Exactly what the title says it is.
This is adapted from Monsters and Villains of the Movies and Literature by Gerrie McCall, Dragons: Fearsome Monsters from Myth and Fiction by Gerrie McCall, and Mythical Monsters by Chris McNab.
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FACE: Her spiteful nature shows in the Harpy's hideous face. Piercing shrieks issuing from her mouth can cause temporary deafness in anyone nearby. TAIL: Her massive tail acts as a rudder during flight, balancing and steering the Harpy as she swoops down on her victims. When the tail dips downward, she stops short to grab her prey. CLAWS: The oversized talons are designed for perching and snatching food from the hungry. They are also useful for transporting the uncooperative to the underworld.
BODY: A Harpy's vulture body emits a terrible stench that clings to everything she touches.
WINGS: Wings as powerful as an eagle's enable the Harpy to fly considerable distances while bearing the weight of a heavy human in her talons.
Three winged death spirits called Harpies loom large in Greek mythology. With the faces of women and the bodies of vultures, they shriek, peck, and nag. Relentless tormentors, they spoil everything they touch with their filth. Circling the skies, singing their songs of discontent, they harass sailors on passing ships. The god of the underworld sends them on terrible errands, dispatching them to seize anyone unwilling to die. The Harpy flies around her prey, screeching and diving at him. Once her victim is terrified senseless, she sinks her claws into him and delivers him to the gates of Hades.
A Greek named Phineas, who has the gift of prophecy, angers the god Zeus. Zeus feels that Phineas reveals too many details of the gods' plans. Zeus punishes Phineas by blinding him and leaving him on an island. A lavish buffet of food is set for Phineas on the island, but the Harpies make sure he never eats a scrap of it. The noisy Harpies constantly pester Phineas, stealing food from his hands and ruining the leftovers so he is unable to eat.
DID YOU KNOW? Eventually, two winged heroes known as the Boreads drive the Harpies away. The rainbow goddess Iris asks that the Harpies not be harmed. In return for their safety, Iris promises that the Harpies shall never again bother Phineas.
The name Harpy is derived from the Greek word for "snatcher."
The Strofades Islands, the traditional home of the Harpies, are a destination for avid birdwatchers hoping to catch a glance of rare waterfowl.
Ill-tempered, greedy people are referred to as "harpies."
In Dante's fourteenth-century poem "Inferno," Harpies eternally taunt people who have died greedy.
