a-gnosis:Inktober 04: The Erinyes.“They (the Erinyes in Aeschylus’ play The Eumenides) disfigure the
a-gnosis:Inktober 04: The Erinyes.“They (the Erinyes in Aeschylus’ play The Eumenides) disfigure their victims’ flesh with a foul disease, blight them with infertility, shroud them in darkness, and drain them of joy and vigor. Their own appearance is equally devoid of Helenic charm. Like a beautiful woman, they are a “wonder” to look upon, but this is because of the terror they inspire. According to a famous anecdote, during the play’s first performance pregnant women in the audience suffered miscarriages at the sight of them.”“Athena herself says they look unlike “any kind of thing that is begotten,” whether god or mortal. They lack, in particular, the normal signs of femininity. They have dark skin, which is typically a feature of male masks, in contrast to the lighter complexion associated with women. They may also be wearing short outfits suitable to their role as hunters, which would, again, mark them as “masculine”. Though virginal, they lack the charm of the parthenos. They are described paradoxically as “aged girls”, “ancient children”, and “children who are not children”. This repeated use of oxymoron vividly conveys the Furies’ asexual nature. They embody childhood and old age at once, without the eroticism of the bride or the fertility of the mature woman that should lie between.”Helen of Troy: Beauty, Myth, Devastation by Ruby Blondell -- source link