Harpe- Greek ArtifactArtifact · Weapon

The Blade of Cronus

The harpe first appears in the hands of Cronus, youngest of the Titans. Gaia forged it from adamantine — an indestructible metal — and gave it to Cronus to overthrow his tyrannical father Uranus. The blade was curved like a sickle, with a distinctive hooked end that allowed a pulling cut. Cronus used it to castrate Uranus as the sky god lay over Gaia at night, ending his rule and freeing the Titans he had imprisoned. From the blood that fell to earth were born the Erinyes and the Giants, and from the severed flesh cast into the sea arose Aphrodite.

Zeus and Typhon

The adamantine weapon reappears in the war between Zeus and the serpentine monster Typhon. Zeus wielded the harpe against the creature, pursuing it as far as Mount Casium in Syria and striking at close quarters. But Typhon coiled around the god, wrested the sickle from his hands, and used it to cut the sinews from Zeus's hands and feet. The crippled god was dragged to the Corycian cave in Cilicia and left under the guard of the she-dragon Delphyne. Only after Hermes and Aegipan stole back the severed sinews and refitted them could Zeus resume the fight, finally burying Typhon beneath Mount Etna.

Perseus and Medusa

The same weapon — or one forged to the same divine pattern — was given to Perseus by Hermes for his quest to slay the Gorgon Medusa. Armed with the curved adamantine blade, Perseus approached the sleeping Gorgons and struck Medusa's neck in a single stroke, averting his gaze from her lethal stare with Athena's polished shield. From the severed neck sprang Pegasus and Chrysaor, born from Medusa's earlier union with Poseidon.