Tradition: Greek mythology
Alternative Names: Arae, Arai (Αραί)
Category: Demon
The Myth
The Arae are female spirits of curses, particularly curses laid by the dead upon those responsible for their deaths. They are associated with the Underworld and are sometimes identified with the Erinyes, the Furies.
The Arae are described as powers residing beneath the earth. In the traditions preserved by Aeschylus, the Erinyes themselves say that they are the eternal children of Nyx (Night) and that they are called Arai, or Curses, in their dwelling beneath the earth.
Their curses are closely connected with bloodshed and vengeance. Blood spilled upon the earth demands further blood, and the Erinys arising from those who have been murdered brings destruction upon the guilty. The Arae therefore pursue the consequences of murder and wrongdoing, particularly within cursed families.
The House of Atreus is repeatedly associated with the Arae. Orestes calls upon the powerful Curses of the slain as he suffers the consequences of the violence within his family. Clytemnestra likewise addresses the Ara, the curse haunting the house of the Atreides, blaming it for taking away those she loves.
The curse is also connected with the downfall of Oedipus and his family. When his family is thrown into disorder, the Arae raise their piercing cry as the descendants of Oedipus are driven apart.
In the story of Eteocles and the Seven Against Thebes, Eteocles prays to Zeus, Earth, and the gods protecting Thebes, as well as to the Curse acting as the agent of his father’s vengeance. He begs that the Ara not destroy his city or its homes and hearths.
The Arae could also be invoked by those seeking vengeance for unjustly murdered people or those deprived of marriage. In the Electra tradition, Electra calls upon the powers of the Underworld, including Hermes Chthonios, the holy Ara, and the divine Erinyes, asking them to avenge the murder of her father.
The Arae thus represent curses arising from wrongdoing and bloodshed, particularly the vengeance of the dead against those responsible for their deaths.
Sources
“Arae.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed September 9, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arae