The Graeae shared more than the cave they lived in and their appearance. Between the three of them, they had a single eye and a single tooth. The Gray Sisters, as they were sometimes called, passed the eye back and forth.
Full Answer
Why do the graeae share an eye?
Because of their lack of godliness, the Graeae were given jurisdiction over a swamp. They were also given an eye to share among themselves. This eye gave them great knowledge and wisdom.
What did the graeae do?
According to Greek legend, the three Graeae sisters shared an eye and a single tooth. When Perseus stole them, the sisters revealed how to kill the Medusa, but he broke his oath and threw away their life source. The Graeae ethos is grounded in working together and sharing resources.
Who are the graeae what do they represent?
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.
What do the 3 Fates share?
Their names were Clotho (Spinner), Lachesis (Allotter), and Atropos (Inflexible). Clotho spun the “thread” of human fate, Lachesis dispensed it, and Atropos cut the thread (thus determining the individual's moment of death).
What do the graeae sisters share?
In Greek mythology the Graeae (/ˈɡriːiː/; English translation: "old women", "grey ones", or "grey witches"; alternatively spelled Graiai (Γραῖαι) and Graiae), also called the Grey Sisters and the Phorcides ("daughters of Phorcys"), were three sisters who shared one eye and one tooth among them.
Do the three Fates share an eye?
The Graeae were three sisters in Greek mythology, who shared one eye and one tooth among them. Their names were Deino (dread), Enyo (horror) and Pemphredo (alarm). They were the daughters of the sea gods Phorcys and Ceto, and sisters of the Gorgons.
How do you pronounce Graeae?
0:381:02How To Say Graeae - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipCry or gray or gray cry or gray II or gray you.MoreCry or gray or gray cry or gray II or gray you.
What is Cerberus real name?
KERBEROSKERBEROS (Cerberus) was the gigantic, three-headed hound of Haides which guarded the gates of the underworld and prevented the escape of the shades of the dead. Kerberos was depicted as a three-headed dog with a serpent's tail, mane of snakes, and a lion's claws.
Are the graeae immortal?
Immortality: As a Goddesses, they are immortal.
What are the three Fates symbols?
The Fates' symbols were the Thread, the Staff, the Spindle, the Scroll, the Shears and the Book of Fate.
Are the three Fates evil?
The Moirai (or Fates) are three goddesses who 'give to mortals when they are born both good and evil to have' (Hesiod, Theogony, 218-9).
Are the three Fates sisters?
Greek Mythology. Referred to in Mythology as the Moirai, or the Fates; Clotho, Lahkesis, and Atropos were the daughters of Erebus and Nyx. As the three Sisters of Fate, Lahkesis, Atropos, and Clotho determined the fates of every mortal, God, and Titan.
Did the graeae help Perseus?
Perseus came to the land of night where the three Gray Sisters (the Graeae) lived. They had only one eye and one tooth among them. They refused to help Perseus, but he stole their eye and returned it only when they told him where to find the Gorgons.
Are the graeae immortal?
Immortality: As a Goddesses, they are immortal.
How does Perseus trick the graeae?
With the help of the gods, Perseus obtained winged sandals, an invisible helm and a magical sword. He then sought out the ancient Graiai (Graeae) and stealing their single eye compelled them to reveal the location of the Gorgones.
How did Perseus get information from the graeae?
The Graeae and Perseus Thus, Perseus had to force the answer out of the Grey Sisters. This Perseus achieved, by intercepting the eye of the Graeae as it passed between the hands of the sisters. Fearful of becoming completely blind, the Graeae would eventually reveal the secret location of Medusa.
Who was Graeae?
The Graeae were three sisters in Greek mythology, who shared one eye and one tooth among them. Their names were Deino (dread), Enyo (horror) and Pemphredo (alarm).
Who are the parents of Graeae?
The parents of Graeae were Phorcys and Keto.
What did Perseus do with the three objects?
They took turns using their eye and their tooth. They appeared in the myth of Perseus, who was trying to find out where three magical objects were located, in order to kill Medusa. He went to the Graeae 's cave, and stole their eye. He then told them he would return it if they told him where the three objects were.
What are the features of the Graeae?
The Graeae were said to have been born grey, but their most obvious physical feature was that they had but one eye and one tooth between them, and the eye and tooth were thus passed around between the three. Aeschylus though did not describe the women simply as old women, but said that the Graeae had the bodies of beautiful swans.
What are the Grey Sisters?
The Grey Sisters of Greek Mythology. The Graeae are a trio of sisters in Greek mythology, and indeed are one of the most famous triumvirates, alongside the likes of the Gorgons, to appear in the tales of Ancient Greece.
How did Perseus get the answer out of the Grey Sisters?
Thus, Perseus had to force the answer out of the Grey Sisters. This Perseus achieved, by intercepting the eye of the Graeae as it passed between the hands of the sisters. Fearful of becoming completely blind, the Graeae would eventually reveal the secret location of Medusa.
Who were the secret holders of the white foam of the sea?
The Graeae - Secret Holders. The Graeae were probably the personifications of the white foam of the sea, and indeed the children of Phorycs were the personifications of other elements of the dangers of the sea, for the Gorgons were symbols of underwater reefs. More importantly, in Greek mythology, the Graeae were keepers of a secret, ...
Who were the keepers of a secret in Greek mythology?
More importantly, in Greek mythology, the Graeae were keepers of a secret, the location of the caves of the Gorgons. Perseus and the Graeae - Sir Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898) - PD-art-100.
Do the Graeae appear again?
After the departure of Perseus, the Graeae do not appear again in any further surviving Greek myths, for subsequently, who else would seek out the two remaining Gorgons?
Did Perseus throw the eye of the Graeae into Lake Tritonis?
It is common to believe that Perseus returned the eye to the Graeae after receiving the answer he was looking for, but in some alternative versions of the story , the Graeae became permanently blind, for Perseus threw the eye of the Graeae into Lake Tritonis.
Who were the Graeae?
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - The Graeae were three sisters of fate who shared one eye and one tooth in Greek mythology. They were born as old women and their names were Deino (dread), Enyo (horror), and Pemphredo (alarm).
What are the Graeae sisters called?
The Graeae are also called Grey Sisters, Graiai, and Graiae.
What is the mythical story of the Graeae?
The mythical story of the Graeae has changed over the course of time. In their original conception, they were merely personifications of kindly and venerable old age, possessing all its benevolent attributes without its natural infirmities. They were old and gray from their birth, and so they ever remained. In later times, however, they came ...
Who were the Graeae in Perseus?
Born as the daughters of the Sea Gods, sea gods Phorcys and Ceto, and sisters of the Gorgons, the Graeae were powerful creatures and they appear in the myth of Perseus, the hero who killed Medusa, a monster, a Gorgon, generally described as a winged human female with a hideous face and living venomous snakes in place of hair. Gazers on her face would turn to stone.
Who were the three sisters of fate?
Although the Fates were the personifications of destiny, no human could blame the fates, as he was the only one responsible for his failures. The Graeae were three sisters of fate who shared one eye and one tooth in Greek mythology. Image credit: Doorway To Other Worlds.
Why did Perseus send Gazers to Medusa?
Gazers on her face would turn to stone. According to an ancient legend, Perseus was sent by the king to get Medusa's head. Perseus went to the three Graeae, that shared one eye between them, and through stealing it he made them tell him where the nymphs of the north lived.
Etymology
The word Graeae is probably derived from the adjective γραῖα graia "old woman", derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵerh₂- * ǵreh2-, "to grow old" via Proto-Greek: * gera-/grau-iu.
Mythology
The Graeae were daughters of the sea-deities Phorcys and Ceto (from which their name the Phorcydes derived) and sisters to the Gorgons. The Graeae took the form of old, grey-haired women. Their age was so great that a human childhood for them was hardly conceivable. In Theogony, however, Hesiod describes the Graeae as being "fair-cheeked".
Bibliography
Apollodorus, Apollodorus, The Library, with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
What was special about the Graeae?
What was special about the Graeae? The Graeae were known for sharing one eye and tooth amongst them.
What is a Graeae?
It’s said that the Graeae were initially personifications of old age, possessing all the kindly, benevolent attributes which come with aging. However, over time they came to be known as misshapen old women who were hideously ugly with only one tooth, the magical eye and a wig given to them to share.
Why are the Graeae sisters not popular?
However, as unpleasant as they might have been, they played an important role in the myth of Perseus and Medusa for if it wasn’t for their help, Perseus might never have found the Gorgon or the objects he needed to slay her.
Why were the Graeae important to Perseus?
The secret the Graeae were keeping was an important one for Perseus, who wanted to bring Medusa’s head back to King Polydectes as requested. Perseus traveled to the Island of Cisthene where the Graeae were said to have lived and approached the sisters, asking them for the location of the caves where Medusa hid.
How many Graeae sisters are there?
Although there were originally three Graeae sisters as mentioned in the Bibliotheca by Pseudo-Apollodorus, Hesiod and Ovid speak of only two Graeae – Enyo, the waster of cities and Pemphredo, the saffron-robed one. When spoken of as a trio, Deino is sometimes replaced with a different name ‘Persis’ which means destroyer.
Why did the Graeae take turns sleeping with their eyes?
Therefore, they took turns sleeping with their eye to protect it .
What did Perseus ask the Graeae for?
In an alternate version of the myth, Perseus asked the Graeae not for Medusa’s location but for the location of three magical objects that would help him to kill Medusa.
Who is the Graiai in Greek mythology?
"And to Phorkys (Phorcys) Keto (Ceto) bore the Graiai (Graeae), with fair faces and gray from birth, and these the gods who are immortal and men who walk on the earth call Graiai, the gray sisters, Pemphredo robed in beauty and Enyo robed in saffron.".
Who were the Gorgons' daughters?
These daughters of Phorkys (Phorcys) and Keto (Ceto), sisters of the Gorgones (Gorgons), were old women from their birth. The three of them possessed only one eye and one tooth among them, which they took turns using.
What is the plot of the Phorcides?
The Phorcides was the second of a trilogy of plays describing the story of Perseus. The plot revolved around Perseus' quest for the head of Medousa (Medusa). The Graiai (Graea, Grey Ones), sisters of the Gorgones, formed the chorus. Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 788 ff (trans. Weir Smyth) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :
What is the name of the daughter of Phorcus and Ceto?
PHO′RCIDES (Phorkides), PHORCYDES, or PHORCYNIDES, that is, the daughters of Phorcus and Ceto, or the Gorgons and Graeae. (Aeschyl.
Who were the sea hags?
Translation. 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.
Who were the guardians of the Gorgones?
Pseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica 2. 12 : "As Aeschylus, the writer of tragedies, says in his Phorcides, the Graeae were guardians of the Gorgones. We wrote about them in the first book of the Genealogiae. They are thought to have had but one eye among them ,and thus to have kept guard, watch one taking it in her turn.
Who were the old women in Hesiod?
GRAEAE (Graiai), that is, "the old women," were daughters of Phorcys and Ceto. They had grey hair from their birth. Hesiod ( Theog. 270, &c.) mentions only two Graeae, viz. Pephredo and Enyo; Apollodorus (ii. 4. § 2) adds Deino as a third, and Aeschylus ( Prom. 819) also speaks of three Graeae.
