Harpyia

**Harpyia** (pl. **Harpyiae**) is a race of giant bird-like daemon that resemble harpies in appearance. In Greco-Roman mythology, they're known as the Stymphalian birds that were defeated by Heracles as one of his twelve labors.

## 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 arrows tipped with poisonous blood from the 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 torment the souls damned to the Underworld.

Sometimes in the Stone Age, the Alpha Harpyia descended into the mortal world, first traveled to ancient Persia but was chased away by Verethragna before coming to the Stymphalia region of Arcadia. There, it terrorized the region for centuries, destroying crops and fruit trees, killing the townspeople, and kidnapping and raping women to bear new harpyiae.

Later on, as part of his ten labors, Heracles used an enchanted *crotalum* to scare the harpyiae out of their nests long enough to kill them with his poisoned arrows before venturing in to slay the Alpha Harpyia. After their Alpha was killed, the daemon scattered with a group of them making themselves a new nest on the island of Aretias in the Euxine Sea, where they would eventually meet their demise by the Argonauts.

Sometimes in the Late Bronze Age collapse, a flock of harpyiae relocated to the Realm of the Dead, much to the annoyance and frustration of the chthonic gods, and began to torment the shades and natives. When the Netherworld merged with the realm, the Decarabia Clan was able to tame them with their demonic powers, though when they were massacred in the Devil Civil War, the harpyiae broke free and once again terrorize the Realm of the Dead.

## 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.

## Characteristics

Harpyiae are known for their 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 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 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 familiars but due to its strong and rebellious will, the harpyia would break through the enchantment and attack the caster. Because of this, other than 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 mythological factions even making laws against the poaching and/or transportation of wild harpyiae.

## Trivia

* Their average lifespan is around 215-370 years.
* It is rumored that harpies are offspring of harpyiae and wind spirits.
* They are native to the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece where the famous Lake Stymphalia that the Alpha Harpyia once lived.
	+ Due to their connections with Greco-Roman mythology, many of them too move with the Greco-Roman Pantheon alongside the spirit of the western civilization. In modern days, a large flock of harpyiae are now inhabiting Atchafalaya Basin.
* 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.
* 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.
* While under the effects of the Mist, harpyia daemon appear as fat pigeons with "evil eyes".