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The Erinyes were three goddesses of revenge and retribution
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William- Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) -" The Remorse of Orestes". Furies chasing Orestes for having killed his mother Clytemnestra
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The three Furies
The Erinyes (also known as Furies) were cruel earth goddesses who symbolized the divine vengeance. The Erinyes were three sisters in Greek mythology:
Alecto("the angry"), Megaera("the grudging") and Tisiphone("the avenger").
The Creation of the Furies
The Furies were created from the blood of the Titan Uranus, when his son Cronus castrated him to take revenge on the loss of his siblings.
According to another legend, the Furies were the daughters of Nyx, who was the symbolization of the night and a daughter of Chaos.
The Role of the Furies
The Erinyes were persecuting crimes such as disrespect, injustice, perjury or arrogance and-first and foremost- murder, especially the murder inside a family. Their lust of punishment knew no bounds, for they kept punishing a sinner even after his death, until he finally would show remorse.
Appearance of the Furies
The Erinyes were dreadful creatures with appalling features. They had a burning breath and poisonous blood was dripping from their eyes. Their heads were wreathed with serpents.
The Roman name of Erinyes is "Furies"
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Greek pronunciation
English pronunciation