Unsatisfied with her work in igniting the war, Allecto asks Juno if she can provoke more strife by drawing in bordering towns. Met with a mocking response from Turnus, Alecto abandons persuasion and attacks Turnus with a torch, causing his blood to 'boil with the passion for war'. She disguises herself as Juno's priestess Calybe and appears to Turnus in a dream persuading him to begin the war against the Trojans. To do this, Allecto takes over the body of Queen Amata, who clamors for all of the Latin mothers to riot against the Trojans. Allecto's mission is to wreak havoc on the Trojans and cause their downfall through war. In Virgil's Aeneid (Book VII), Juno commanded the Fury Allecto (spelled with two l's) to prevent the Trojans from having their way with King Latinus by marriage or besiege Italian borders. Alecto's job as a Fury is castigating the moral crimes (such as anger) of humans, especially if they are against others.Īlecto's function is similar to Nemesis, with the difference that Nemesis's function is to castigate crimes against the gods, not mortals. These three Furies had snakes for hair and blood dripped from their eyes, while their wings were those of bats. She is the sister of Tisiphone and Megaera. Orestes Pursued by the Furies by William-Adolphe BouguereauĪlecto ( Ancient Greek: Ἀληκτώ, romanized: Alēktṓ, lit.'the implacable or unceasing anger') is one of the Erinyes (Furies) in Greek mythology.Īccording to Hesiod, Alecto was the daughter of Gaea fertilized by the blood spilled from Uranus when Cronus castrated him.

The aeneid john dryden