Harpyia

**Harpyia** (pl. **Harpyiae**) is a giant bird-like daimon that can launch its razor-sharp feathers at its enemies. In Greco-Roman mythology, they are known as the Stymphalian birds that were defeated by Heracles.

## Overview

The **Stymphalian birds** are a group of voracious birds in Greek mythology. The birds' appellation is derived from their dwelling in a swamp in Stymphalia. They are man-eating birds with beaks of bronze, sharp metallic feathers they could launch at their victims, and poisonous dung.

The Stymphalian birds were defeated by Heracles (Hercules) in his sixth labour for Eurystheus. Heracles could not go into the marsh to reach the nests of the birds, as the ground would not support his weight. Athena, noticing the hero's plight, gave Heracles a rattle called *krotala*, which Hephaestus had made especially for the occasion.

Heracles shook the krotalaon a certain mountain that overhung the lake and thus frightening the birds into the air. Heracles then shot many of them with feathered arrows tipped with poisonous blood from the slain Hydra. The rest flew far away, never to plague Arcadia again. Heracles brought some of the slain birds to Eurystheus as proof of his success.

According to Mnaseas, they were not birds, but women and daughters of Stymphalus and Ornis, and were killed by Heracles because they did not receive him hospitably. In the temple of the Stymphalian Artemis, however, they were represented as birds, and behind the temple there were white marble statues of maidens with birds' feet.

## Summary

Like many other demonic creatures, harpyiae were the creations of the original demons who used them to wreak havoc in the mortal world, especially on Earth, and bring misery upon mankind. They, in particular, were created by the original Decarabia who used them to torture the souls damned to the Underworld.

Sometimes in the Bronze Age, the Alpha Harpyia escaped from the Underworld and flew into the mortal world. It first travelled to ancient Persia but was chased away by the god Verethragna before relocating to a swamp in the Stymphalia region of Arcadia. Here, it terrorized the region of centuries, destroying crops, fruit trees, and townspeople, even kidnapping the priestesses of Artemis, daughters of Stymphalus, and making them bear new harpyiae.

Later on, as part of his twelve labors, Heracles used an enchanted crotalum to scare the harpyiae out of their nest long enough for him to kill them with his poisoned arrows before fighting and killing the Alpha Harpyia. A group of surviving harpyiae then made themselves a new nest on the island of Aretias in the Euxine Sea, where they would later be defeated by the Argonauts.

In the late Classical Greek period, a flock of harpyiae relocated to the Greco-Roman Underworld, much to the annoyance and frustration of the House of Hades. Because of this, Persephone decided to open an annual contest among the warrior shades of Elysium to see who can kill the most harpyiae.

During the Devil Civil War, the Decarabia Clan used their powers to control hundreds of thousands of harpyia flocks to attack the Anti-Satan Faction. When the Decarabia Clan was destroyed by the Belial Clan's armies for their seemingly betrayal of the Old Satan Faction, all the harpyiae kept by them were killed by Lord Baelor and the species became extinct in the Netherworld since then.

## Appearance

Harpyiae are giant bird daemon that resemble a cross between vultures and ravens, with white mask-like face and four glowing yellow eyes, two on each side of their head. Their mouth is filled with rows of crooked, jagged teeth that make them look like they are smiling.

They have two clawed "fingers" extending forwards from the outermost wing joint, which is a feature present in only a handful of birds on Earth and closely matched by pseudo-fingers seen on the outer wing joints of ancient proto-birds. They have giant talons that are as large as an adult's arm, and while standing straight, a harpyia is taller than the average adult woman (> 5 ft 4).

## Characteristics

Harpyiae are known for its viciousness and voracity, capable of gouging everything from plants to cattles to even entire humans as food. Its teeth are curved inward and ensured their prey couldn't escape from the inside, while its mouth secretes an acid-like saliva capable of melting down metals and boulders within its beak.

It primarily resorts to swooping mid-flight toward its target and leading in with its beak, then returning to flight using the downward momentum it gained during the attack. Sometimes, it will attack like a battering ram, flying and shattering parts of momentum using their bone-like mask. It can also launch razor-sharp feathers from its wings, which act like a volley of arrows with an effective range in the hundreds of yards. In addition, it also bears sharp blade-like talons which it tends not to use, mostly relying on its momentum to keep mobile during combat.

Because of its savageness, many have wanted to make one of them their familiar but due to its strong and rebellious will, the harpyia would break through the enchantment and attack the caster. Because of this, other than members of the Decarabia Clan whose hereditary power allows them to tame all kinds of avian creatures, training a harpyia is considered a suicidal attempt and is heavily discouraged by all familiar masters, with many factions even making laws against the poaching and/or transportation of wild harpyiae.

## Population

Harpyiae is considered to be a daimon native to the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece where the famous Lake Stymphalia that the Alpha Harpyia once lived before it was slain by Heracles is located. Due to its legends being closely connected with Greco-Roman mythology, the lake and the harpyiae moved alongside the western civilization and other legendary Greco-Roman monsters, with the lake's newest location being Atchafalaya Basin, south-central Louisiana of the United States.

Other than that, a flock of harpyiae had relocated and repopulated the Greco-Roman Underworld sometime during the late Classical Greek period, and their number hasn't seemed to drop and only rise ever since the day they came, even with the annual hunting competition among the warrior shades of Elysium hosted by Persephone. There used to be harpyiae in the Netherworld as well as trained familiars of the Decarabia Clan, but after the clan was wiped out by Baelor Belial and his armies, all the Netherworldly harpyiae were captured and killed, leading to their extinction.

## Weaknesses

* **Physical Damage**: Like the majority of supernatural species, harpyiae can still be killed through normal means if they receive a large amount of physical damage or fatal injuries that aren't properly healed in time.
	+ **Mortality**: Despite its longevity, harpyiae are still mortals and can still die and be weakened by the effects of old age. The average lifespan of an harpyia daimon ranges from 250 to 275 years, and the older one becomes, the weaker its overall powers will be and the easier for it to be devoured by its fellow harpyiae the moment it is deemed a nuisance.
* **Loud Noise**: Harpyiae can be frightened and led into a frantic state when suddenly hearing loud noises unfamiliar to him. According to experienced exorcists, carrying with them a small speaker is a must when fighting against harpyiae, with the “All-Time Greatest Hits of Dean Martin” seems to be the most effective soundtrack to use against them.
* **Animal (Wolf)**: Like a majority of lesser daemon, their presence can be identified by certain animals. In the case of harpyiae, wolves can identify them from miles away and the mere scent of one makes the wolves go crazy with bloodlust. Due to unknown reasons, a harpyia's feathers couldn't pierce through a wolf's skin, and as a result, hunters and exorcists often wear wolf pelts when fighting against them.
* **Holy Attribute**: The bane of all demonic creatures. Religious symbols, scriptures, and prayers are extremely effective when defending oneself against a harpyia, and items imbued with the holy attribute such as holy water or consecrated oil are the typical items used when fighting against them. However, depending on the amount of demonic power a harpyia possesses, the holy attribute's effects have upon them may differ, as the greater the amount of one's demonic power, the less effective the attribute will be upon them, and vice versa.
	+ **Hallowed Grounds**: Harpyiae are physically incapable of entering religious grounds, such as churches, synagogues, mosques, or other hallowed grounds associated with the Abrahamic religions. When entering pagan temples and shrines, their powers will be weakened but overall unaffected by its divinity.
	+ **Holy Weapons**: Harpyiae can be wounded or killed by weapons imbued with the holy attribute, such as holy swords or Sacred Gears with divine properties.
		- **Heavenly Weapons**: Weapons of heavenly origins can easily kill them.
* **Sacred Metals**: Weapons made out of sacred metals can be used against the majority of supernatural beings, harpyiae included.
* **Primordial Regalia**: Weapons and artifacts belonging to the primordial entities can be used to permanently and absolutely destroy every and any being in existence, aside from other primordial entities, and erase their existence completely so that they can never be reborn or resurrected without the involvement of God.

## Trivia

* In Greek mythology, they're said to be pets of Artemis or had been brought up by Ares.
* In Dante's Inferno, they are called "harpies" and are placed in the seventh ring of Hell where they torment suicided victims.
* Their dung is extremely poisonous and can melt through concrete.
* Direwolves are said to be the harpyiae's natural enemies.
* It is rumored that harpies are offspring of harpyiae and wind spirits.
* The male to female ratio between harpyiae is 8:2, with the male harpyiae fighting to the death mate with the female harpyiae before having its head bitten off.
	+ Like other daemon, they can reproduce with humans in order to create more harpyiae.
* While under the effects of the Mist, harpyia daemon appear as fat pigeons with "evil eyes".