Harpies, show many similarities, and throughout researching them I have put together that they are probably closely related. Seeing as the origin story is so argued upon, I 'd say that they could have become Harpies in the same way that they transformed, or maybe even from the same group of women. They have shown up in murals and tapestry throughout history. They have also shown up …show more content…
Although it is shown so much, evidence shows that it was more towards the beauty of the natural form than sexualizing it, and that the people of Greece were fascinated with the nature of the human body. They painted murals of men in battle, clad only in a shield, and of women telling stories to their children with a mere blanket over their most private areas, yet these were not sexual in the least. This is why I believe that the fear that created Sirens must be more than something stemming from a fear of free