Persis
Domains:
Graeae
Category:
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5E Domains:
5E Symbol:
Greek Name | Transliteration | Latin Spelling | Translation |
Περσις | Persis | Persis | Destroyer |
Γραια Γραιαι | Graia, Graiai | Graea, Graeae | Grey, Old Women (graia) |
GRAIAI (Graeae) were two, some say three, sea hags who personified the white foam of the sea. They were grey-haired from birth and shared amongst themselves a single, detatchable eye and tooth. The hero Perseus stole these when he was searching for the Medousa (Medusa), compelling the hags to reveal the location of their sister.
The names of the Graiai suggest rather dire monsters--Deino is the "the terrible," Enyo "the warlike" and Persis "the destoyer." Another, Pemphredo, "she who guides the way," was so named for her role in the story of Perseus. The sisters formed the chorus of a play entitled the Phorcydes by Aeschylus, part of the dramatist's trilogy on the life of Perseus.
The Graiai were usually depicted as old crones. According to Aeschylus, however, they were Seiren-shaped monsters with the head and arms of old women and the bodies of swans.
It is worth comparing the Graiai with the monster Lamia whom Greek writers likewise describe as a monstrous Libyan woman with removable eyes.