Angry, grumpy women are often called vixens. What's this word? What language did it come from? Vixen is a character from ancient Greek myths. It is easy to guess that this heroine in the view of ancient people was especially unpleasant.
Meaning of the word “vixen”
The name of the heroine of ancient legends can be found in many dictionaries. "Vixen" - what is it? Everywhere it is said the same thing: one of the Erinians is the goddess of revenge. Erebus and Nyukta had many children, among them Meger. What kind of character is described below. First, it is worth saying that in both French and Italian there is a word that came from the name of a mythological heroine. The spelling in most European languages is the same - megera, that is, "mega". What does this word mean in the understanding of modern man? Grumpy, scandalous, spiteful, vengeful woman.
Myths of Ancient Greece
As already mentioned, Megera is the daughter of Erebus and Nyukta. But if we open the book "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece" in the exposition of Kuhn, we will not find this character. Erebus and Nyukta, that is, Darkness and Night, had many children, but Kuhn only mentions Hemer and Ether. The Roman counterpart of Vixen is Furina. But nothing is said about her in ancient legends translated into Russian.
The explanatory dictionaries say that this female character should be attributed to the Erinians, of which there were three of the ancient Greeks. These heroines were born from Nyukta and Erebus. According to another version - from the blood of Uranus (a god who has undergone segregation). Does Nikolai Kun mention at least one of the Erinis? The author of the best translation of ancient Greek myths, talking about the kingdom of Hades, describes in a nutshell the goddess of vengeance, as formidable creatures with snakes and swords chasing criminals. They do not give a moment of peace to a mortal who has committed an offense; they torment him with remorse. However, Kuhn talks about these characters very sparingly and there is no Mega in his book.
Aeschylus has the tragedy of Eumenides. It refers to Orestes, who killed his own mother. After committing sin, he has no choice but to hide from the goddess of vengeance. Eumenes are the same Erinis. But even in the work of Aeschylus, Meger is not mentioned.
The translation of ancient Kuhn myths is a succinct exposition; many characters are absent in it. About who such a Megera in ancient Greek legends, we can learn only from the explanatory dictionaries.