In Greek and Roman mythology, Alecto (Ancient Greek: Ἀληκτώ, romanized: Alēktṓ, lit. 'Unceasing anger') is one of the Erinyes (Furies).
She punishes crimes of anger for her name means 'the implacable or unceasing anger'. She is the sister of Tisiphone and Megaera.
Mythology[]
According to Hesiod, Alecto was the daughter of Gaea fertilized by the blood spilled from Uranus when Cronus castrated him. She is the sister of Tisiphone and Megaera. These three Furies had snakes for hair and blood trickled from their eyes, whereas their wings were those of bats.
Alecto's work as a Fury is castigating the moral wrongdoings (such as outrage) of people, especially if they are against others. Alecto's work is comparable to Nemesis with the contrast that Nemesis's work is to castigate crimes against the gods, not mortals. Her punishment for mortals was Madness.
In Virgil's Aeneid (Book VII), Juno commanded the Fury Allecto (spelled with two l's in the text) to anticipate the Trojans from having their way with King Latinus by marriage or attack Italian borders. Allecto's mission is to wreak destruction on the Trojans and cause their ruin through war. To do this, Allecto takes over the body of Queen Amata, who clamors for all of the Latin mothers to revolt against the Trojans. She masks herself as Juno's priestess Calybe and shows up to Turnus in a dream influencing him to start the war against the Trojans. Met with a taunting reaction from Turnus, Alecto forsakes influence and assaults Turnus with a burn, causing his blood to "bubble with the enthusiasm for war". Unsatisfied with her work in lighting the war, Allecto inquires Juno on the off chance that she can incite more conflict by drawing in bordering towns. Juno answers that she will oversee the rest of the war herself: "You're roving far too freely, high on the heavens' winds, and the Father, king of steep Olympus, won't allow it. You must give way. Whatever struggle is still to come, I'll manage it myself."[1]
In Popular Culture[]
In Literature[]
- Alecto appears in Book VII of Virgil's Aeneid
- In the medieval Irish epic Táin Bó Cúailnge she is equated with the Mórrígan
- She briefly appears in Canto IX of Dante's Inferno with her sisters before the gates of Dis, threatening to unveil the Medusa
- Alecto is featured in the information book Worlds Worst Monsters and Villains
- Alecto is prominently featured as an antagonist in Rick Riordan's book Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, where she is disguised as Percy Jackson's algebra teacher Mrs. Dodds
In Television[]
- In the Femme Fatales episode "Girls Gone Dead", two college girls, Alexis and Erida, tell cameraman Jay Roma that the name Alexis is a variation of the Greek name Alecto, the goddess of unresting
- Alecto appears in the Disney+ show Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023)
In Video Games[]
- Alecto appears in Gods of Olympus
- Alecto appears as an enemy in Hades
Gallery[]
