erinyes
erinyes — noun
1. In Greek mythology, three terrifying female spirits who hunt down and torment wi
In Greek mythology, three terrifying female spirits who hunt down and torment without rest anyone guilty of killing a family member, breaking a sacred oath, or violating the natural order, often driving their victims to madness.
The Erinyes chased Orestes across the land, demanding justice for his murdered mother.
the Erinyes + chased + [person] — mythological narrative pattern
Professor Amara showed her students a vase of the Erinyes hunting down a man stained with his father's blood.
vase of the Erinyes + hunting down — visual storytelling in mythological art
On an ancient Greek vase, the Erinyes circled a blood-stained man holding torches aloft.
The Erinyes appeared in Dimitris's dream as three shadowy women crying for vengeance.
The Erinyes drove the guilty king mad, filling his ears with the screams of the brother he had slain.
- Furies
the Latin and common English name for the same goddesses; more frequent in everyday speech
- Eumenides
euphemistic Greek name meaning 'the kindly ones', used after they are appeased or transformed
- avenging spirits
a broader, cross-cultural term; not specific to Greek mythology
用法筆記
Always plural in form; the singular 'Erinys' is extremely rare. The Erinyes are also called the Furies (their Roman name) or the Eumenides ('the kindly ones') after their transformation in Athenian myth.