Euryale

## Life

Euryale is an Unseelie gorgon-naga fae who served on Gwyn ap Nudd's council of War Generals on behalf of the gorgon-nagas during *The Court of Five Thrones*.

She was one of the fae who helped Prince Vane learn the longbow, as it is her preferred weapon. She didn't pick a side during Ifir's mutiny.

## Folklore/Mythology

In Greek mythology, 'Euryale (/jʊəˈraɪəli/ *yoor-EYE-ə-lee*; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυάλη, lit. 'far-roaming') . . . was the second eldest of the Gorgons, the three sisters that have the hair of living, venomous snakes. Euryale and her sisters were daughters of primordial sea god and goddess Phorcys and Ceto, who personified the dangers of the sea. According to Hyginus, the parents of the Gorgons were Gorgon and Ceto. In some variations of the myth of Orion, she is the hunter's mother by Poseidon, who lay with her following Medusa's death. Euryale and her sister Stheno were immortal, whereas Medusa was mortal. Euryale, like Stheno and Medusa, also had the ability to turn anyone to stone with her gaze. In many stories, Euryale is noted for her bellowing cries, particularly in the tale of Medusa's death at Perseus' hands, in which her anguished howls could make stone crumble to sand.'

'A Gorgon (/ˈɡɔːrɡən/; plural: Gorgons, Ancient Greek: Γοργών/Γοργώ *Gorgṓn/Gorgṓ*) is a creature in Greek mythology. Gorgons occur in the earliest examples of Greek literature. While descriptions of Gorgons vary, the term most commonly refers to three sisters who are described as having hair made of living, venomous snakes and horrifying visages that turned those who beheld them to stone. Traditionally, two of the Gorgons, Stheno and Euryale, were immortal, but their sister Medusa was not and was slain by the demigod and hero Perseus.

. . . Gorgons are often depicted as having wings, brazen claws, the tusks of boars, and scaly skin. The oldest oracles were said to be protected by serpents and a Gorgon image was often associated with those temples. Lionesses or sphinxes are frequently associated with the Gorgon as well. The powerful image of the Gorgon was adopted for the classical images and myths of Athena and Zeus, perhaps being worn in continuation of a more ancient religious imagery. In late myths, the Gorgons were said to be the daughters of two sea deities: Keto, the sea monster, and Phorcys, her brother-husband.

. . . In Ancient Greece a *Gorgoneion* (a stone head, engraving, or drawing of a Gorgon face, often with snakes protruding wildly and the tongue sticking out between her fangs) frequently was used as an apotropaic symbol and placed on doors, walls, floors, coins, shields, breastplates, and tombstones in the hopes of warding off evil.'

'Naga, (Sanskrit: “serpent”) in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, a member of a class of mythical semidivine beings, half human and half cobra. They are a strong, handsome species who can assume either wholly human or wholly serpentine form and are potentially dangerous but often beneficial to humans. They live in an underground kingdom called Naga-loka, or Patala-loka, which is filled with resplendent palaces, beautifully ornamented with precious gems. The creator deity Brahma relegated the *naga*s to the nether regions when they became too populous on earth and commanded them to bite only the truly evil or those destined to die prematurely. They are also associated with waters—rivers, lakes, seas, and wells—and are guardians of treasure.

. . . The female *naga*s (*nagini*s or *nagi*s) are serpent princesses of striking beauty. The dynasties of Manipur in northeastern India, the Pallavas in southern India, and the ruling family of Funan (ancient Indochina) each claimed an origin in the union of a human being and a *nagi*.'

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *The Court of Five Thrones*, Chapter 4: Suspicions. Accessed 6 April 2021.
2. ↑ *The Court of Five Thrones*, Chapter 37: Explosion. Accessed 06 May 2021.
3. ↑ "Euryale (Gorgon)". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euryale\_(Gorgon) Accessed 17 May 2021.
4. ↑ "Gorgon". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgon Accessed 17 May 2021.
5. ↑ "Naga". Enclyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/naga-Hindu-mythology. Accessed 17 May 2021.