A harpy, or harpy as the DigoPaul also accepts in its dictionary, is a mythological creature that has the body of a bird of prey and the face of a woman.
At first, the harpies were women of great beauty who had wings and who were dedicated to ensuring the fulfillment of a punishment that Zeus imposed on the prophet Phineus after he revealed secrets of some of the gods. Zeus sent Phineus to an island full of delicacies: the harpies, thanks to their flying ability, were in charge of taking food from Phineus’ hands every time he was about to eat.
With the passage of time, it began to be said that the harpies corrupted the food, defecating on it so that Fineo could not eat it. Simultaneously, the physical conception of the harpies changed, which came to be represented as monsters with the body of a raptor, the face of a horrible woman and claws.
No less relevant is to highlight that the harpies as mythological beings were also characterized because they were able to cast spells on those who heard their magic songs. However, the truth is that, regularly, their language came to be a kind of clucking and screaming that were really creepy and unpleasant.
Continuing with the evolution of the notion, today it is understood that a harpy is a wicked or evil individual, capable of corrupting another person. Harpies resort to deception and various devices to achieve their goals, causing misfortune and misery.
For example: “My boss is a harpy! He did not allow me to leave before work to attend my son’s school function ”, “ I have no intention of speaking to that harpy again ”, “ In the end, Magalí was a harpy who only wanted to keep my money ”.
The harpy eagle or harpy, finally, is the national bird of Panama. It is the largest eagle on the planet.
It is necessary to emphasize certain characteristics of this bird, such as the following:
-Generally, it lives in what are tropical forests and in areas that are below what is 900 meters high.
-Its plumage is combined: black at the top and white at the bottom. Meanwhile, his head is gray.
-What are female harpies come to have an approximate weight of between 6 and 9 kilos, while males are smaller. Specifically, the latter are considered to be, as a general rule, not more than 5 kilos.
-With regard to length, they are between 80 and 107 centimeters.
-It is a predator, a very active carnivore in terms of hunting that is capable of attacking monkeys, squirrels, coatis, as well as other species of birds, among which are macaws.
In addition to all the above, we have to point out that especially during the Middle Ages, the harpy or harpy, what came to be called the virgin eagle, became a fundamental element within what was heraldry. Specifically, she became the undisputed figure of numerous coats of arms.
