The Terrifying Forest: The Harpies

The terrifying forest of fantasy tales does not look like a forest to take refuge in. It is usually portrayed in dark hues, and the trees that fill it are bare, evoking winter and times of famine. It is the opposite of the benevolent woods inhabited by elves and filled with green trees that evoke spring, youth and reverie, bringing magic to the world. On the contrary, the dark forest invokes the death of the heroes or, as in this illustration of Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy, written at the beginning of the 14th century, the underworld.