Megaera

Megaera
For other uses, see Megaera (disambiguation).

Megaera (Ancient Greek: Μέγαιρα, English translation: "the jealous one") is one of the Erinyes, Eumenides or "Furies" in Greek mythology. Lamprière's Classical Dictionary states "According to the most received opinions, they were three in number, Tisiphone, Megara [sic] and Alecto"[1] and "Megaera ... daughter of Nox and Acheron"[2].

Megaera is the cause of jealousy and envy, and punishes people who commit crimes, especially marital infidelity. Like her sisters Alecto and Tisiphone, she was born of the blood of Uranus when Cronus castrated him. In modern French (mégère), Portuguese (megera), modern Greek (μεγαιρα), Italian (megera) and Russian (мегера), this name denotes a jealous or spiteful woman - Google translates all five as "shrew".

Thorne Smith includes a character Megaera (mostly referred to as "Meg") in The Night Life of the Gods (1931). Despite the presence in the story of Neptune, Mercury, Venus and other immortals, she does not date from Classical times, was born around 1000, and has a character almost diametrically opposed to that cited for her namesake in the previous paragraph.

References

  1. ^ Lamprière's Classical Dictionary of Proper Names mentioned in Ancient Authors, 1949, p. 234
  2. ^ op cit, p. 366

See also



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  • MEGAERA — una Furiarum, Noctis et Acherontis filia, ita dicta ἀπὸ τοῦ μεγαίρειν, quod odisse seu invidere significat. Fallitur itaque Statii Scholiastes, qui sic dictam putat quasi Μεγάλη ἔρις. Virg. Aen. l. 12. v. 845. s. Dicuntur geminae pestes,… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • Megaera — MEGAERA, æ, Gr. Μέγαιρα, ας, (⇒ Tab. I.) eine der drey Furien, welche dem Namen nach von μεγαίρω, ich hasse, neide, so viel, als die mit Hasse und Neide verfolget; Voss. theol. gent. l. VIII. c. 18. oder auch die Verhaßte heißen soll. Phurnut. de …   Gründliches mythologisches Lexikon

  • Megaera — [mə jir′ə] n. [L < Gr Megaira, lit., the exalted one (a euphemism) < * megaros, great < megas: see MUCH] Gr. & Rom. Myth. one of the three Furies …   English World dictionary

  • Megaera —    From Greek mythology, one of the Erinyes. They live in the underworld and punish evildoers. Their names are Tisiphone, Megaera and Alecto. The Romans call them The Furies …   The writer's dictionary of science fiction, fantasy, horror and mythology

  • Megaera (disambiguation) — Megaera may refer to: Megaera, one of the Erinyes in Greek mythology. 464 Megaira, an asteroid named after the Erinye. Megara (mythology), the oldest daughter of Creon, king of Thebes, in Greek mythology. A taxonomic synonym for Trimeresurus, a.k …   Wikipedia

  • Megaera — Megaira (griech. Μἐγαιρα), auch Megäre, ist eine der drei Erinyen. Sie ist der personifizierte „Neid mit dem bösen Blick.“ Nach Apollod. 1,3 entstand sie mit ihren Schwestern aus dem Blut des entmannten Uranos. Im übertragenen Sinne wird ihr Name …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Megaera — /meuh jear euh/, n. Class. Myth. one of the Furies. * * * …   Universalium

  • Megaera — noun One of the Furies, Erinyes in Greek mythology, the cause of jealousy and envy, who punishes people who commit crimes, especially marital infidelity …   Wiktionary

  • Megaera — Me•gae•ra [[t]məˈdʒɪər ə[/t]] n. myt one of the Furies …   From formal English to slang

  • Megaera — /məˈdʒɪərə/ (say muh jearruh) noun Greek Mythology one of the Furies …  

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