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Prompt 4 for the Sunshine Challenge are the ones who don't rest until they are satisfied: The Furies
( The use of euphemism, for both good and ill )
I suppose the thing I want to hammer home the most is this: The invocation of such forces, who do not rest until they have been satisfied, is not to be done lightly, trivially, or on anyone who you do not fully intend to drive away without the possibility of return. Calling upon them, if necessary, should be done when the cause is just and the person who has offended did so out of malice or indifference instead of ignorance. (Persistence in ignorance is indifference or malice.) And those that do the calling should understand that the powers they unleash are the sole determiners of when they are satisfied, so they should not cry foul should it turn out that the kindly ones come for the one who invoked them as well as (or instead of) the one they were directed at.
The Furies, also known as the Erinyes, are a trio of vengeance deities whose immortal task is to hear complaints of insolence from mortals—and to punish those crimes by hounding the culprits relentlessly. They are said to focus on punishment for lying, killing, or sinning against the gods, but any lawbreaking was indeed punishable by them.
“Alecto was the oldest, unceasing in anger. Megaera was next, retaliator of jealousy, and Tisiphone, the last, regarded as the avenger of murder.”
― Elisabeth Naughton, Stolen Fury
Maybe you are inspired by Alecto (“the implacable one”, incites war), or perhaps Megaera (“the envious one”, vengeance) speaks to you, or maybe even Tisiphone (“avenger of murder”, guards the gates to Tartarus) – however you want to interpret the prompt, we’d love to hear from you!
( The use of euphemism, for both good and ill )
I suppose the thing I want to hammer home the most is this: The invocation of such forces, who do not rest until they have been satisfied, is not to be done lightly, trivially, or on anyone who you do not fully intend to drive away without the possibility of return. Calling upon them, if necessary, should be done when the cause is just and the person who has offended did so out of malice or indifference instead of ignorance. (Persistence in ignorance is indifference or malice.) And those that do the calling should understand that the powers they unleash are the sole determiners of when they are satisfied, so they should not cry foul should it turn out that the kindly ones come for the one who invoked them as well as (or instead of) the one they were directed at.
