Male harpies
Posted on August 29, 2009 (Subscribe to Blog)
To those who know anything about Greek mythology, the term "male harpies" might seem like an oxymoron. Half bird, half woman, harpies are nasty creatures -- but female. Some pictures depict them as large birds with human heads, while others present them as a little more human-like. The "original" drawings suggest they look like this:
To quote from Wikipedia:
The harpies were sisters of Iris, daughters of Thaumas and Electra. Phineas, a king of Thrace, had the gift of prophecy. Zeus, angry that Phineas revealed too much, punished him by blinding him and putting him on an island with a buffet of food which he could never eat. The harpies always arrived and stole the food out of his hands right before he could satisfy his hunger, and befouled the remains of his food. This continued until the arrival of Jason and the Argonauts.
So the original harpies were three ugly sisters, and the word "harpy" derives from the Greek harpazein, which means "to snatch." It seems there are endless ways to describe harpies, and every book or movie has its own preference. Sometimes harpies have arms as well as wings, and other times only wings.
Over time, harpies have become not just a few ugly thieving sisters but a whole species of nasty, hideous bird-women. Plenty of modern artists have come up with some really vicious-looking beasties, and I like all these versions better than the comical bird-with-human-head type. However, with a target audience of 9+, I have to make sure that my harpies are covered from head to toe with plumage so there are no rude bits showing! But otherwise I like the idea of human people with wings, and talons for feet.
Just to be different (or awkward), the harpies in my own books are both male and female, although mostly female. Apart from certain types of sea life and plants, I can't see how a species can survive without males. (I can hear women out there disagreeing with this.) Then again, how does a half-bird, half-human species like this get started in the first place? Let's not even go there...
A modern dictionary says that "harpy" simply means "grasping, vicious person," so I don't see why we can't have males as well. Turning the legend on its head, maybe the original harpies in Greek mythology were just a few female harpies from a pre-existing species.
I have harpies in my popular Island of Fog books. This is a magical fantasy series for readers of all ages. The 12-year-old children who live on the island are slowly turning into creatures of myth and legend, and one of them is a harpy, as she discovers in the first book. She really gets to flex her wings in Book 2, Labyrinth of Fire.
But what kind of harpy is she? Nice? Nasty? Well, she's nice. But the rest of them are not. They have a queen, and they live in a nest (although not the cute little bowl of twigs in a tree that you're probably thinking of). These harpies are filthy and cruel, and they steal food from the nearby village on a regular basis. And they steal babies too!
Give them a read:
Update: It's been years since I wrote this post, and it still amazes me how many people search for "male harpies" on Google. The Island of Fog series is now 15 books strong, with a 5-book spinoff series... so there's plenty of harpy action with Lauren, the harpy shapeshifter! Book 2, Labyrinth of Fire, still boasts the most harpies in one scene. Death Storm (Island of Fog Legacies #5), has a couple of males as well.
Here are some other books on Amazon featuring harpies:
"Harpy Thyme",
"B00HTJ04UG" => "Flight of the Golden Harpy",
"B085VTNRMS" => "Harpy's Mission",
"B08LG31GXN" => "Harpy",
"B01FV5QEPI" => "Shriek of the Harpy",
"B082Z44YDG" => "Harpyness is Only Skin Deep"
);
foreach ($asins as $k => $v) {
echo "![\"$v\"](\"https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ASIN=$k&Format=_SL175_&ID=AsinImage&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1\")
Harpies also feature in a lot of books with mature content, as you'll see if you do a general search on harpies. That's why I have a slightly more curated list above. But whatever you're looking for... enjoy!
If I ever see the Island of Fog in a bookstore Keith, I'll be sure to get it. And I can imagine a life without males...peace and no football ^_^. Wow, harpies sound, well annoying.
I guess any creature being female has the potential to become pretty nasty! *ducks to avoid missiles*
How come it's okay to write about stealing babies but not okay to show their breasts? Looking forward to reading Labyrinth of Fire — thanks for keeping us abreast of your progess. ;-)
Alicia, if you're going to wait for Island of Fog to appear in bookstores, you have a long wait ahead!
Trust you, Nigel, to bring that up! This would be a good point if we were talking about adult TV, especially in America. But — and I know you were just kidding — don't forget that one of these harpies is a twelve-year-old girl. And since my age group is 9+ I'd rather just keep the adult harpies covered as well! I don't think boys and girls are the slightest bit interested in that kind of thing anyway until they're eighteen (or is it twenty-one?).
Keith, Congrats are definitely in order, my friend! I loved the first novel, Island of Fog! I'm anxiously awaiting publication of the second novel in the trilogy, Labyrinth of Fire, which is coming this November 2009! It is a "great read" and a "must have" for every library. It keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen to the kids and their families. I couldn't put it down! It's loaded with suspense and intrigue. It's diversity of drama, science fiction, and mythical lore merge for a wonder plot. You are an inspiration to us all! Henry David Thoreau once said, "We were born to succeed, not to fail." Keith, my friend, you are a great success!
Karla Arnold
Ooh, Karla, thanks! How much do I owe you to say all those nice things? :-) Seriously, I'm glad you enjoyed it, and it was good to find out that you're a "secret" children's fantasy reader as well as a poet and all that good stuff! Stay tuned for the next book...
It sounds interesting, so I suppose it's worth the wait Keith. And if it does become famous [Like Twilight, but a LOT better] I'll be sure to gloat to my friends "I've actually talked to Keith Robinson." Well not talked face-to-face, but through some form of communication...
I've heard about a masculine harpie called "Virago", but I can't find info about it. Anyone who knows anything about it?
Is there a specific name for a male Harpy?
Maybe the gals eat the male harpies after the mating period.... No worries about cheating, beating, etc....
In my fantasy ideas male harpies are assimilators and intelligent enough to be considered human like, while females retain a bestal nature and have a liking for snatching food like seagulls. They are aggressive and all round not nice, unless they are in their mating season, in which they mellow up considerably to be able to reproduce. It is up to the father to take care of the egg, as the females discard them, and usually show no interest at all in the lives of their children. Male harpies, as stated above, are intelligent enough to comprehend speech and verbally communicate, use weapons, and teach others their skills. Because of this there is only one harpy character in my ring of protagonists and he's the Bestiologist and bombardier of the group, with vast knowledge of monster strengths and weaknesses.
I like this, Anonymous! But who are you? Don't be shy. Let me know your name, and perhaps a link to your website if your book is published or in the works. You're welcome to self-promote. Show us more!
Weeeeeee lol. There are no male harpies, only female. They tend to capture men, mate with them (these are the humanoid type of course), then eat them.
Ha! But Hawke, by your own argument, that suggests there ARE male harpies. If the females consume them all, then there can't be any mating going on. I know this female-eats-male happens in the wild, eg. certain spiders, but you wouldn't say "there are no male spiders because they've all been eaten." So I hear you, but I think you just argued that male harpies DO exist. :-) That said, I do think the females are probably the dominant sex.
Came to this site looking for the origin story of a curse placed on the harpies. The harpies stayed mean, nasty, and unkempt because they had been cursed so that male harpies (creatures who lived deep inside the harpy caves surrounded by their filth and squalor) would only be attracted to the meanest females and the females would only be attracted to the most fetid and disgusting males. Thus perpetuating the worst traits of their species. Trouble is that I can't remember who placed the curse or why or where I read about it.
I don't now, Ado_Annie, but it sounds like a great story! I had a quick look around on Google, as you obviously did yourself, but with no luck. If you find the story, do let me know. I thought maybe it was the World of Warcraft...?
I stumbled upon this post while doing research on harpies. They are in the 4th book of my Castle Keepers fantasy series. Mine are in the human form with wings and talons. In this book in the series, they play a minor role; it's their introduction really. They'll appear again in a book deeper in the series. I haven't developed them enough to say if there will be males. It depends on 'their story'. Thanks for the post.
This post seems rather old, but I need some help finding a word to describe a small side series I'm writing. My book contains both male and female avian humanoids, but I wouldn't really call them harpies. They are small people with wings for arms, feathered torsos, and scaled legs with mild deformities at the feet. In other words, not necessarily bird feet nor human. Most are based off of real birds such as crows, cardinals or chickadees. Given the chance, they can alter their bodies to fully form into the actual bird, but never into a full human.
I really doubt there's a word for that, but can anyone give me some insight on how to word them in a simple description?
Or in the least, a word usable for male harpies? Thanks!
The Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual has an intriguing take on the genesis of the Harpy. This was published in 2014, and states hoe Harpies, ironically, just like the gross corpse-consuming undead known as Ghouls actually came from the handsome, nature-loving and usually benevolent Elf races. According to this, in the early days a young but sexually mature female Elf was wandering a massive forest and heard the most beautiful singing which drew her to a clearing, where, bird immediately forgotten, all her attention being taken upon an equally beautiful male Elf also listening to, who them melted away when he caught her lovestruck gaze his way. Unbeknownst to her, this exiled being was actually a God, but her awestruck nature compelled her to search for him at once.
Wandering that forest, hours went into hours driving her a bit made, so she called upon the gods to aid her, and one piteous divine being did, appearing as the mysterious bird to teach her the song she was first enthralled by to draw him to her for good. But when this didn't happen, the Elf girl cursed the gods for, as she saw it, deceiving her and driving her to failed desperation, thus invoking a dreadful curse and turning her into the first Harpy. But the explanation as to what this did to her falls flat, and is utterly confused with that truly beautiful sometimes sea-bird like, sometimes fish-finned like deadly Siren. My take to explain how the curse changed the Elf's nature makes far more sense.
Firstly the Elf's ability to walk for miles through forest was made unnecessary by appropriating her with wings, but these were the wings of a vulture, a fearsome scavenger of a size with no lovely singing ability at all. Her own honeyed speaking tones and tuneful singing voice was replaced with an ear-shattering screech that transfixed many who heard it and rooted them to the spot, oblivious to potential doom. Finally, her longing for love turned into an ugly taste for humanoid flesh/living meat and a nasty grasp of tactics to help make killing easier. Finally, though, in keeping with the dreadful twisting of the Elf's mind and body and spirit, her beauty and graceful features were replaced by a haggard, feral and downright ugly forever hateful visage, and her fingers turned to claws and legs and feet becoming vulture-like. Her fragrant smell was gone too, coated with the disgusting smell of rotting flesh that covered their feathers and bodies as they killed, and they felt no need to clean nor preen, a very un-bird like trait though! But then they're NOT a bird but a monster. But
Typical mixed trains of thought here on the sexes. No male Harpies, say Pathfinder and WOTC, so they procreate by raping human and Elf males or luring any male idiot with a reckless need for real deviance and a death-wish. They then kill them after the rape. But Forgotten Realms state there ARE male Harpies, who are a bit more advanced than the females, but the females dominate and are more prolific. They also weirdly state that Male Harpies have boobs too! Yet the models that Wizards of Coast/Pathfinder/D&D over the years HAVE produced some male models with male chests! I'm fine with this, but I don't agree with the dumb variations that give some dragon/bat wings. They would be a different thing. Otherwise, hope this all enriches the thread here.
There are other bird people in the D&D world-the parrot/falcon blended faced Aarakocra (neutral-good aligned), the wingless crow-folk Kenku (Tengu-based) and the freaky Harpy Eagle faced Jyoti, latter termed magical outsiders, but while there can be deviances among all three, none of them are as ongoingly vile as the Harpy.
Sirens, along Harpies, keep their beautiful faces and forms, sometimes appearing as Nymphs with no animal parts, but soon either gull-wings or other sea-bird wings sprout from their backs or they grow the fin-looking wings resembling a Marlin's sail. Unlike Harpies, who have lost the gift of song, they are the originators of enchanting singing that always drives unresistant males to their doom, and possibly women too, remember bi-sexuality and homosexuality NEVER referred to in D&D still! But as Elves were granted immunity from Ghouls' venemous touches by the Gods for allowing Ghouls to be made from them, Elves also are immune to the transfixing shriek of the Harpy, so are better prepared should it zoom down to attack. But it's stated in most places that Harpies don't like force, and if not in a flock, will leave tough defenders alone and go hungry or scavenge. After all, they've vulture's wings!
I read a fantasy series one time when there were male harpies and female goblins and they both were very beautiful. There was a curse on the female harpies where they were ugly as well as the male goblins. In the book the female goblin and male harpy fall in love.
I feel late to the game but here are my thoughts.
I run a game of D&D and have been developing my own campaign setting with my friends. They enjoyed combat with harpies from the first fight so i have had to expand a bit on their lore... I do not take ownership of any of these words or terms, this is simply how i run my harpies.
Harpies, like birds, have many species. So in my world not all harpies are evil man eating monsters.
My good harpies are basically just female bird-folk who came from the plane of air to nest, some liked it and stayed. The male bird folk tend to stay in the plane of air so they are rarely encountered. They worship a divine Roc and trace their origins back to the dust kicked up from the Rocs mighty wings. They form tribes and settlements, mostly high in the mountains, and trade openly with other peaceful beings. They find little need for technology and enjoy a rather primitive lifestyle devoting themselves to an art.
My evil harpies are created and have varied origins. Such as...
A flock of birds who bothered an unforgiving god. A wish to fly gone wrong. A flock of bird folk corrupted by dark magic. Foul monsters created by a demon. etc...
These harpies find the worst ways to procreate, like kidnapping suitable men or consuming a whole baby. The offspring made this way is always as terrible or worse than the parent and is able to fend for it self upon hatching. These types of harpies form horrendous flocks that ruin the land they nest. Not welcome in civilized society these are the monstrous kind of harpy.
All harpies have a song, but not all songs are equal. Some harpies song have enough influence to act as a hypnosis or geas forming illusions to manipulate a beings mind.
I'm interested in including male harpies in my story, as I see so many other impressive writers and mythologists are also considering. This forum has been incredibly helpful to me as I structure my fantastical universe and plot. I don't have much to add to the conversation, unfortunately. I just wanted to thank everyone for their insightful (if mildly sexist, however entertaining) comments— and a seperate thanks to you, Mr.Keith Robinson, for introducing such lovely, gripping books into the world of literature, as well as your kindness in assisting strangers for a stupendous thirteen years! I really do hope your doing well nowadays, and would deeply enjoy a chance to talk to you further if you aren't to busied with your writing, a divine practice I wouldn't dream to interrupt.
Thank you, Pamela! I'm always available by email, so drop me a line. :-)
