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Erinyes

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The Furies—Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone—chthonic goddesses who punish oath-breakers and kin-slayers with relentless vengeance.

Detailed Definition
The Erinyes—Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone—pursue those who commit crimes against blood kin, especially matricide. They appear in Aeschylus’ Oresteia as agents of ancient law. In poetry, they symbolize guilt, retribution, and the inescapable moral order that transcends human justice.
Example
Example in poetry:
The Erinyes (Furies) pursue Orestes for matricide in Aeschylus’s Eumenides; In Virgil’s Aeneid, they embody divine vengeance in the underworld; Ovid describes their snaky hair and torches in Metamorphoses; Dante places the Erinyes at the gates of Dis in Inferno IX; Seneca’s tragedies depict the Erinyes as agents of moral retribution; Modern psychological poetry uses the Erinyes to represent guilt and trauma.
Additional Notes
Erinyes (Furies)—Alecto, Megaera, Tisiphone—are chthonic goddesses who punish oath-breakers and kin-killers; they embody ancestral guilt and moral order—central in Aeschylus’ Oresteia, where they evolve into the Eumenides (“Kindly Ones”), symbolizing justice’s transformation; vital for poetry on conscience, retribution, or legal evolution.
Also Known As
Furies of Vengeance Avenging Spirits Eumenides
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