Megaera
Megaera (/məˈdʒɪərə/; Ancient Greek: Μέγαιρα "the jealous one"[1]) is one of the Erinyes, Eumenides or "Furies" in Greek mythology. Bibliotheca Classica states "According to the most received opinions, they were three in number, Tisiphone, "Megaera ... daughter of Nox and Acheron",[2] and Alecto".[3]
| Megaera | |
|---|---|
Goddess of jealousy and envy | |
| Member of The Erinyes | |
 "Questa e megera dal sinistro canto", front the Divine Comedy, 1793 printing | |
| Personal information | |
| Parents | Uranus or Nyx |
| Siblings | Alecto and Tisiphone |
Like her sisters Alecto and Tisiphone, as well as the Meliae, she was born of the blood of Uranus when Cronus castrated him.[4]
In modern French (mégère), Portuguese (megera), Modern Greek (μέγαιρα), Italian (megera), Russian (мегера) and Czech (megera), this name denotes a jealous or spiteful woman. She is not to be confused with Megara, the wife of Heracles.
Modern reception
Minor planet 464 Megaira is named in her honour.[5]
Megaera is a major character in the video game Hades. She is a boss and a potential romance partner to the main character.
Megaera is one of the three antagonists in the video game God of War: Ascension where she is portrayed as a deformed humanoid with spider like appendages
References
- Related to μεγαίρω "to grudge, envy" from Proto-Indo-European *meǵh2- "great" (see Robert S. P. Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2009, p. 917).
- Lamprière's Classical Dictionary of Proper Names mentioned in Ancient Authors, 1949, p. 366
- Lamprière's Classical Dictionary of Proper Names mentioned in Ancient Authors, 1949, p. 234
- Graves, Robert (1960). The Greek Myths. London: Penguin Books. pp. 37. ISBN 9780140171990.
- "(464) Megaira". (464) Megaira In: Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer. 2003. p. 52. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_465. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7.
