harpy
harpy
Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
The IPA phonetic spelling for harpy is: /ˈhɑːrpi/
Syllable 1: har- (/hɑːr/)
/h/ - A voiceless glottal fricative, like the 'h' in hat.
/ɑːr/ - An r-colored open back unrounded vowel, like the 'ar' in car.
Syllable 2: -py (/pi/)
/p/ - A voiceless bilabial plosive, like the 'p' in pot.
/i/ - A close front unrounded vowel, like the 'y' at the end of happy.
Word Form Variations
Singular: harpy
Plural: harpies
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
(Mythology) A monstrous, winged creature from Greek and Roman mythology, typically depicted with the head and torso of a woman and the body and talons of a bird of prey. Harpies were known as agents of punishment who abducted people and tormented the guilty.
Synonyms: fiend, monster, demon, mythological beast
Antonyms: angel, cherub, spirit, goddess
(Figurative, Derogatory) A cruel, grasping, and relentlessly unpleasant woman, especially one who is regarded as predatory and nagging.
Synonyms: shrew, vixen, termagant, battle-ax, virago, scold
Antonyms: sweetheart, angel, saint, gentlewoman, dove
Examples of Use
The word "harpy" is used in the real world in two primary ways: to refer to the mythological creature in fantasy contexts and, more commonly, as a derogatory insult for a woman perceived as cruel and nagging.
📚 In Literature
The harpy appears in classic literature as a terrifying monster. In modern writing, its name is often invoked to describe a character's cruel nature.
In Dante Alighieri's Inferno, harpies inhabit the Wood of the Suicides, where they torment the souls of those who took their own lives by nesting in the trees and feeding on their leaves, causing immense pain.
In William Shakespeare's The Tempest, the spirit Ariel confronts the play's villains by appearing in the form of a harpy, accusing them of their crimes and causing a banquet to vanish before their eyes.
🎬 In Film, Television, and Gaming
Harpies are a staple in fantasy media, often serving as monstrous obstacles for heroes to overcome.
In the classic film Jason and the Argonauts (1963), Jason and his crew save a blind king from a pair of hideous harpies who are cursed to steal his food, leaving him to starve.
In the video game God of War, harpies are recurring aerial enemies that Kratos must fight, often attacking in swarms to harass the player.
A television review might use the term figuratively to criticize a poorly written character, such as: "The show's biggest weakness is the protagonist's mother, who is written not as a complex person but as a stereotypical, screeching harpy."
📰 In News and Online Publications
In modern journalism and online commentary, the word is almost exclusively used as a figurative, misogynistic insult.
Political commentary might employ the term to attack a female politician, with a writer describing an opponent as a "harpy whose shrill attacks are meant to distract from her lack of substance."
An opinion piece discussing online harassment noted how quickly anonymous users resort to gendered insults, stating that "any woman with a strong opinion online is inevitably branded a witch or a harpy." (The Atlantic, November 2022)
🗣️ In Public Discourse
In everyday conversation and on social media, "harpy" is a go-to insult for a woman who is seen as aggressively unpleasant or demanding.
In a workplace complaint: "My manager is a complete harpy; she hovers over my desk and criticizes every single thing I do."
On social media platforms, a user might post: "I'm so tired of the 'crazy ex-girlfriend' trope in movies. She's always portrayed as some vengeful harpy instead of a real person."
10 Famous Quotes Using Harpy
I will fetch you a toothpicker now from the furthest inch of Asia, rather than hold three words' conference with this harpy. (William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing)
No monster on this earth is more vile than the Harpies, no plague more grim, no scourge of the gods ever rose from the Styx’s infernal waves. (Virgil, The Aeneid)
Here the repellent Harpies make their nests, who drove the Trojans from the Strophades with dismal tidings of the coming woe. (Dante Alighieri, Inferno)
She was a mighty harpy, and a masterful scrubber of what old maids call "the house." (Lord Byron, Don Juan)
There lived King Phineus, in his helpless age, with blinded eyes; to whom the Harpies, greedy birds of prey, were sent to plunder him of his repast. (Ovid, Metamorphoses)
And now you are all jaw and inspiration, a blatant harpy. (W. B. Yeats, The Player Queen)
A Harpy bloated with the orphans' tears; a drone drinking the honey of the bees. (Percy Bysshe Shelley, "To the Lord Chancellor")
In an alcove a fearful thing was chained: one of the harpies which are said to haunt the mountains of the northern Himelias. (Robert E. Howard, "The Scarlet Citadel")
Now for the harpy's feather. (James Joyce, Ulysses)
We are the Harpies, Lyra; we are the fall and the rot and the scolding and the fury. (Philip Pullman, The Amber Spyglass)
Etymology
The word harpy comes directly from Greek mythology and its name literally means "snatcher."
From Ancient Greece to Modern English mythological creature
The word's journey begins with the Ancient Greek Ἅρπυια (Hárpuia), which is the name for the mythological beast. This name comes from the Greek verb ἁρπάζειν (harpázein), meaning "to snatch, seize, or carry off."
The first use of the word was to describe these specific creatures. In early myths, Harpies were seen as the personification of destructive storm winds. 🌪️ When someone vanished suddenly and mysteriously, it was sometimes said that the Harpies had "snatched" them away for the gods.
Their reputation as foul, greedy tormentors was cemented by their role in the myth of Jason and the Argonauts. In the story, they were sent by the gods to punish King Phineus by constantly swooping down and stealing his food, leaving him to starve.
Evolution into an Insult
Because the mythological creatures were portrayed as ravenous, cruel, and monstrous, the word harpy was adopted into English as a figurative insult. Around the late 1500s, it began to be used to describe a greedy, predatory, or viciously nagging woman. This metaphorical use, connecting a person's behavior to the traits of the mythical monster, remains its most common meaning in modern language.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Harpy
Here is a list of phrases and idioms that use the word "harpy" or convey a similar meaning.
A political harpy
The office harpy
A harpy's screech
To have a harpy on your back
A regular battle-ax
Taming of the shrew
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
To spit venom like a vixen
A tongue that could clip a hedge
A face that would sour milk
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of harpy from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
