The Furies are the goddesses of retribution from Greek Mythology, but they are so much more complex than that. Said to be the personification of curses and the torturers of the Underworld, they are also the bringers of justice.
The Furies: Origin Story
There are many different origin stories for The Furies, showing the Furies are older than Zeus and the Olympians. In one story, they sprang up from the drops of blood when Kronos (Zeus’s dad) killed Uranus. In others, they are the daughters of Nyx (the goddess of night) and Erebus (the god of darkness). Their siblings are the Fates (Moirai), the Keres (goddesses of violent death), the Oneiroi (spirits of dreams) and many more gods and goddesses.
Who are the Furies?
The Furies were three sisters:
- Alecto (the angry one) – Punisher of moral crimes (crimes of anger)
- Tisiphone (the avenger) – Punisher of murderers
- Megaera (the grudging one) – Punisher of infidelity, oath breakers and theft
They served Hades and Persephone in the Underworld. After the souls were judged in the Underworld, the ones who were in need of punishing went to the dungeons of Tartarus to be tortured by the Furies. Mainly, they were concerned with murder, especially by family members and crimes that offend the gods, like oath breaking. Dressed in black with snakes for hair and flinging whips around, The Furies were scary, but people also prayed to them to get justice for crimes that went unpunished. So, they were also the ones who balanced the scales. They also protect beggars and there is also a story where the punish the people who went after a bird’s babies.
The Furies relentlessly pursued criminals with whips, or bringing madness or disease and the only way to free yourself from them was to atone. They show up in many classic stories, including The Iliad and The Odyssey, Virgil’s Aeneid, Dante’s Inferno, and The Orestia (The Eumenides) by Aeschylus, where they have a starring role. Basically, if someone is wronged by a family member, chances are the Furies will show up at some point.
“…But if, as yonder man, he hath blood on the hands he strives to hide, we stand avengers at his side, decreeing, thou hast wronged the dead: we are doom’s witnesses to thee. The price of blood his hands have shed, we wring from him: in life, in death, hard at his side are we!”
‘The Furies’ by Aeschylus
Pursuit of Orestes
Orestes was the son of Greek leader, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. When Agamemnon wanted to wage war on Troy, the winds wouldn’t blow, so he sacrificed his daughter to Artemis. The winds blew and he headed off to war, but Clytemnestra was mad. Her daughter deserved justice. Years later, when Agamemnon returned, she murdered him to avenge her daughter. Then, her son, Orestes, murdered her and her boyfriend to avenge his father.
Clytemnestra’s ghost invokes the Furies to avenge her. They relentlessly pursue Orestes, chasing him all over. He goes to Apollo’s shrine to get purified for his crimes. Since Apollo told Orestes to avenge his father, he feels a bit responsible and he helps Orestes escape Athens when the Furies are sleeping. When they wake up, they’re furious for being tricked by Apollo and set off to hunt Orestes down again. Unfortunately, this time, he finds refuge with Athena. She decides a trial will determine his fate. It’s the first ever murder trial, with the Furies as the prosecution and Apollo as the defense. Apollo has promised to protect Orestes and he’s not a fan of the Furies. He doesn’t think they were justified in pursuing him, since he already cleansed him of his sins. He also doesn’t like their bloody form of vengeance.
The Furies are not fans of Apollo either. He basically admits in the trial that he told Orestes to kill his mom and the Furies point out his arrogance in causing the crime and then providing sanctuary to the killer. The Furies are supposed to punish Orestes for killing his mother, and Apollo is preventing them from doing their job. In their eyes, he is conspiring with the Olympians to take power from the older gods, like them, who came before them. They are probably not wrong about that.
The trial doesn’t go great for the Furies. They argue that Clytemnestra’s life is as important as Agamemnon’s and Apollo argues the opposite, essentially saying that a man’s life is worth more than a woman’s. Athena inexplicably agrees and acquits Orestes. The Furies are not happy. Athena doesn’t want to fight with them. So, she offers them a position as the patron goddesses of Athens. They do finally agree to give up pursuing Orestes. In addition to punishing crimes, they will also reward good deeds. Athena renames them the “Eumenides”, which means “the kindly ones.” So, Athena adds mercy to their repertoire.
Source: The Eumenides by Aeschylus (The third book in the Orestia)
I think the Furies are such interesting characters. They are these badass goddesses of vengeance, but they also fight for the underdog to get justice where it has been forsaken.
Check out my Furious Legacy series, which brings the Furies into our modern times and once again pits them against Apollo.