Curved sword used by Perseus to behead Medusa.
Overview
The Harpe Sword, also called the harpe or harpa, is a legendary curved sword or sickle-sword in Greek mythology. It is best known as the weapon of the hero Perseus and is described as having a sickle-like hook, used to cut off the head of the Gorgon Medusa.
In myth, the harpe is an important sign of divine help. It is often said that Hermes gives the sword to Perseus, sometimes on behalf of the Olympian gods, as part of the special gear that lets him complete his quest. The weapon appears widely in the stories about Perseus, although its exact shape and origin are described differently in various texts and works of art.
The harpe is especially tied to the episodes of Perseus and Medusa and, more generally, to Perseus’ heroic deeds.
Physical Description
The Harpe Sword is usually described as a sword with a strong curve and a forward-angled or hooked blade, combining features of both a sword and a sickle. Ancient written sources do not give its exact size or measurements, but images typically show it as a one-handed weapon about the length of a sword.
In art, it is marked by a curved blade with a single cutting edge and, in many depictions, a tip that bends forward or ends in a hook similar to a sickle. Greek vase paintings and reliefs often show the harpe as a short, sharply curved sword, sometimes stressing the hook at the end of the blade to highlight its sickle-like shape.
Artistic variants include versions that look like a kopis-style curved sword without a strong hook, as well as more clearly sickle-shaped forms with a deep inward curve and a distinct hook. Notable images appear in Archaic and Classical vase paintings that show Perseus running away after beheading Medusa while holding the curved harpe, and in reliefs and later Roman-period works that show him with a hooked, sickle-like sword in the Medusa scene.
Origin and Creation
The origin of the Harpe Sword is not clearly explained in early main Greek sources. The forging or first making of the weapon used by Perseus is not described in surviving texts, and no specific place of creation is given.
In many later stories, the harpe is treated as a divine weapon linked to Hermes and appears as part of the set of gifts the gods give to Perseus for his mission against Medusa. In these versions, the Olympian gods together, acting through Hermes, are shown as the ones who arrange for or supply the weapon.
The harpe appears in Archaic Greek poetry and early images connected to the Perseus and Medusa myth, but the very first written use of the word “harpe” differs by author and cannot be firmly tied to a single first mention. Its creation is therefore placed within the wider Greek myth of Perseus being armed by the gods, rather than in a detailed story about how the sword itself was forged.
Role in Myths
The Harpe Sword has a key role in the myth where Perseus kills Medusa. It is the main weapon that lets Perseus cut off the Gorgon’s head, and it is the tool that makes a clean beheading possible while he avoids Medusa’s stone-turning gaze with other divine gifts, such as a reflective shield.
One well-known episode tells how Perseus, armed by the gods, uses the harpe to cut off the head of the sleeping Medusa while looking only at her reflection, so he is not turned to stone. In art and in later writings, the harpe is often shown or mentioned as the weapon Perseus still holds as he escapes from the other Gorgons after Medusa’s death.
The results of its use are important in the story. Medusa’s death and the removal of her head create a powerful protective object. In versions that include it, Pegasus and Chrysaor are born from Medusa’s severed neck, an event made possible by the beheading carried out with the harpe. The successful use of the weapon allows Perseus to finish his divinely ordered quest and gain heroic fame.
The harpe’s story in myth is limited. It appears as a divine weapon given for the Medusa quest, plays its decisive part in the beheading, and then drops out of the tale. No major sources explain what happens to it afterward or where it finally ends up.
Materials and Craftsmanship
The materials of the Harpe Sword are not named in surviving written accounts, though it is generally understood to be a metal weapon suitable for a sword. In myth, it is shown as a special, high-quality curved blade made for strong cutting and beheading, suggesting a high level of sword-making skill in mythical terms.
In shape and use, it is similar to Greek curved swords such as the kopis and the machaira, but it is treated as a separate, named mythic weapon rather than an ordinary blade. These comparisons place it within the broader group of single-edged, forward-curving swords known in the Greek world, while still marking it out as a unique item in the stories of Perseus.
Powers and Properties
In myth, the Harpe Sword has outstanding cutting power and is especially effective for beheading, which makes it well suited to its role in Medusa’s decapitation. When Perseus wields it, the sword works as a dependable weapon backed by the gods and forms part of the set of sacred items that let him carry out his quest.
No special words, rituals, or conditions are needed to use the harpe. It is used like a normal weapon, not one that must be activated. Its limits are also clear in the stories. The harpe by itself does not block Medusa’s petrifying gaze, and Perseus still needs other divine tools, such as the reflective shield, so he does not look at her directly and turn to stone.
Bearers and Ownership
The first owner of the Harpe Sword is not clearly named in early sources. In many stories, it appears as a divine weapon linked to Hermes, who acts as its giver or keeper and either lends or presents it to Perseus for his mission against Medusa.
Perseus is the most famous bearer and user of the harpe, and he is regularly shown with it in the main scenes of the Medusa myth. Hermes appears in some versions as the guardian or holder of the weapon, which shows that it belongs to the gods’ armory rather than to a mortal from the start.
The usual order of ownership shows the harpe first in divine hands or care, often tied in particular to Hermes, and then passed to Perseus as a loan or gift for the time of his quest. The myths do not say what becomes of the sword after Perseus’ adventures, and no major surviving source records its later or final state.
Associated Deities or Figures
The Harpe Sword is closely linked to Hermes, who is often shown as its divine patron or giver, and to the hero Perseus, its best-known user. In art, Perseus is the main figure shown with the weapon. He is regularly depicted holding the curved or hooked sword in scenes of Medusa’s beheading and his escape afterward.
These links connect the harpe both to divine help, through Hermes, and to heroic action, through Perseus.