Thursday, January 20, 2011

ARTFUL THURSDAY: Erinyes-The Angry Ones


Beginning a new WIP is so exciting. I'm all a flutter, breathlessly biding my time away from my WIP. Every time we reconnect, it's like star-crossed, forbidden lovers... rushing back into one another's arms.

My new WIP has me researching Erinyes (Roman: Furies), "The Angry Ones." in a deeper capacity.
 So they are the subject of today's Artful Thursday.

In fact, our word Fury (intense anger) comes from these winged women from the bowels of the Underworld.
From the online Etymology Dictionary
Fury
late 14c., "fierce passion," from O.Fr. furie (14c.), from L. furia "violent passion, rage, madness," related to furere "to rage, be mad." Romans used FuriƦ to translate Gk. Erinyes, the collective name for the avenging deities sent from Tartarus to punish criminals (in later accounts three in number and female). Hence, figuratively, "an angry woman" (late 14c.).

With hair of snakes (see Gorgons/ Medusa), wings, talons, and eyes that dripped blood, Erinyes were supernatural personifications of the dead. Some accounts say that when the Titan Cronus was castrated, his blood dripped to the earth, and that the Erinyes formed from his blood droplets. Other accounts say they were born of Nyx, the elemental force of Night. Virgil recognized and named three such creatures, but generally the number of them varies.

Without further ado, I present Eryines through the ages.
Warning: Some pictures may *seem* racy to *some*  But they are ALL art. And I assure you they have no sexual nature. If you are squeamish, you may close this post now. And I thank you for stopping by.




















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