Harpy

The Harpy is an enemy in the Castlevania series. It is a vicious bird-like creature with the head and torso of a woman.
==Origins==
In Greek mythology, harpies would steal food from their victims while they were eating, and also carry evildoers (especially those who have killed their families) to the Erinyes. They seem originally to have been wind spirits. Their name means "snatchers".
Zeus punished King Phineus from Thrace for revealing the god's secret plan by using the gift of prophecy, given to him by Zeus himself. Phineus was blinded and put on an island with a buffet of food which he could never eat because harpies always arrived to steal it out of his hands. This continued until the arrival of Jason and the Argonauts. The Boreads succeeded in driving off the harpies but without killing any of them, following a request from Iris. The harpies returned to their cave in Minoan Crete.
In this form, they were agents of punishment who abducted people and tortured them on their way to Tartarus. They were vicious, cruel and violent, and lived on the islands of the Strophades.
==Description==
A vicious bird-like creature that has the torso of a woman. Harpies are the most common type of bird people in the Castlevania series. First appearing in Haunted Castle, the Harpy has made herself known for being a quick and tough enemy to beat (and harder in numbers). She replaced the Eagle in her console debut in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, where she would drop Gremlins/Ghoul Rabbits. In later games, she holds a dagger in her talons and starts attacking by throwing it at the player. In Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, she can grasp onto the heroes with her claws and drop them from great heights.
==Appearances==
===Haunted Castle===
First appearance of Harpies in the series. Near the beginning of the Banquet Room, a dimensional portal will suddenly open before Simon Belmont and transport him to what appears to be the ruins of an ancient Greek city, where three Harpies will ambush him. Once all three are defeated, another identical portal will opens and bring him back to the castle.
One last Harpy appears at the end of the Vampire's Room after successfully crossing the crumbling bridge and just before the battle with Dracula.
===Castlevania: Bloodlines===
Harpies are the first enemies encountered at the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Unlike previous incarnations, they resemble birds more than women this time around. Their plumage is dark green and their heads appear to be covered in feathers in a hood-like fashion. Some of them hold a polearm in their talons and attack by swooping at the player. After being damaged a couple of times, their heads may be cut off and blood will start gushing out from their necks; this won't stop them, however, and they'll keep on attacking with the same ferocity until defeated.
BL Harpies cut.gif|Even with their heads cut off, Harpies fight as if nothing had happened.
===Castlevania: Rondo of Blood===
The Harpy's design from this game would become a staple for future releases, as the same in-game sprite (or some variations of it) were used in many following titles. Their hair is green-colored this time around and their plumage is yellow, which would change to orange in some later installments.
Harpies appear in the Clocktower and now they start the fight by throwing the dagger they hold in their talons, followed by either swooping at the player or hurling a barrage of razor-sharp feathers from their wings. They may also grab and carry the player while inflicting damage.
===Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness===
The first time a Harpy (also known as Sphinx) appears as a boss in the whole series is at the end of the Outer Wall. The game will advise using camera lock-on during the fight.
===Castlevania: Circle of the Moon===
In this game, Harpies look like recolored Lady Bats. They do not carry daggers and will only shoot barrages of feathers. There is also a stronger variant called the Siren.
===Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow===
Gaining dominance over a Harpy's soul grants Soma Cruz the Wing Cutter ability, which allows him to shoot two razor-like feathers at once, one to the left and one to the right.
===Castlevania: Curse of Darkness===
Harpies are usually paired with Iron Gladiators or other large monsters, like a Cyclops or a Red Ogre.
They attack in a number of ways:
*Swooping down and slashing with their feet.
*Firing a blue energy ball.
*Picking Hector up and carrying him around for a moment while constantly ripping at him with their talons.
To steal from them, the player must allow Hector to be carried by a Harpy and attempt to steal as soon as she lets him go. The window of opportunity for stealing is very brief, however, and many attempts may be required. Since attacks from other enemies may hinder the process, it's recommended to dispatch of all surrounding opposition first and leave alive only the Harpy intended to steal from.
===Castlevania: The Arcade===
The Harpy is the boss of the Lookout Tower.
===Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls===
Dark King Soma summons a Harpy and Gaibon (both at level 61) when confronting Alucard and the various Belmonts late in the game, alluding to his usage of the Harpy Familiar and Gaibon Familiar in the second and first phases of his boss fight in Julius Mode, respectively.
===Castlevania: Moonlight Rhapsody===
Harpies can be found in the Royal Chapel in Moonlight Rhapsody in the long stairway section.
==Enemy Data==
==Item Data==
==Notes==
*The dagger the Harpy throws cannot be deflected like most of of her other attacks.
*If the Harpy is attacked in the middle of her throwing-dagger animation, the attack will be canceled and she will lose the dagger.
==Gallery==
===Artworks===
C4 Harpy.JPG|Harpie from the Japanese Super Castlevania IV instruction booklet.
47harpy.jpg|Harpie from the All About Akumajō Dracula guide for Super Castlevania IV.
Lod-harp(AL).gif|Harpy from Legacy of Darkness.
CoD Harpy Concept.JPG|Harpy concept art from Curse of Darkness.
Harpy CoD Manga.jpg|Harpy from the Curse of Darkness manga.
PoR Illustrated Harpy.JPG|Harpy illustration from Portrait of Ruin.
===Screenshots===
HoD 063.png|Harpy enemy list entry from Harmony of Dissonance.
AoS 057.png|Harpy enemy list entry from Aria of Sorrow.
Harpy COD Unused Portraits.PNG|Unused portraits of Harpy from Curse of Darkness.
Harpy - Dawn of Sorrow - 01.png|Harpy Familiar from Dawn of Sorrow.
Dxc 073.png|Harpy enemy list entry from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
Arcade Harpy.JPG|Harpy from The Arcade.
Arcade Credits Harpy.JPG|Harpy credits portrait from The Arcade.
Harpy statue TAR.png|A Harpy statue from The Adventure ReBirth.
Harpy MR Beta Bestiary.JPG|Harpy beta bestiary entry from Moonlight Rhapsody.
A Common Enemy in Evil - Nocturne - 66.png|Harpy-like night creature from the Nocturne animated series.
Freedom Was Sweeter - Nocturne - 73.png
==Trivia==
*In Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, if the player stops attacking a Harpy when her health is about to hit zero (just after she starts spilling out blood), she will do one last attempt to make the player fall to their death by flapping her wings and then will die, without the player having to finish her off.
*The Harpy is the only female monster encountered in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness.
==External videos==
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==See also==
*Bird Man
*Bird people
*Harpy Familiar
*Siren
Category:Animal-Type Enemies
Category:Greek Monsters
Category:Female Monsters
Category:Flying Enemies
Category:The Arcade Bosses
Category:Aria of Sorrow Enemies
Category:Circle of the Moon Enemies
Category:Curse of Darkness Enemies
Category:Dawn of Sorrow Enemies
Category:The Dracula X Chronicles Enemies
Category:Encore of the Night Enemies
Category:Grimoire of Souls Enemies
Category:Harmony of Despair Enemies
Category:Harmony of Dissonance Enemies
Category:Legacy of Darkness Bosses
Category:Moonlight Rhapsody Enemies
Category:Portrait of Ruin Enemies
Category:Rondo of Blood Enemies
Category:Symphony of the Night Enemies