The Furies, or Erinyes in Greek, have an origin that is not completely known; they were born, it was said, from drops of blood that fell from Uranus after he was castrated by his son Cronus. It is also thought that they were the daughters of Mother Earth and Darkness, or of Cronus and Eurynome, or Cronus and Night. At first, the task of the Furies was to guard the entrance to Tartarus, to make certain that those who entered had atoned for their sins. Those who had not were not allowed in and had to wander as ghosts. They became better known for their responsibility as punishers of those who offended the Olympians, patricides, and perjurers. Over time they had to deal with rude children, bad parents, and inhospitable hosts.

The Furies were hideous in appearance. They wore black robes, had wings, snakes for hair, and the heads of dogs. Their number is in dispute. There may have been only three, named Alecto, Tisiphone, and Magaera; or, there may have been several of them, with these three being the leaders. Strangely, despite their very negative interactions with humans, they were called Eumenides, or "kindly ones." They judged the truth of complaints made by mortals against each other. If they found the complaints to be true the would send the Keres to retreave the mortal.

ACTIVITIES:
Furies activity

KEY TEST WORDS:
Furies (Erinyes) were three female spirits who punished evildoers.

The Underworld

Creatures

Footnotes:
The Furies lived in Erebus, the darkest pit of the Underworld.

SOURCES:
Jane Smith
Edith Hamilton's Mythology
Bulfinch's Mythology
"Manual of Mythology" by Alexander S. Murray.